Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, November 9
Manhattan, Kan.
7 p.m.
Kansas State University
1-0
56
vs
41
Kennesaw State
1-1
1
2
F
Kennesaw State
27
14
41
Kansas State
31
25
56
Defense Proves Strong 12/11 K-State Season-Opening Win, 56-41
Nov 09, 2018 | Men's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kan.– No. 12/11 Kansas State held Kennesaw State to just 41 points, including 14 in the second half, as the Wildcats used a strong defensive effort to open their season with a 56-41 victory on Friday night in front of 11,021 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (1-0) held Kennesaw State (1-1) to just 32.7 percent shooting (17-of-52), including just 21.4 percent (6-of-28) in the second half, while also forcing 21 turnovers. The Wildcats scored 20 points off those 21 Owl miscues and held a 24-4 advantage in fast-break points. The team has now held 70 opponents to 60 points or less under head coach Bruce Weber, including in their fourth straight season opener.
The 41 points were the fewest allowed in a season opener at Bramlage Coliseum and the fewest allowed in a home opener since holding Northern Iowa to 38 points on Dec. 1, 1979.
Offensively, three Wildcats scored in double figures led by a game-high 15 points from senior All-Big 12 selections Dean Wade and Barry Brown Jr. Junior Makol Mawien added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Wade (8) and Mawien (7) combined for 15 rebounds, while newcomer Austin Trice grabbed a game-high 12 boards.
In addition to his 15 points, Brown swiped 4 steals, improving his career total to 193 steals, which moves him into the second-most in K-State history, surpassing Steve Henson (190). Brown is second to only Jacob Pullen, who accumulated 210 steals in his 135 career games.
With the win, K-State ran its non-conference winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum to 24 consecutive games, which dates back to start of the 2015-16 season. The Wildcats have now won 15 of their last 16 home openers, including six of seven under Weber. The squad is 90-25 all-time in season openers since its first campaign in 1903.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wildcats got started on Friday with success from the K-State big men, with Wade and Mawien accounting for all of K-State's points in the opening six minutes of play. Despite the run by the K-State forwards, Kennesaw State was able to rattle off a 6-0 run to take over the lead at 11-8 through the first 5:35 of play.
After briefly trailing, the Wildcats put together a run of their own to take over the lead at 15-11 with 11:58 left in the first half.
In a back-and-forth first half, K-State pulled ahead just before the break on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Mike McGuirl, to put the Wildcats ahead 31-27 at halftime. In the first half, the lead changed six times, as K-State led for 11:50 of the first half.
Brown paced the Wildcats with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting at the break, while Trice had 8 boards. K-State connected on 40.6 percent on 13-of-32 shooting in the half, while forcing Kennesaw State into 13 turnovers.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Wildcats stuck to their lead in the second half, as they did not trail the remainder of the game. Just 3:23 into the second half, the Wildcats found a transition dunk by Wade assisted by senior guard Kamau Stokes on a cross-court pass to extend their lead to 35-30.
Later in the half, the Wildcats continued to dominate in the paint, as sophomore guard Cartier Diarra drove the lane and eluded a Kennesaw State defender with a spin move, leading to a transition layup. Diarra's score was a part of an 8-0 run that put the Wildcats ahead 49-37 with 6:49 remaining.
Over the final minutes, the Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 17 points, as K-State pulled away with a 56-41 victory. Brown and Wade led the way with 15 points each, while Trice added 12 rebounds.
As a unit, K-State shot 41.7 percent in the game on 25-of-60 shooting, while scoring 42 points in the paint. The defense held strong for the Wildcats by holding the Owls to just 41 points on 32.7 percent (17-of-52) from the field. K-State also forced Kennesaw State into 21 turnovers.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Senior Barry Brown, Jr.'s effort of 15 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, while swiping 4 steals, dishing out 3 assists and grabbing 6 rebounds. Brown's 4 steals add to his career total of 193, moving him into second in K-State history in career steals.
STAT OF THE GAME
70 – K-State has now held 70 opponents to 60 points or less in the Bruce Weber era, where the Wildcats boast a 63-7 in those contests. The Wildcats held Kennesaw State to just 41 points on Friday.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On practicing more in Bramlage…
"We got in three times this week. You always have question things they got in the gym and got shots up as well. We are trying to give them more time on shooting. I thought we were going to be a good shooting team this year but we will have to see."
