Kansas State University Athletics
Kansas State University
8-0
Northern Illinois
3-4
Massey Tallies Career-High; Wildcats 8-0
Dec 21, 2004 | Men's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) -Jeremiah Massey scored a career-high 32 points as Kansas State defeated Northern Illinois 81-66 Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (8-0) are off to their best start since they won nine straight to open the 1997-98 season. This is Kansas State's second 8-0 start in 24 years.
Massey, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, finished 8-for-15 from the floor and hit 16 of 17 free throws.
Kansas State shot 51.8 percent for the game and cashed in off 21 turnovers by Northern Illinois (3-4), which hasn't won a non-conference road game since 2001.
Center Jonathan Byrd scored 14 points and provided a much-needed lift for the Huskies in critical junctures, but he fouled out midway through the second half. Reserve center James Hughes added 10 points for Northern Illinois.
Justin Williams had 13 points and Cartier Martin had 10 for the Wildcats, who improved to 15-2 against teams from the Mid-American Conference.
Kansas State, which shot 51.6 percent in the first half, led by eight points six different times through the opening 20 minutes, but could never claim a double-digit margin.
Massey, who had struggled in the previous two games, shooting just 6-of-19 struggled and scoring seven points in each game, had 10 points in the first half and helped his team claim its largest lead three different times.
Massey's conventional 3-point play made it 23-15. Then he stood in the lane and fired a no-look pass outside to Martin for a baseline 3-pointer. Massey then sank a pair of free throws for the Wildcats to make it 39-31.
Byrd, who had 10 in the first half, answered with a dunk _ one of two slam dunks by the 6-foot-9 center.
The Wildcats took a 41-36 edge into halftime before Massey took over for Kansas State.
