Kansas State University Athletics
Sunday, December 3
Nashville, Tenn.
1:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
7-1
84
at
79
Vanderbilt
3-5
1
2
F
Kansas State
43
41
84
Vanderbilt
30
49
79
Clutch Free Throws Lift K-State Past Vanderbilt, 84-79
Dec 03, 2017 | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Clutch free throws from junior guard Xavier Sneed and freshman forward Levi Stockard III in the final minute helped Kansas State survive its first road test of the season in an 84-79 win over Vanderbilt before 8,750 fans at Memorial Gym on Sunday afternoon.
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K-State (7-1) connected on a season-high 91.7 percent (22-of-24) from the free throw line, including hitting on 11 of its last 12 attempts in the final five minutes. The 91.7 percentage was the third-highest by a team in school history with at least 20 free throw attempts and the highest since connecting on 92 percent (23-of-25) against Oklahoma State in the Big Eight Tournament on March 8, 1991.
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Sneed paced three Wildcats in double figures, including a pair with 20-point games, with a career-best 21 points on 8-of-11 field goals with 3 steals in 36 minutes. Junior guard Kamau Stokes tallied his sixth career 20-point game with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 6-of-6 free throws to go with 6 assists and no turnovers. Fellow junior Barry Brown added 18 points on 6-of-12 field goals and went a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a high scoring, back-and-forth affair early, as both teams traded blows in the opening minutes. After winning the tip, junior guard Kamau Stokes started the scoring with a 3-pointer, which was quickly matched with a three from Vanderbilt.
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After trading buckets the Wildcats grabbed the lead behind an opening run from Stokes, who put up 8 points in the opening minutes, as K-State outscored Vanderbilt 12-0 in the paint by the 9:58 mark.
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Leading 24-18 with 8:37 to play in the first half, junior forward Dean Wade collected a rebound and banked it off the glass while he was fouled on the play, resulting in an and-one. On the subsequent possession, sophomore forward Xavier Sneed added on to the K-State lead by sinking a trey from deep, giving him 5 points in the first half.
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Later in the first half, junior guard Barry Brown drove the lane and scored an aerobic effort where he drew the foul from Vanderbilt guard Payton Willis. Brown connected on the free-throw, giving K-State two and-one's in the first half, as the team connected on all 8 free throws in the half.
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K-State was in a groove in the first half, connecting on 62 percent (16-of-26) from the field, and scored 20 points in the paint to Vanderbilt's 4 points in the paint to lead 43-30 at the half. Brown led the K-State scorers with 11 points in the first half on 3-of-5 shooting, while Wade led the team with 4 rebounds and Stokes dished out a team-high 3 assists in the half.
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In the second half, the Commodores brought the score to within single digits, as they improved their presence in the paint by scoring 22 points in the paint in the second half. Paired with their second-half presence in the paint, Vanderbilt out-rebounded K-State, 33-21, in the game.
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At the 6:49 mark, Vanderbilt's Jeff Roberson connected on a 3-pointer to close the gap to 65-62. Â Following a pair of free throws from Stokes to pull the lead back out to four, the Commodores' Saben Lee hit on an old-fashioned 3-point play to close it to 67-66 with 5:40 remaining and ignite the home crowd.
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A steal by redshirt freshman guard Cartier Diarra and dish to Sneed for a lay-up pushed the Wildcats back out to 71-68 with 3:52 to play.
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With just 49 seconds, Vanderbilt's Joe Toye connected on a 3-pointer to close it to 80-79. On K-State's subsequent offensive possession, freshman forward Levi Stockard drew a foul and connected on both free throws.
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Leading by three with 24 seconds left, the Wildcats needed to force a stop defensively to seal the game. Lee attempted to force the ball inside, but Sneed was there to intercept and hold on to draw the foul. Sneed drained both free throws to seal the victory, 84-79.
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K-State connected on 58 percent (29-of-50) from the field, including 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the first half and 54.2 percent (13-of-24) in the second half. Sneed led the squad in scoring with a career-high 21 points, as he was joined by Stokes (20) and Brown (18) in double figures. Offensively, the Wildcats turned the ball over just 7 times, compared to 14 turnovers by the Commodores.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Xavier Sneed – Sophomore Xavier Sneed scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 from the field, including a pair of deciding free throws to fight off the Commodores. Sneed connected on all 4 of his free throws in the game, and grabbed 2 rebounds.
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STAT OF THE GAME
91.7 Percent – The Wildcats connected on 91.7 percent (22-of-24) of their free throws on Sunday afternoon, notching a new season-high percentage. K-State knocked down 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch, including a pair from Sneed and Stockard to seal the victory in the final minutes.
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SEASON RECORD UPDATE
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"Overall, we had pretty good offensive execution, whatever we ran down the stretch we had pretty good execution with. We have to be strong and play strong inside. We have to get more rebounds. But we found a way to win a road game, and that's always a good thing."
