LAWRENCE, Kan. — No. 17 Kansas saw its 58-game home exhibition winning streak come to an end Wednesday night as No. 11 Louisville used a second-half shooting surge to defeat the Jayhawks 89-83 at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks held a 37-36 halftime lead before Louisville caught fire from beyond the arc, connecting on eight of its first 11 3-point attempts in the second half. The Cardinals built a double-digit advantage and held off a late Kansas rally to secure the victory.
Tre White led Kansas with 25 points, surpassing his highest single-game scoring total from last season. Melvin Council Jr. added 20 points, while freshman Tyran Stokes finished with 15, doing much of his damage at the free-throw line.
Jackson Shelstad paced Louisville with 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Obinna Ekezie Jr. provided 16 points off the bench, connecting on four shots from beyond the arc.
Former Kansas standout Flory Bidunga, who transferred to Louisville during the offseason as the nation's top-ranked transfer portal prospect, was limited to five points and three rebounds in his return to Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas established an early advantage behind its defensive pressure and transition offense. Council threw down a fast-break dunk following a deflection by White, helping the Jayhawks build an early lead.
Louisville responded with a scoring run to even the game at 17. The Cardinals briefly moved ahead late in the opening half on a Shelstad 3-pointer, but Kansas regained the advantage behind Stokes' ability to draw fouls.
Stokes made seven of 10 free throws in the first half, helping the Jayhawks take a one-point lead into the locker room. White scored 12 points before halftime, while Council added 11.
Louisville seized control shortly after the break as Adrian Wooley and Alvaro Folgueiras connected from long range. Shelstad followed with eight consecutive points, helping the Cardinals stretch their advantage to double digits.
Kansas answered with a run of its own. Council scored on a putback and converted a three-point play before Stokes connected with Paul Mbiya for an alley-oop dunk, cutting the deficit to 63-56.
Another dunk by Mbiya brought Kansas within five at 67-62 with less than nine minutes remaining. However, Ekezie responded with consecutive 3-pointers to help Louisville maintain control.
White connected on a corner 3-pointer with less than six minutes remaining, but Shelstad answered with a step-back 3 to keep the Cardinals comfortably ahead.
The Jayhawks made one final push in the closing minutes. Stokes collected a steal and raced down the floor for a layup, trimming Louisville's lead to 82-80 with 2:16 remaining.
Louisville answered at the free-throw line, but Kansas continued to fight back. After Bidunga missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, Keanu Dawes finished a dunk to pull the Jayhawks within 85-83.
The Cardinals extended their lead to three following a free throw by Seth Trimble. Kansas had an opportunity to tie or cut into the deficit, but Stokes missed a contested layup in the final minute.
Shelstad followed with two free throws, and a late Kansas turnover ended the comeback attempt.
The loss marked Kansas' first exhibition defeat at Allen Fieldhouse after 58 consecutive victories.