Kansas State University Athletics
Kansas State University
4-3
Colorado State
5-2
Wildcats Late Rally Not Enough
Dec 02, 2006 | Men's Basketball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) - Kansas State pieced together a late rally, but fell just short on Saturday evening, as Colorado State defended its home floor, 84-83.
Cory Lewis, who scored a career-high 30 points on 7-for-8 shooting for the game and had 22 points in the second half, fouled Cartier Martin from beyond the 3-point arc with 0.1 second left with the Rams holding a two-point lead. But Martin, an 80 percent free throw shooter, missed the first two free throws before sinking the third for Kansas State (4-3).
Martin finished with 21 points. Blake Young added 15 for the Wildcats, who were coming off a 30-point loss at California.
Tyler Smith had 19 points and Jason Smith had 15 for Colorado State (5-2). The Rams sank 10-of-20, 3-pointers.
This was the first meeting between the two teams in Fort Collins since Dec. 21, 1945. Kansas State is 0-5 in games played here.
Colorado State appeared in control when Lewis hit his final 3-pointer of the game to make it 71-60 with 6:36 left. But Martin kept the Wildcats in the game with four 3-pointers of his own in the second half, and Serge Afeli's tip in with 7.7 seconds left the score 82-79.
Two free throws by Lewis put the Rams ahead by five, but Blake Young quickly buried a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds for Kansas State. Lewis turned the ball over on the inbound pass and breathed a deep sigh of relief when Martin missed two of the three free throws.
Tyler Smith had two baskets, one off a steal, as Colorado State outscored Kansas State 9-4 over the final 3:51 of the first half to lead 37-27 at the break. Three 3-pointers by Clent Stewart had the Wildcats as close as 18-17 midway through the period, but was more than offset his team's 10 turnovers and 12 points from Smith.
The Wildcats will return to Manhattan to face Cleveland State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
