White scores 23 as No. 14 Kansas rebounds with 69-56 win over No. 5 Houston

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Kansas guards Tre White (3) and Darryn Peterson (22) celebrate after an NCAA college basketball game against Houston, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) attempts to get past Houston guard Emanuel Sharp (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley) — Kansas guards Tre White (3) and Darryn Peterson (22) celebrate after an NCAA college basketball game against Houston, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

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11:40 PM on Monday, February 23

By DAVID SMALE

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Tre White scored a season-high 23 points and No. 14 Kansas bounced back from a surprising defeat with a 69-56 victory over No. 5 Houston on Monday night.

Freshman star Darryn Peterson added 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 30 minutes for the Jayhawks (21-7, 11-4 Big 12), who fell six spots in this week's AP Top 25 following an 84-68 loss at home Saturday to unranked Cincinnati.

Bryson Tiller had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for Kansas, which handed the scuffling Cougars (23-5, 11-4) their third consecutive defeat — all against top-15 opponents. Melvin Council Jr. added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Kingston Flemings scored 16 on 6-of-18 shooting for Houston, which hadn't dropped three straight games since January 2017. The Cougars shot 32% from the field, including 5 of 24 (21%) from 3-point territory.

Kansas hasn’t lost consecutive home games since the 1988-89 season, Roy Williams’ first as coach. The Jayhawks are 52-1 on ESPN’s Big Monday in Allen Fieldhouse, including 41-0 under coach Bill Self. Two weeks ago, they took down top-ranked Arizona at The Phog.

Kansas used a 12-0 run early in the second half to turn a two-point lead into a 49-35 advantage at the under-12 timeout. The margin stretched to 20 before Houston went on a 7-0 spurt, but the Cougars never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.

The Jayhawks missed nine of their first 10 shots, going 8:28 without a field goal. But they closed the first half with an 11-0 run to take a 31-27 lead into the break.

Up next

Houston hosts Colorado on Saturday.

Kansas visits No. 2 Arizona on Saturday.

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