On high rankings effect on attendance…
"I hope so, it was a great crowd Friday night we have a big weekend obviously. We are all cheering for Bill Snyder and the football team against KU. Volleyball has a big game on Saturday with Baylor. We are going to be a good team this year we just had a rough game it will be better."
On Makol Mawien…
"I thought a couple of possession he did not play as strong as he could. He is battling and he has gotten stronger and I think he has got to be one of the strongest guys in the country. When you talk about bench press and when you look at his whole body. I think slowly but surely that will come with time. A couple of times he had some good finishes and made it to the free throw line. If he continues to play like that obviously that is going to help us.""
Dean Wade, Senior Forward
On defensive strategy due to team's 1-13 at 3-point line…
"Shooting 1-of-13 is not good. It starts off with defense, you get a couple stops, run outs, and easy layups. It spreads the defense, gets you easy baskets and everyone's confidence up, so it all starts on the defensive end."
On the lack of 3-pointers made…
"We're all good shooters, we had an off night, maybe rushed a few and took a couple bad ones. Overall, we're gonna bounce back.It's one game and we got a quick turnaround; we got one monday, so we can't dwell on this at all and just got to move on."
Barry Brown, Jr., Senior Guard
On scoring in the second half…
"We knew we needed to pick it up from half-time. I felt like we came out and the ran their stuff, got some offensive rebounds, kept running and got some easy baskets. Second half, we talked it over at half-time in the locker room and made some small adjustments we felt like we needed to make."
On energy of the second half…
"Just trying to come together. We knew we needed to extend the lead, basically with defense. We came out the second half and played better defense, we were able to hit some shots later on in the game and the lead extended."
Austin Trice, Senior Forward
On his focus going into the game…
"My main focus was rebounding and I had 12 rebounds in 14 minutes, so I'm satisfied. I feel like I could have did more, but we got the W and I'm happy with that."
On rebounding…
"That's what I'm focused on most. Scoring isn't really the biggest thing to me, but of course I'll try to score, but rebounding is what I mainly focus on, so I just try to grab as many as possible and just live with the end result."
On bringing energy to the team…
"I take a lot of pride in the energy. I try to be the loudest person on the bench if I'm not in the game and if I'm in the game, I try to be the loudest voice on the court. Always talking on defense, or just talking period."
Kennesaw State Head Coach Al Skinner
On the game...
"I thought the first half, the guys did a decent job. I expected us to do a better job in the second half. We can't turn the ball over like we did and expect to be successful. Give credit to K-State, they stayed aggressive. They established what they needed to do. We created a lot of opportunities for them in transition. I thought we did a decent job in the half court, but we didn't handle the ball as well as we needed to. But unfortunately that is going to happen with young players, and they have to experience it. K-State gave us a good lesson on how hard we have to work. It's a learning experience for us. Hopefully as we move forward, we improve."
On the half court defense...
"We just played consistent. Guys had the energy. We were probably fatigued a little bit from our travel yesterday, so the second half kind of got away from us, but that's something we can build on. I'm pleased about that, but when we get our younger players in, they have to bring the same kind of energy, and we didn't have that consistently when we went to our bench, and as the year goes on, we will get better at that."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
K-State returns to action on Monday night, as the Wildcats play host Summit League member Denver (1-0) at 8 p.m., CT, in the second game of a men's and women's doubleheader at Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets starts at just $5 for advanced bench and general admission with $3 tickets available for groups of 12 or more fans. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas and Kansas City area) as well as on the FOX Sports app and ESPN3.
K-State (1-0) held Kennesaw State (1-1) to just 32.7 percent shooting (17-of-52), including just 21.4 percent (6-of-28) in the second half, while also forcing 21 turnovers. The Wildcats scored 20 points off those 21 Owl miscues and held a 24-4 advantage in fast-break points. The team has now held 70 opponents to 60 points or less under head coach Bruce Weber, including in their fourth straight season opener.
The 41 points were the fewest allowed in a season opener at Bramlage Coliseum and the fewest allowed in a home opener since holding Northern Iowa to 38 points on Dec. 1, 1979.
Offensively, three Wildcats scored in double figures led by a game-high 15 points from senior All-Big 12 selections Dean Wade and Barry Brown Jr. Junior Makol Mawien added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Wade (8) and Mawien (7) combined for 15 rebounds, while newcomer Austin Trice grabbed a game-high 12 boards.
