Kansas State University Athletics
Kansas State University
Monmoth
Ellis' 21 Points Lift Wildcats to Fifth Straight Win
Dec 29, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2002
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Tim Ellis scored a career-high 21 points off the bench to lead Kansas State to its fifth straight win with a 73-64 victory over Monmouth in a men's college basketball game played Sunday at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats, who have won six of their last seven games, improved to 7-4 overall. The Hawks fell to 1-6 after playing their first game following a two-week break.
Pervis Pasco went 9-for-9 from the floor en route to 19 points for Kansas State. Frank Richards had 14 points and five rebounds, while Matt Siebrandt finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Dwayne Byfield led Monmouth with 18 points, with Jason Krayl scoring 13 and Tyler Azzarelli chipping in 10. Kevin Owens finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks.
After Monmouth scored the game's first points, the Wildcats led the rest of the way. But they were never able to put the game away until the final minutes.
The Wildcats led 17-10 midway through the first half, but their lead was between three and seven points through the remainder of the period. Pasco had eight points in the first half to lead K-State to a 31-24 edge at halftime.
Kansas State extended the edge to 40-26 in the opening three minutes of the second half. But Monmouth hit three three-pointers in a four-minute stretch to pull within 44-42 with 13:54 left. The lead was between three and 10 points for the rest of the half. The Hawks twice came within three points, but never had a possession on which they could tie.
Monmouth came within 65-62 with 3:05 to play, but Ellis scored a basket, earned a steal and hit a pair of free throws to push the Wildcats' lead back to seven. The Hawks missed their next five shots down the stretch as K-State finished the victory.Gilson DeJesus finished with a career-high 12 rebounds to lead Kansas State to a 47-30 edge on the boards.
The Hawks hit just 36 percent from the field, marking the eighth time in the last 10 games Kansas State has held an opponent under 40 percent shooting in a game. K-State hit 48 percent from the floor, including 56 percent after halftime.
Kansas State continues its six-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 2 when it hosts Saint Louis at 7 p.m.
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