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On the Vanderbilt momentum late…
"They got the put backs, they scored off rebounds. We had two fast breaks, one where Barry [Brown] threw it away, and one Cartier [Diarra] lost it. But down the stretch we shot well from the field, and from the free throw line."
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On freshman forward Levi Stockard III…
"He's smart, he knows how to play. The things we run, he knows how to execute. Those were huge free throws at the end of the game. He stepped up, he has played in state championships, he is a winner, he knows how to play."
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On the team's execution…
"I thought they executed, slowly but surely. Seven turnovers is pretty good on the road, we were making good decisions. It was great execution offensively, obviously, we want to get better rebounding."
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Junior Guard Kamau Stokes
On playing with confidence offensively…
"I've had plenty of games where I had confidence. Today, I just made plays at the right time and made the free throws we needed."
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On winning the first road test of the season…
"It means a lot; road games mean a lot. This is a big win for us on the road, and our first road game of the season against a good team, so it is great."
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On freshman Levi Stockard making two big free throws in the last minute…
"Those free throws were really big, I am proud of him. It means a lot to me and to the coaching staff because it means we have people that we can go to off the bench."
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BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns home on Tuesday when the Wildcats play host to USC Upstate (3-7) at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets are available starting at $10, while fans can take advantage of the Wildcat 4 Pack for just $30. The contest will be televised on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas/Kansas City area), K-StateHD.TV (free) and ESPN3 (outside of state of Kansas).
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K-State (7-1) connected on a season-high 91.7 percent (22-of-24) from the free throw line, including hitting on 11 of its last 12 attempts in the final five minutes. The 91.7 percentage was the third-highest by a team in school history with at least 20 free throw attempts and the highest since connecting on 92 percent (23-of-25) against Oklahoma State in the Big Eight Tournament on March 8, 1991.
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Sneed paced three Wildcats in double figures, including a pair with 20-point games, with a career-best 21 points on 8-of-11 field goals with 3 steals in 36 minutes. Junior guard Kamau Stokes tallied his sixth career 20-point game with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 6-of-6 free throws to go with 6 assists and no turnovers. Fellow junior Barry Brown added 18 points on 6-of-12 field goals and went a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a high scoring, back-and-forth affair early, as both teams traded blows in the opening minutes. After winning the tip, junior guard Kamau Stokes started the scoring with a 3-pointer, which was quickly matched with a three from Vanderbilt.
Â
After trading buckets the Wildcats grabbed the lead behind an opening run from Stokes, who put up 8 points in the opening minutes, as K-State outscored Vanderbilt 12-0 in the paint by the 9:58 mark.
Â
Leading 24-18 with 8:37 to play in the first half, junior forward Dean Wade collected a rebound and banked it off the glass while he was fouled on the play, resulting in an and-one. On the subsequent possession, sophomore forward Xavier Sneed added on to the K-State lead by sinking a trey from deep, giving him 5 points in the first half.
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Later in the first half, junior guard Barry Brown drove the lane and scored an aerobic effort where he drew the foul from Vanderbilt guard Payton Willis. Brown connected on the free-throw, giving K-State two and-one's in the first half, as the team connected on all 8 free throws in the half.
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K-State was in a groove in the first half, connecting on 62 percent (16-of-26) from the field, and scored 20 points in the paint to Vanderbilt's 4 points in the paint to lead 43-30 at the half. Brown led the K-State scorers with 11 points in the first half on 3-of-5 shooting, while Wade led the team with 4 rebounds and Stokes dished out a team-high 3 assists in the half.
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In the second half, the Commodores brought the score to within single digits, as they improved their presence in the paint by scoring 22 points in the paint in the second half. Paired with their second-half presence in the paint, Vanderbilt out-rebounded K-State, 33-21, in the game.
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At the 6:49 mark, Vanderbilt's Jeff Roberson connected on a 3-pointer to close the gap to 65-62. Â Following a pair of free throws from Stokes to pull the lead back out to four, the Commodores' Saben Lee hit on an old-fashioned 3-point play to close it to 67-66 with 5:40 remaining and ignite the home crowd.
Â
A steal by redshirt freshman guard Cartier Diarra and dish to Sneed for a lay-up pushed the Wildcats back out to 71-68 with 3:52 to play.
Â
With just 49 seconds, Vanderbilt's Joe Toye connected on a 3-pointer to close it to 80-79. On K-State's subsequent offensive possession, freshman forward Levi Stockard drew a foul and connected on both free throws.
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Leading by three with 24 seconds left, the Wildcats needed to force a stop defensively to seal the game. Lee attempted to force the ball inside, but Sneed was there to intercept and hold on to draw the foul. Sneed drained both free throws to seal the victory, 84-79.