In addition to his 15 points, Brown swiped 4 steals, improving his career total to 193 steals, which moves him into the second-most in K-State history, surpassing Steve Henson (190). Brown is second to only Jacob Pullen, who accumulated 210 steals in his 135 career games.
With the win, K-State ran its non-conference winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum to 24 consecutive games, which dates back to start of the 2015-16 season. The Wildcats have now won 15 of their last 16 home openers, including six of seven under Weber. The squad is 90-25 all-time in season openers since its first campaign in 1903.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wildcats got started on Friday with success from the K-State big men, with Wade and Mawien accounting for all of K-State's points in the opening six minutes of play. Despite the run by the K-State forwards, Kennesaw State was able to rattle off a 6-0 run to take over the lead at 11-8 through the first 5:35 of play.
After briefly trailing, the Wildcats put together a run of their own to take over the lead at 15-11 with 11:58 left in the first half.
In a back-and-forth first half, K-State pulled ahead just before the break on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Mike McGuirl, to put the Wildcats ahead 31-27 at halftime. In the first half, the lead changed six times, as K-State led for 11:50 of the first half.
Brown paced the Wildcats with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting at the break, while Trice had 8 boards. K-State connected on 40.6 percent on 13-of-32 shooting in the half, while forcing Kennesaw State into 13 turnovers.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Wildcats stuck to their lead in the second half, as they did not trail the remainder of the game. Just 3:23 into the second half, the Wildcats found a transition dunk by Wade assisted by senior guard Kamau Stokes on a cross-court pass to extend their lead to 35-30.
Later in the half, the Wildcats continued to dominate in the paint, as sophomore guard Cartier Diarra drove the lane and eluded a Kennesaw State defender with a spin move, leading to a transition layup. Diarra's score was a part of an 8-0 run that put the Wildcats ahead 49-37 with 6:49 remaining.
Over the final minutes, the Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 17 points, as K-State pulled away with a 56-41 victory. Brown and Wade led the way with 15 points each, while Trice added 12 rebounds.
As a unit, K-State shot 41.7 percent in the game on 25-of-60 shooting, while scoring 42 points in the paint. The defense held strong for the Wildcats by holding the Owls to just 41 points on 32.7 percent (17-of-52) from the field. K-State also forced Kennesaw State into 21 turnovers.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Senior Barry Brown, Jr.'s effort of 15 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, while swiping 4 steals, dishing out 3 assists and grabbing 6 rebounds. Brown's 4 steals add to his career total of 193, moving him into second in K-State history in career steals.
STAT OF THE GAME
70 – K-State has now held 70 opponents to 60 points or less in the Bruce Weber era, where the Wildcats boast a 63-7 in those contests. The Wildcats held Kennesaw State to just 41 points on Friday.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On practicing more in Bramlage…
"We got in three times this week. You always have question things they got in the gym and got shots up as well. We are trying to give them more time on shooting. I thought we were going to be a good shooting team this year but we will have to see."
On high rankings effect on attendance…
"I hope so, it was a great crowd Friday night we have a big weekend obviously. We are all cheering for Bill Snyder and the football team against KU. Volleyball has a big game on Saturday with Baylor. We are going to be a good team this year we just had a rough game it will be better."
On Makol Mawien…
"I thought a couple of possession he did not play as strong as he could. He is battling and he has gotten stronger and I think he has got to be one of the strongest guys in the country. When you talk about bench press and when you look at his whole body. I think slowly but surely that will come with time. A couple of times he had some good finishes and made it to the free throw line. If he continues to play like that obviously that is going to help us.""
Dean Wade, Senior Forward
On defensive strategy due to team's 1-13 at 3-point line…
"Shooting 1-of-13 is not good. It starts off with defense, you get a couple stops, run outs, and easy layups. It spreads the defense, gets you easy baskets and everyone's confidence up, so it all starts on the defensive end."
On the lack of 3-pointers made…
"We're all good shooters, we had an off night, maybe rushed a few and took a couple bad ones. Overall, we're gonna bounce back.It's one game and we got a quick turnaround; we got one monday, so we can't dwell on this at all and just got to move on."
Barry Brown, Jr., Senior Guard
On scoring in the second half…
"We knew we needed to pick it up from half-time. I felt like we came out and the ran their stuff, got some offensive rebounds, kept running and got some easy baskets. Second half, we talked it over at half-time in the locker room and made some small adjustments we felt like we needed to make."
