LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Darryn Peterson was happy to finally finish a game for No. 11 Kansas, and the Jayhawks certainly needed the standout freshman at the end against No. 13 Texas Tech.
Peterson scored 19 points while playing a season-high 35 minutes. His only two field goals in the second half were crucial late 3-pointers. He made the tying basket on a contested shot from the right corner with 1:20 left, and hit again from the left wing with 44 seconds left in the 64-61 victory Monday night.
Two days earlier, Peterson scored 18 points in the first half but didn't play the final 16:46 of a win over then-No. 13 BYU because of cramping. An expected top pick in the NBA draft in June, Peterson has also dealt with hamstring, calf, and ankle issues this season while missing 10 games overall for Kansas (17-5, 7-2 Big 12).
Before hitting the late 3s, Peterson was only 3-of-12 shooting against the Red Raiders (16-6, 6-3). "He’s got just an unbelievable ability to raise his level when it counts the most," Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. "Those two plays he made were obviously the two biggest plays of the game for us."
"Coach Self told me to go make a play," said Peterson. "I had a bad game... shots weren’t really going. They guarded me kind of well, but I just trusted the work, so those shots I feel like I should make." And he did when they counted most for the Jayhawks in their sixth consecutive victory.