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Mykhailiuk’s 3s spur No. 14 Kansas to 109-64 rout of Omaha

Nebraska v Kansas

LAWRENCE, KS - DECEMBER 10: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk #10 of the Kansas Jayhawks shoots against Evan Taylor #11 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first half at Allen Field House on December 10, 2016 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Svi Mykhailiuk hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, Devonte Graham added 17 and No. 14 Kansas rolled to a 109-64 victory over Omaha on Monday night.

Lagerald Vick added 15 points and Malik Newman had 14 for the Jayhawks (9-2), who enjoyed a breather after a tough string of games. They beat Syracuse, lost back-to-back to Washington and Arizona State, and needed a clutch 3-pointer from Mykhailiuk to beat Nebraska over the weekend.

Mykhailiuk kept knocking down shots against the Mavericks (3-11), too. He was 6 of 7 from beyond the arc and 10 for 13 from the field, adding four rebounds and four assists for good measure.

Daniel Norl had 13 points and Zach Jackson had 10 to lead Omaha, which went 9 for 28 from beyond the arc, shot 33 percent from the field and was outrebounded 49-26 by the Jayhawks.

The Jayhawks toyed with the Mavericks throughout much of the first half, but their hot outside shooting and massive size advantage in the paint allowed them to easily draw away.

Arizona State transfer Sam Cunliffe, who became eligible after the fall semester and was playing his first game in Allen Fieldhouse, got the first big run started by knocking down a 3 late in the first half.

Mykhailiuk and Graham added 3s and the Jayhawks took an 11-0 run into halftime.

Cunliffe also had a couple of nifty alley-oop dunks, leaping up to spear the ball with one hand for his first points with the Jayhawks. He finished with nine points in 19 minutes.

It didn’t help the Mavericks’ cause that they rely on an up-and-down style predicated on 3s, one that plays right into the Jayhawks’ hands. Their superior speed and talent showed as the Jayhawks hit the 100-point mark before the final media timeout, allowing them to empty the bench.

Even walk-on James Sosinski got into the game. The tight end was plucked from the Kansas football team to provide depth in practice, and he wound up scoring four points in the final minutes.

BIG PICTURE

Omaha faced its fourth opponent that was ranked or currently resides in the Top 25, though that’s only part of the Mavericks’ difficult schedule. They also played on the road for the 11th time in 14 games.

Kansas has done just fine against members of the Summit League, beating South Dakota State earlier this season. Now the Jayhawks need to prove they can beat someone from the Pac-12. They lost to Oregon in last year’s NCAA Tournament, and to the Huskies and Sun Devils this season. Stanford is next.

UP NEXT

Omaha plays Montana State on Thursday night, its fourth game in nine days.

Kansas plays the Cardinal on Thursday night in Sacramento, California.