Kansas State University Athletics
Kansas State University
17-8 (6-7)
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Kansas
21-5 (11-2)
Jayhawks Slip Past Wildcats In Sunflower Showdown
Feb 13, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2012
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MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas State senior forward Jamar Samuels scored a season-high 20 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, but it was not enough as No. 5 Kansas knocked off the Wildcats, 59-53, Monday night in Bramlage Coliseum.
With the loss, K-State dropped to 17-8 overall and 6-7 in Big 12 play.
In front of a national TV audience and sold-out crowd of 12, 528 fans, KU (21-5, 11-2) used three major scoring runs and Tyshawn Taylor's eighth 20-point game of the year to defeat K-State for the second time this season.
Playing in his final home game against the Jayhawks, Samuels had a monster first half, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Washington, D.C., native connected on 4-of-9 shots in the opening 20 minutes and was the only player in the game in double-figure scoring going into the half.
Early in the first half, the Jayhawks used an 8-3 run to go up 11-8 with Taylor scoring five of his eight first-half points in that span. From there, K-State went cold from the field, going almost seven minutes without a field goal. The Wildcats shot just 22.6-percent in the first half and could not find their rhythm early as Kansas led at the break, 28-18.
The 18 points scored by the Wildcats in the first half were a season low. K-State trailed by double-digits at the half despite the fact it out-rebounded KU, 25-18, including a 12-5 difference on the offensive glass.
K-State came out of the half with a flurry of offense. Fueled by two three-pointers from Samuels and back-to-back buckets from Jordan Henriquez, the Wildcats tied the game at 34-34 with 14:12 remaining in the contest.
After trading baskets, the Jayhawks again answered with a 13-3 run to stretch their lead to 10. The scoring run was started by a Taylor three-pointer as the shot clock expired and the senior came back to hit another three on the very next possession.
K-State held Jayhawk junior forward Thomas Robinson relatively quiet on the night, holding him to 10 points, which were eight below his season average. However, fellow big-man Jeff Withey notch his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Wildcat junior Rodney McGruder chipped in 12 points for K-State, marking the 49th time in his career that he has scored in double-figures. Sophomore Will Spradling was the third Wildcat in double-figures with 10 points.
K-State will continue its difficult late-season slate as the Wildcats hit the road to face their second of three-straight top-10 opponents in ninth-ranked Baylor on Saturday, February 18. The contest will get underway from the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, at 12:30 p.m., and will be televised by the Big 12 Network.
