LAWRENCE, Kan. _ A short-handed Kansas basketball team, playing without injured Marcus Garrett and Udoka Azubuike and ineligible Silvio De Sousa, won its first game without senior guard Lagerald Vick on Saturday.
The Jayhawks, who learned on Thursday that Vick was headed home to Memphis for personal reasons while on an indefinite leave of absence, upended an equally depleted Oklahoma State squad, 84-72 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Taking the court without veteran Vick against an OSU team that has lost four players since the start of the new year, the Jayhawks _ who Saturday were led by Dedric Lawson's 25 points and Ochai Agbaji's 23 points _ welcomed a new starter into the lineup.
Freshman power forward David McCormack, a McDonald's All-American, scored zero points and grabbed five rebounds in 14 minutes while opening for the first time in his career.
He did not start the second half; the energetic Mitch Lightfoot (nine rebounds, six points, five fouls, 20 minutes) got the call.
Lawson hit 10 of 17 shots (3 of 6 3s) and Agbaji 8 of 12 (5 of 7 from 3) as KU (18-6, 7-4 Big 12), which started four freshmen, gained revenge on OSU (9-14, 2-8) for last season's Cowboys victory in Lawrence.
Devon Dotson contributed 18 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Quentin Grimes (six points, four rebounds) hit two big second-half 3s. KU as a team nailed 11 of 29 3s to OSU's 9 of 20. OSU was led by Cameron McGriff, who had 22 points.
The game was tied at 49-49 with 14:11 left when Lightfoot led a 7-2 surge that gave KU a 56-51 advantage at 12:21. Dotson had a bucket, Lightfoot a slam dunk on a rebound and Agbaji a 3. Grimes followed with two 3s and Agbaji a 3 as KU extended the run to 16-2 and a 65-51 lead at 9:47. KU led 68-53 at 9:11.
Agbaji scored 15 points and Dotson 10 points the first half as the teams played to a 36-36 tie. Agbaji was 3 of 4 from 3 the first 20 minutes; his teammates 2 of 10. Overall KU hit 48.3 percent of its first-half shots to Oklahoma State's 50 percent. Waters hit two of OSU's four 3s (in seven attempts) and scored 10 points. McGriff had 11 points in the half and grabbed three rebounds.
KU's biggest lead of the half was six points at 14-8. The Jayhawks led, 36-31 following a 3 by Agbaji with 1:33 left. However McGriff cashed a bucket and Waters a three to assure an OSU tie at the break.
KU will next meet TCU at 8 p.m. Monday in Fort Worth, Texas.
