Kansas went into halftime trailing for the second straight game at Allen Fieldhouse, falling behind Arizona State 42-36. The 42 points were the most the Jayhawks had allowed in a first half all season.

The next 20 minutes completely flipped the script, as the Sun Devils scored just 13 points on five made baskets. It was the lowest amount an opponent had scored during a half since 2013 when TCU scored nine points in the first half.

“We understood we were having trouble guarding there for a while, that first half,” Zeke Mayo said postgame. “[We] let up a couple of shots that the scouting report we didn’t really want to give up, including myself. It was kind of an emphasis at halftime to dig down, play desperate, play with a lot of intensity. I think we did that in the second half.”

Kansas didn’t blow away Arizona State with its offense. The Jayhawks shot a worse percentage in the second half, but their defensive effort allowed them to come away with a comfortable victory.

“We were great defensively,” Bill Self said. “Who would’ve thought we shot the ball worse the second half from two, we shot it worse from three, and basically held them to 11… that was exceptional.”

Shakeel Moore was one of the catalysts of the second-half defense. Moore had a sequence where he picked up steals on consecutive possessions, leading to two dunks as part of a 20-5 run in the first 10 minutes.

“If I was gonna pick an MVP of the game, I’d pick Shak, just because of the energy that he brought,” Self said. “He doesn’t score a ton of points, but he makes plays that, to me, give teams confidence and spark energy as much as anything.”

One of his steals came out of the full-court press, which Kansas opted to implement more often in the second half. It helped ratchet up the pressure, but it also wore out an Arizona State team that played just seven players.

“When you’re playing everybody 33, 35, 37 minutes, the more you make them have to earn things and not give them times where they can rest, I think it makes it harder,” Self said. “That’s one thing we wanted to do, but we actually talked about that a lot in practice, that we were gonna try to be different.”

Mayo echoed that pressure was a part of the team’s scouting report. The Sun Devils played with one true ball handler, and he thought the full-court press was a good way to attack them defensively.

“A lot of their guys didn’t really handle pressure very well,” Mayo said. “That second half, coach emphasized getting after them, picking up full court. It kind of messed with their offense a little bit.”

Self added that he thought the press was good, and he thinks Kansas may use more of it going forward.

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Right-hander Michael Lorenzen and the Kansas City Royals finalized a $7 million, one-year contract on Wednesday that includes a mutual option for 2026 and $2.5 million in annual performance bonuses.

Lorenzen gets a $5.5 million salary this year, and the Royals have a $12 million option for 2026 with a $1.5 million buyout.

He can earn $1.5 million for innings in each season: $250,000 each for 100 and 125, and $500,000 apiece for 150 and 175.

Lorenzen also can get $1 million for pitching appearances: $100,000 for 10, $150,000 for 20 and $250,000 each for 25, 30 and 40.

He would earn $100,000 for All-Star selection or election, $50,000 for winning a Gold Glove, $100,000 for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for finishing second through fifth in the voting and $25,000 for sixth through 10th.

The 33-year-old was acquired by Kansas City in a trade with Texas just before the deadline last July and became a dependable part of the pitching staff down the stretch. He went 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in six starts and one relief appearance to help the Royals clinch a wild card, then tossed 2 1/3 innings over two appearances in the playoffs.

Lorenzen took the loss in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees, giving up Alex Verdugo’s go-ahead single in the seventh inning of a 6-5 defeat. The Royals went on to lose the series in four games.

Lorenzen spent his first seven seasons in Cincinnati, then spent a year with the Angels, before splitting the 2023 season between the Tigers and Phillies, getting selected to his only All-Star Game while with Detroit and throwing a no-hitter for Philadelphia after being traded. He has a career record of 47-44 with a 3.99 ERA and 15 saves in 368 games, including 93 starts.

The top of the Royals’ starting rotation appears to be set, with Michael Wacha returning on a three-year, $51 million contract to join Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans, both of whom made the All-Star Game for Kansas City last season.

The Royals hope Kyle Wright can return to the form he displayed in Atlanta after spending last season rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Kris Bubic and Alec Marsh are among those who will compete with Lorenzen for one of the remaining starting spots.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb