Jayhawks derail Anthony Dell'Orso's perfect season

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Kansas Jayhawks 82, 🇦🇺 Arizona Wildcats 78 (Final)

Allen Fieldhouse – Lawrence, Kansas
Kansas: 19–5 (9–2 Big 12)
Arizona: 23–1 (10–1 Big 12)

Kansas handed top-ranked Australian Anthony Dell'Orso's Arizona its first loss of the season, snapping the Wildcats’ 23-game winning streak in a classic Allen Fieldhouse grind that swung decisively after halftime.

Senior guard Dell’Orso, from Melbourne, VIC, played 12 minutes off the bench and provided efficient perimeter scoring in limited usage, finishing with three points without a turnover.

Arizona controlled long stretches of the first half, carrying a 45–42 lead into the break and stretching the margin to 11 points early in the second half. The Wildcats were patient, physical inside, and confident in transition, playing like a team that hadn’t lost all season.

That control didn’t last.

Kansas methodically flipped the game with defensive pressure, second-chance scoring, and repeated trips to the free-throw line. The Jayhawks took their first lead with 9:32 remaining, and from that point the contest tightened into a possession-by-possession battle.

The momentum swing came through Flory Bidunga, who authored a dominant stretch midway through the second half. Bidunga scored seven straight Kansas points, capped by a go-ahead layup that ignited the building and shifted the energy permanently.

From there, Kansas leaned into its frontcourt physicality and lived at the line.

Arizona clawed back to within one point with 34 seconds remaining, but Kansas closed with composure.

• Melvin Council Jr. went 3-for-4 at the line in the final minute
• Council finished 10-of-11 on free throws overall
• Tre White added a pair of late free throws to ice it

Kansas won the free-throw battle decisively (21–25 vs 8–14), which proved decisive in a four-point game.

By the Numbers

Anthony Dell’Orso — Senior, Guard, Arizona Wildcats
From Melbourne, VIC, Australia │ Height: 1.98 m

• Minutes: 12 │ Points: 3 (Season: 8.1) │ Rebounds: 1 (Season: 1.9) │ Assists: 1 (Season: 2.5) │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ Turnovers: 0 │ FG: 1–1 │ 3PT: 1–1 │ FT: 0–0

Kansas

• Flory Bidunga: 23 points, 10 rebounds, 8-for-11 FG – efficient interior anchor
• Melvin Council Jr.: 23 points, 6 assists – late-game closer
• Bryson Tiller: 18 points, 8 rebounds – secondary scoring punch
• Jamari McDowell: 10 points, 4 steals – disruptive perimeter defense

Arizona

• Brayden Burries (Fr): 25 points – primary offensive engine
• Motiejus Krivas: 14 points, 15 rebounds, 6 blocks – massive interior presence
• Ivan Kharchenkov: 13 points – steady wing scoring

Arizona shot better from the field overall (44% to 41%) and from three (40% to 33%), but couldn’t match Kansas’ physicality or foul-line volume down the stretch.

🇦🇺 Stephen F. Austin 74, East Texas A&M 70 (Final)‍

East Texas A&M: 10–16 (8th in Southland)

East Texas A&M fell by four points on the road as Stephen F. Austin held its edge through the second half and closed late. The Lions stayed within striking distance but couldn’t convert enough possessions down the stretch to flip the result. Australian Noah Pagotto was highly efficient in extended minutes, finishing 5–of–6 from the field and adding seven rebounds as East Texas A&M leaned on him for interior scoring and physicality in a narrow road loss.

Noah Pagotto — Junior, Forward, East Texas A&M Lions
From Wollongong, NSW, Australia │ Height: 2.03 m

• Minutes: 32 │ Points: 11 (Season: 9.3) │ Rebounds: 7 (Season: 5.3) │ Assists: 1 (Season: 0.8) │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ Turnovers: 2 │ FG: 5–6 │ 3PT: 1–2 │ FT: 0–0

🇦🇺 SE Louisiana 74, Incarnate Word 62 (Final)‍

Incarnate Word: 10–15 (8th in Southland)

Incarnate Word went down by 12 points on the road as SE Louisiana controlled the game through the middle periods and maintained separation across the second half. The Cardinals struggled to generate consistent offense, particularly in the frontcourt, as rotations shortened in the loss. Australian Lewis Rowe played limited minutes in the frontcourt and was unable to convert from the field, pulling down two rebounds as Incarnate Word cycled its interior personnel in the road defeat.

Lewis Rowe — Senior, Center, Incarnate Word Cardinals
From Adelaide, SA, Australia │ Height: 2.08 m

• Minutes: 11 │ Points: 0 (Season: 1.9) │ Rebounds: 2 (Season: 2.2) │ Assists: 0 (Season: 1.0) │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ Turnovers: 0 │ FG: 0–5 │ 3PT: 0–0 │ FT: 0–0