On energy of the second half…
"Just trying to come together. We knew we needed to extend the lead, basically with defense. We came out the second half and played better defense, we were able to hit some shots later on in the game and the lead extended."
Austin Trice, Senior Forward
On his focus going into the game…
"My main focus was rebounding and I had 12 rebounds in 14 minutes, so I'm satisfied. I feel like I could have did more, but we got the W and I'm happy with that."
On rebounding…
"That's what I'm focused on most. Scoring isn't really the biggest thing to me, but of course I'll try to score, but rebounding is what I mainly focus on, so I just try to grab as many as possible and just live with the end result."
On bringing energy to the team…
"I take a lot of pride in the energy. I try to be the loudest person on the bench if I'm not in the game and if I'm in the game, I try to be the loudest voice on the court. Always talking on defense, or just talking period."
Kennesaw State Head Coach Al Skinner
On the game...
"I thought the first half, the guys did a decent job. I expected us to do a better job in the second half. We can't turn the ball over like we did and expect to be successful. Give credit to K-State, they stayed aggressive. They established what they needed to do. We created a lot of opportunities for them in transition. I thought we did a decent job in the half court, but we didn't handle the ball as well as we needed to. But unfortunately that is going to happen with young players, and they have to experience it. K-State gave us a good lesson on how hard we have to work. It's a learning experience for us. Hopefully as we move forward, we improve."
On the half court defense...
"We just played consistent. Guys had the energy. We were probably fatigued a little bit from our travel yesterday, so the second half kind of got away from us, but that's something we can build on. I'm pleased about that, but when we get our younger players in, they have to bring the same kind of energy, and we didn't have that consistently when we went to our bench, and as the year goes on, we will get better at that."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- With the victory, K-State is now 90-25 all-time in season openers dating back to 1903.
- K-State improved to 78-9 at home in season openers, including 25-2 at Bramlage Coliseum.
- K-State is now 96-6 in non-conference play at home dating back to 2006-07 with wins in 85 of its last 90 non-conference home games… The Wildcats have won 24 consecutive non-conference home games.
- Head coach Bruce Weber is 19-2 all-time in season openers in his career, including 6-1 at K-State.
- K-State is now 2-0 all-time against Kennesaw State in the first meeting since 2006… The Wildcats are 9-0 all-time against teams from the Atlantic Sun Conference.
- K-State has now held 70 opponents to 60 points or less in the Weber era with the Wildcats boasting a 63-7 mark in those contests… Kennesaw State was held to just 41 points 32.7 percent shooting (17-of-52), including 14 points on 28.6 percent (4-of-14) in the second half.
- The 41 points were the fewest allowed in a season opener at Bramlage Coliseum and the fewest allowed in a home opener since holding Northern Iowa to 38 points on Dec. 1, 1979 at Ahearn Field House.
- The 14 second-half points were the fewest allowed in any half since also allowing 14 points to Missouri in the first half of a 66-42 win on Nov. 23, 2015.
- The 24 fast-break points were the most since also scoring 24 against Emporia State on Nov. 29, 2010.
- Senior Barry Brown, Jr., scored a game-high 15 points on 7-of-15 field goals to go with 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists in 36 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 64 career games… He now led the team in scoring in 29 career games… With his 4 steals, he moved into second place on the all-time list with 193, 17 shy of tying Jacob Pullen's record of 210 steals.
- Senior Dean Wade scored a game-high 15 points on 7-of-13 field goals to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal in 29 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 63 career games… He has now led the team in scoring in 24 career games.
- Junior Makol Mawien scored 13 points on 6-of-9 field goals to go with 7 rebounds in 22 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 11 career games.
- Junior Austin Triceand freshman Shaun Neal-Williams each saw their first career action.
K-State returns to action on Monday night, as the Wildcats play host Summit League member Denver (1-0) at 8 p.m., CT, in the second game of a men's and women's doubleheader at Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets starts at just $5 for advanced bench and general admission with $3 tickets available for groups of 12 or more fans. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas and Kansas City area) as well as on the FOX Sports app and ESPN3.
Team Stats
KSU
KS
FG%
.327
.417
3FG%
.286
.077
FT%
.600
.455
RB
29
42
TO
21
16
STL
9
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
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