Braun’s career game fuels Kansas to bounce-back victory over Saint Joseph’s
Displeased with his own effort in Thursday’s 102-90 loss to Gonzaga, Christian Braun adjusted his mindset for Friday’s Fort Myers Tip-off finale against Saint Joseph’s.
“I was being more aggressive this game because I didn’t play as well as I should have yesterday,” Braun, Kansas’ sophomore wing out of Blue Valley Northwest, said after scoring a career-high 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting — 5 of 8 from three — in the Jayhawks’ 94-72 victory over the Hawks at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Florida.
Braun, who had nine rebounds, had scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with just two boards versus the Zags, the No. 1 team in the country.
“I don’t think anything was different honestly in warmups. I wasn’t making any more shots. It’s just going in (to the game) knowing I wasn’t as aggressive the first game as I should be,” Braun added.
Braun — his two threes opened a 19-3 first-half run that turned a seven-point deficit into a nine-point KU lead — had a hunch he’d be depended upon when he saw starting point guard Marcus Garrett laboring early.
“We had Marcus go down this game, (so) somebody had to step up. Ochai (Agbaji, 18 points, four boards) gave us a good lift both games. I should have been more aggressive the first game for sure,” Braun stated.
Braun played 36 minutes and Agbaji 34 on a day Garrett managed five points with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in 29 minutes.
“Marcus couldn’t breathe today for whatever reason,” KU coach Bill Self explained. “He does that sometimes, has days when it’s hard for him to catch his breath. Today was one of those days.”
Self noted that “Christian was terrific today. He was good on both ends, rebounding the ball. I thought he missed David (McCormack) a couple times in the post early on when when were trying to get David going. I took him (Braun) out early because he got beat on two offensive rebounds to start the game when they were a little bit quicker than us. I thought he was really good.”
That short stint on the bench was the only reminder Braun needed to hit the boards. KU, which had just 23 rebounds total vs. Gonzaga, grabbed 51 rebounds to the Hawks’ 33 on Friday.
Freshman wing Jalen Wilson had nine rebounds and 14 points in 24 minutes. He hit 4 of 8 shots and was 6 of 9 from the line.
“Jalen was our best 5-man here, but he is not our best 5-man, David is,” Self said of 6-10 junior McCormack, who had six points in the 19-3 first-half run, but finished playing just 11 minutes total.
McCormack appeared to hurt his right knee after getting fouled in the first half and started the second half wearing a support sleeve on the knee. He left just two minutes into the final half and did not return to the game.
“David did get nicked up,” Self said. “That’s why he didn’t probably play after we took him out to start the second half (during a 10-0 St. Joe’s run that turned an eight-point halftime deficit into a two-point Hawks’ lead). He didn’t hurt it but tweaked his knee midway through the first half when he started playing well. If we needed to play him we could have. We got the clearance (from medical staff). He put a sleeve on the second half for some stability. I thought there’s no reason to play him if not 100% and he was not quite 100%.”
Of the 6-8 Wilson, Self noted: “He gives us strength inside, is fearless, rebounds the ball, is a good driver of the ball, shoots it plenty good enough where you have to guard him.”
Freshman point guard Dajuan Harris, who took two charges immediately after entering the game for the first time in the second half, wound up hitting a three and also dished five assists while playing 15 second-half minutes.
“I 100% expected it from Dajuan,” Braun said of Harris, a graduate of Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri. Harris has known Braun for many years. “I’ve seen it from him since seventh grade. I’m happy seeing him out there doing his thing (after redshirt season),” Braun added.
Self praised Harris extensively after the victory.
“He is our best charge-taker,” Self said. “I’ll be honest. We have not seen Dajuan consistently play like he did today. He’s been nicked up, not 100%. He has looked slow because of that. I thought today he was quick. He was into it. He played good position defense. He has such good hands. He gave me a lot of confidence in him. He’s a terrific passer. Our team was certainly better with him in the game.”
The Jayhawks will now remain in Florida until Sunday afternoon when they take a charter flight to Indianapolis for Tuesday’s 8:30 p.m. game against Kentucky. The Jayhawks will play their home opener at 7 p.m. Thursday against Washburn. No fans will be admitted to Allen Fieldhouse for that game amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This story was originally published November 27, 2020 at 3:07 PM.
