LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Kansas' 81-60 basketball victory over Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown ended in brawl.
KU and K-State players spilled off the floor and into a baseline seating area after Kansas big man Silvio DeSousa blocked a last-second layup attempt by Antonio Gordon, who had come up with a steal with a few seconds remaining, and stood over Gordon.
The play happened close to the Kansas State bench. Wildcats players rushed to Gordon, and Kansas players left the bench.
The fracas spilled into the seating area behind press row where spectators sit in folding chairs and some in wheelchairs. Punches were thrown. DeSousa picked up a stool but it was grabbed away before he could swing it.
After coaches and team officials helped stop the fight, the teams left for the locker room. But the players who were on the floor for the teams when the game ended returned to the court. A technical foul had been called on DeSousa with 1 second remaining.
The players who were on the floor at the end of the game were the only ones eligible to return. According to ESPN, all players for both teams who left the bench were ejected from the game.
The volatile ending came after a big game for Jayhawks freshman guard Christian Braun.
Braun, who went to Blue Valley Northwest, scored a season-high 20 points in helping the Jayhawks. He matched his season best of 11 by halftime on the strength of three triples. He surpassed it with a three-pointer on KU's first possession of the second half.
Braun finished with 20, becoming the sixth Kansas player to score at least 20 in a game this season.
Third-ranked Kansas improved to 15-3 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12, a game behind Baylor. K-State dropped to 8-10 and 1-5.
The Jayhawks dominated early, opening a 26-9 lead on Braun's three-pointer with 10:30 remaining in the first half. The margin increased to as many as 24 early in the second half before the Wildcats caught a spark behind freshman guard David Sloan.
Sloan had six points in a 13-2 K-State run, and when another freshman, DaJuan Gordon, knocked down a three, the margin was down to 49-36 six minutes into the second half.
But the Jayhawks quickly put an end to the rally. Bruan's corner three-pointer restored a 58-39 advantage, and Kansas was back on track to a lopsided victory in a one-sided series. Tuesday marked KU's 14th straight victory over K-State at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas State was coming off its best victory of the season, handling then No. 12 West Virginia 84-68 on Saturday. But the Wildcats couldn't overcome a Kansas team that ranks among the national leaders in scoring defense. Kansas held its
Kansas' Udoka Azubuike collected his seventh double-double this season with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Devon Dotson added 18.
Xavier Sneed led Kansas State with 16 and Sloan had a season-best 14.
Ahead for both teams and the rest of the conference is the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Saturday, KU plays host to Tennessee before an ESPN "College GameDay" audience, and Kansas State travels to Alabama.