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K-State connected on 58 percent (29-of-50) from the field, including 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the first half and 54.2 percent (13-of-24) in the second half. Sneed led the squad in scoring with a career-high 21 points, as he was joined by Stokes (20) and Brown (18) in double figures. Offensively, the Wildcats turned the ball over just 7 times, compared to 14 turnovers by the Commodores.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Xavier Sneed – Sophomore Xavier Sneed scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 from the field, including a pair of deciding free throws to fight off the Commodores. Sneed connected on all 4 of his free throws in the game, and grabbed 2 rebounds.
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STAT OF THE GAME
91.7 Percent – The Wildcats connected on 91.7 percent (22-of-24) of their free throws on Sunday afternoon, notching a new season-high percentage. K-State knocked down 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch, including a pair from Sneed and Stockard to seal the victory in the final minutes.
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SEASON RECORD UPDATE
- K-State 7-1 (0-0 Big 12)
- Vanderbilt 3-5 (0-0 SEC)
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"Overall, we had pretty good offensive execution, whatever we ran down the stretch we had pretty good execution with. We have to be strong and play strong inside. We have to get more rebounds. But we found a way to win a road game, and that's always a good thing."
Â
On the Vanderbilt momentum late…
"They got the put backs, they scored off rebounds. We had two fast breaks, one where Barry [Brown] threw it away, and one Cartier [Diarra] lost it. But down the stretch we shot well from the field, and from the free throw line."
Â
On freshman forward Levi Stockard III…
"He's smart, he knows how to play. The things we run, he knows how to execute. Those were huge free throws at the end of the game. He stepped up, he has played in state championships, he is a winner, he knows how to play."
Â
On the team's execution…
"I thought they executed, slowly but surely. Seven turnovers is pretty good on the road, we were making good decisions. It was great execution offensively, obviously, we want to get better rebounding."
Â
Junior Guard Kamau Stokes
On playing with confidence offensively…
"I've had plenty of games where I had confidence. Today, I just made plays at the right time and made the free throws we needed."
Â
On winning the first road test of the season…
"It means a lot; road games mean a lot. This is a big win for us on the road, and our first road game of the season against a good team, so it is great."
Â
On freshman Levi Stockard making two big free throws in the last minute…
"Those free throws were really big, I am proud of him. It means a lot to me and to the coaching staff because it means we have people that we can go to off the bench."
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BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State is now 126-32 in non-conference play dating back to the 2006-07 season.
- K-State now leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt, 6-4, including 2-3 in games played in Nashville… It was just the second win at Memorial Gym and the first since a 69-55 victory on Dec. 5, 1977.
- K-State totaled 80 or more points for the fourth time this season, while the 84 points were the most in a road game since putting up 96 at Oklahoma State on Jan. 18, 2017 and the most in a non-conference game since also scoring 84 at Saint Louis on Dec. 3, 2016.
- K-State connected on a season-best 58 percent (29-of-50) from the field, including 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the first half and a season-best 54.2 percent (13-of-24) in the second half… It marked the fourth time this season hitting on 50 percent or better from the field, while it was the second time hitting on 50 percent or better in both halves (also vs. Arizona State on Nov. 23, 2017).
- Nine Wildcats had at least one field goal made in the game, while five had at least one free throw.
- K-State connected on a season-best 91.7 percent (22-of-24) from the free throw line… The 91.7 percent clip from the free throw line was the third-highest by a Wildcat team with 20 or more free throw attempts and the most since hitting on 92 percent (23-of-25) against Oklahoma State in the Big Eight Tournament at Kemper Arena on March 8, 1991.
- K-State had a pair of 20-point scorers for the second time this season (also against Arizona State on Nov. 23, 2017), as sophomore Xavier Sneed posted his first career 20-point game with a career-best 21 points on 8-of-11 field goals, while junior Kamau Stokes tallied his sixth career 20-point game, including his second this season, with 20 points on 6-of-11 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws.
- Sneed has now scored in double figures in 17 career games, including five this season, while Stokes has a team-leading 42 career double-digit scoring games, including a team-best seven this season.
- Junior Barry Brown notched his 40th career double-figure scoring game, including his sixth this season, with 18 points on 6-of-12 field goals and 5-of-5 free throws.
- Stokes' team-high 6 assists came with zero turnovers… It was his 11th career game with at least 6 assists.
- The Wildcats took a season-high 4 charges (Brown, Sneed, Stockard and Stokes).
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns home on Tuesday when the Wildcats play host to USC Upstate (3-7) at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets are available starting at $10, while fans can take advantage of the Wildcat 4 Pack for just $30. The contest will be televised on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas/Kansas City area), K-StateHD.TV (free) and ESPN3 (outside of state of Kansas).
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Team Stats
KS
VU
FG%
.580
.460
3FG%
.333
.400
FT%
.917
.697
RB
21
33
TO
7
14
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
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/ Men's BasketballF
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