Williams' Double-Double Helps K-State to Win

Notes

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Senior Nino Williams collected his second career double-double to help Kansas State past Bradley, 50-47, on Tuesday night before a crowd of 12,238 at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats overcame 35.3 percent shooting (12-of-34) from the field, including 23.1 percent (3-of-13) in the first half, to earn their fourth win at home and extend their streak of consecutive home wins in December to 37. The 50 points were the fewest in a win since also scoring 50 in a win at Iowa State on Feb. 21, 2009.

The Basics
Final Score: Kansas State 50, Bradley 47
Records: Kansas State (5-4, 0-0 Big 12); Bradley (3-6, 0-0 Missouri Valley)
Attendance: 12,238 (paid)
Next Game: Sunday, Dec. 14 \\ vs. Savannah State \\ 5 p.m. CT \\ FOX Sports Midwest

The Short Story
•    Williams notched his second career double-double and his first in 2014-15 with a team-high 14 points and 12 rebounds. He has now scored in double figures in 5 of 7 games this season.
•    Williams was joined in double figures by sophomore Marcus Foster, who finished with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
•    Senior Thomas Gipson posted 6 points, converting his lone basket from the field and making 4-of-6 attempts from the free throw line, while adding a team-high 3 blocks. Sophomore Nigel Johnson also added 6 points to go with a team-high 4 steals.
•    Sophomore Jevon Thomas handed a game-high 5 assists in a career-tying 33 minutes.
•    In addition to the 50 points being the fewest in a win since 2009, they were the fewest in a home win since a 45-43 win over Oklahoma State at Ahearn Field House on Jan. 28, 1961.
•    The Wildcats’ 12 field goals made ties for third-fewest in school history and the lowest since posting 11 versus Nebraska (1/11/2006)… K-State’s 34 field goals attempted ranks as the sixth-fewest in school history and lowest since attempting 33 versus Nebraska (2/16/1985).
•    K-State connected on 70 percent (21-of-30) from the free throw line, including 91.7 percent (11-of-12) in the first half… It was the second-most makes and attempts this season.
•    K-State forced Bradley into 13 turnovers, leading to 18 points off the Braves’ errors.

How It Happened | First Half
•    In a game which both teams struggled to find any rhythm, Johnson hit a crucial 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half to help K-State trail just 19-18 at halftime.
•    K-State went on a dry spell midway through the first half for 8 minutes until two made free throws from Foster cut the Braves’ lead to 9-8 with 8:03 left to play... During that stretch, the Wildcats missed six-straight field goals and turned the ball over five times.
•    Neither team shot the ball well in the first half… K-State connected on a season-low 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from the field, including 0-of-7 from 3-point range, while Bradley connected on 25 percent (7-of-28) of its field goals, including 33.3 percent (2-of-6) from beyond the arc.
•    The Wildcats’ 18 first-half points tied the fewest points in a half in Bramlage Coliseum history, matching their first half output against Kansas on Feb. 13, 2012.
•    The 37 combined first-half points are the fewest in Bramlage Coliseum history, surpassing the 42 scored between K-State (32) and Arkansas Pine-Bluff (10) on Nov. 29, 2004.

How It Happened | Second Half
•    The Wildcats opened the second half on a high note with a quick lay-up from Edwards followed by a jumper from Williams, free throws from Thomas and Foster tallying 8 points to give the K-State a 14-2 run…The run extended the Wildcats’ lead to 32-21 with 15:46 left in the game.
•    Bradley answered with a 12-1 run to tie the ball game at 39-all until Edwards responded with a 3-pointer to put the ‘Cats back ahead, 42-39, at the 7:34 mark.
•    Building off a block from Gipson, K-State started an 8-0 rally, buoyed by Williams and Johnson combining for 5 points at the line to extend the lead to 47-39… Free throws seemed to change the tempo as the Wildcats shot 10-of-18 from the line compared to the Braves’ 6-of-8 shooting in the second half.
•    Bradley senior Auston Barnes scored five-straight points, making it 48-45 lead with 2:50 left.
•    With a little over a minute left, Gipson’s tip-in extended the lead to 50-45. The Braves responded with a 3-pointer from junior Mike Shaw in hopes of making a late push, but Bradley would not score again.
•    After an offensively-challenged first half, both squads combined for 60 points in the second half. K-State scored 32 points on 42.9 percent (9-of-21) shooting, including 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from 3-point range, while Bradley totaled 28 points on 50 percent (9-of-18) shooting from the field.

Beyond the Boxscore
•    With the win, K-State has won 37 consecutive home games in December dating back to 2004… Overall, the Wildcats are 49-9 in the month since 2006.
•    This was the 5th meeting with Bradley on the hardwood and the first since 1996… With the win, the Wildcats now take a 3-2 lead in head-to-head play with K-State winning the past 3 match-ups.
•    K-State is now 65-27 (42-5) at home against the teams from the Missouri Valley Conference.
•    K-State is now 15-2 under Bruce Weber in December with 10 straight home wins dating back to 2012.
•    K-State is now 69-3 at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including a 67-2 mark during the regular season… The squad has won 58 of its last 59 non-conference home games.
•    Weber is 36-3 at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over as head coach at K-State with losses to No. 3 Kansas (2012), Northern Colorado (2013) and Baylor (2013)… Those 3 losses came by a total of 8 points.

Quotable
•    “The biggest thing is that we found a way to win. We had our struggles, and we had our stress. We still had a good start in the second half and got going. We hit a little bit of a wall and to their credit, they battled back and made some shots. They broke us down a few times, and I think part of it was just being physically and mentally whipped. We won and sometimes if you win ugly it is better than not winning. I am proud of the guys, and Nino [Williams] was big-time and he gave us everything he had. He got a double-double on the regular stats, and he had another double with 11 on our play hard chart. In our book, it is a triple-double and that is a great effort playing as a senior.” said head coach Bruce Weber.

Up Next
•    K-State continues its homestand on Sunday, as the Wildcats play host to Savannah State (3-7) at 5 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Midwest. The contest will be the second of a women’s and men’s basketball doubleheader at Bramlage Coliseum with the Wildcat women’s basketball playing Oral Roberts at 1 p.m. CT.

Next Event

Team Stats

Nino Williams

Marcus Foster

Nigel Johnson

Thomas Gipson III

Kansas State University Athletics