Vick’s layup puts finishing touch on KU alums’ win vs. KSU’s Purple Reign in TBT
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- JHX Hoops defeated KSU's Purple Reign 59-57 in TBT first-round matchup.
- Lagerald Vick's late-game steal and layup secured KU's comeback victory.
- JHX overcame 10-point deficit to advance to TBT Round of 16 vs. Heartfire.
The Kansas Jayhawks alumni basketball team completed a summertime sweep of rival Kansas State on Monday night at Municipal Auditorium.
The Jayhawks’ TBT team, going by the name JHX Hoops, had defeated KSU’s Purple Reign 78-72 in a TBT exhibition contest known as the “Wheat State Summer Showdown” on Thursday at UMKC’s Swinney Center.
And then JHX won the game that counted in the official TBT record book, edging the Wildcats 59-57 four days later.
Zeke Mayo scored 14 points while team general manager Tyshawn Taylor, David McCormack and Marcus Bell added nine apiece for the Jayhawks.
In overcoming a 10-point deficit, JHX Hoops advanced to Wednesday’s Round of 16 game against Heartfire, a 89-70 winner Monday over the Sheffield Sharks.
Wednesday’s game will tip off at 6 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium.
This one came down to the Elam Ending. The game was tied 50-50 with four minutes left in regulation. So the first team to 58 would win the game.
It was tied at 57 after Dominique Sutton missed an inside shot, with KU rebounding the ball. But on the ensuing possession, the KU team failed to score.
K-State came up with the basketball. Shaun Williams, who earlier missed a layup that could have given KSU the Elam Ending win, missed two free throws when just one would have won the game.
KSU gained possession after the second miss, the ball caroming off a KU player and landing out of bounds.
Lagerald Vick then came up with the play of the game. He stole the ball near midcourt and raced all the way for a driving layup that dropped into the bucket. KU’s bench swarmed Vick, who finished with just those two points.
“I knew we had to steal a possession,” Vick said, “and I was there for my team.”
It wasn’t easy Monday as KU had to battle back from a 10-point third-quarter deficit. The Jayhawks dug a hole in scoring just 22 points in the first half to KSU’s 27.
KU went 0-for-9 from 3-point range and 8-of-15 from the free-throw line in the first half. The Jayhawks finished 2-of-15 from beyond the arc and 19 of 28 from the line.
Former KU forward Cam Martin of Purple Reign did the most damage in the first half, scoring seven points with two assists. He finished with 14 points and four rebounds.
Former KU guard Taylor, the JHX GM, inserted himself into the game with KU down 35-27 with 5:38 left in the third period. He scored a basket moments later as KU cut the gap to 36-33.
He was the Jayhawk to erase the 10-point deficit. His drive to the goal and basket tied the contest at 40 with 55 seconds left in the third.
The game was quite intense throughout, with KU center Marcus Bell and KSU big man Dominique Sutton both receiving technical fouls after exchanging words while battling for the basketball in the third quarter.
“We’re the best team in Kansas. We’re still the best team in Kansas,” Taylor said after the game.
This story was originally published July 21, 2025 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Vick’s layup puts finishing touch on KU alums’ win vs. KSU’s Purple Reign in TBT."
