Kansas State University Athletics
Wednesday, December 19
Manhattan, Kan.
7 p.m.
Kansas State University
8-2
55
vs
51
Southern Miss
7-4
1
2
F
Southern Miss
31
20
51
Kansas State
19
36
55
Cats Use Second-Half Surge to Take Down Southern Miss, 55-51
Dec 19, 2018 | Men's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kan.– Senior Kamau Stokesscored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half, as Kansas State overcame a 16-point deficit to top Southern Miss, 55-51, in front of 8,815 fans at Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday night.
K-State (8-2) went on a 24-2 run over 8:08 in the second half to take over the game, as the Wildcats held the Golden Eagles scoreless for 5:24 during the span. The run came after scoring a season-low 19 points in the first half and the fewest since scoring 15 against TCU on Feb. 18, 2015, as the Wildcats trailed 31-19 at halftime.
The 16-point deficit overcome for victory tied for the third-largest in school history, including the largest since coming from 16 points down to defeat New Mexico on Nov. 23, 2005.
In addition to Stokes, senior Barry Brown, Jr. reached double-digits in scoring behind 15 points, while junior Xavier Sneedpulled down a career-high 14 rebounds to lead all players and give the Wildcats a 38-32 edge on the glass.
As a team, K-State shot 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the field, including a 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) mark in the second half. The Wildcats found their first 3-pointer of the contest fall in the second half, when Stokes made back-to-back 3-pointers with 14:15 left in the second half.
Southern Miss (7-4) was led by senior Cortez Edwards'18 points, as the Golden Eagles shot just 31.7 percent (20-of-63) in the game, including 22.9 percent (8-of-35) in the second half.
K-State has now won 28 consecutive non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won eight in a row at home, including all five to start the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wildcats jumped ahead early 7-0 on due to strong defensive play, as K-State held Southern Miss to miss on its first seven shots. The Wildcats found an advantage in the paint, scoring 4 of their first 5 points near the basket.
After the slow start, the Golden Eagles bounced back by scoring 11 straight points against the Wildcats, connecting on 5 of 6 from the field. The run gave Southern Miss the lead 11-7 with 11:33 left in the first half.
Following the second media timeout, Southern Miss extended its run to 19-2, taking a 19-9 lead with 9:10 left in the half. The Golden Eagles were able to ride their lead into the break, holding a 31-19 advantage at the half. The
19 points at the break were the fewest by the Wildcats since scoring 15 points at TCU on Feb. 18, 2015.
K-State connected on 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from the floor in the first half, including 0-of-9 from beyond the arc, as opposed to Southern Miss' 42.8 percent (12-of-28) shooting from the field. The Wildcats were led by a team-high 8 points from Brown and 9 rebounds by Sneed.
In the second half, the Wildcats were able to respond at the 14:13 mark when Stokes connected on consecutive 3-pointers, marking the first of the game to bring the score within single-digits at 35-27.
The Wildcats would claw back into the lead, as they extended their run to 24-2 to make the score 43-37 with 7:57 left to play. The run was due in part to K-State finding its rhythm offensively, while forcing Southern Miss into difficult shots.
With K-State leading at 46-44 with 3:07 left in the contest, Stokes connected on his fourth 3-pointer of the half to extend the lead to 49-44. Southern Miss closed to within 53-51 with 11 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Dominic Magee, but Brown knocked down a pair of free throws to finish it off.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kamau Stokes–Leading the Wildcats with a season-high 18 points on 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, senior guardKamau Stokes propelled the Wildcats to a come from behind victory. Stokes scoring output included 16 points in the second half alone, including four influential 3-pointers.
STAT OF THE GAME
24-2 – Down 35-19 with 16:05 left in the second half, a jumper by Kamau Stokesignited a 24-2 run that gave the Wildcats the lead for good at 43-37 lead at the 7:57 mark.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On turning things around in the second half…
"Part of it is making shots. Obviously when you only have 19 points at half. I thought that we missed some easy ones, I thought we missed some layups. Some of the layups, just go get a foul, don't try to make a double-pump underhand layup, go get a foul and get to the free throw line, we need to get to the free throw line more. Obviously, we didn't shoot it well there. Then turnovers too, we had a lot of empty possessions that led to 18 points off of turnovers. Last game it was 25. If you think about how many points these teams are scoring, its close to half or getting up there, same with the Georgia State game. We got to do a little better job and take care of the basketball, getting shots off, getting opportunities off. We tried to scramble without Dean (Wade) in two days, I don't know if the guys just thought, because last year it just went so easily and we went on the run it was going to happen. Obviously, it wasn't good, it wasn't smooth, but to Kamau (Stokes) credit he got us going. Xavier (Sneed) had great energy and great effort, 14 rebounds, which is a new career-high. Barry (Brown Jr.) had a few good hoops in that stretch. There were a lot of big plays. Levi (Stockard) had a layup in that stretch, Mike McGuirl had a layup. So those little plays make a difference. The problem is, we have so many guys boogered up. Sunday we didn't practice. Monday we didn't practice, we tried to go a little yesterday and I thought it looked like it. We didn't have great energy. Tomorrow has got to be a recovery day and hopefully get a little done on Friday and get ready for Saturday. Then we will have a well-deserved break after that."
On playing without Dean Wade...
"Part of it is offensively. Dean does so many things. Barry and Dean are the leading scorers. Dean leads in rebounds. We run a lot of things through him, it makes other people guard. This game, they're so little they just switched everything. Some of the stuff that Dean would put them in a bind but it wasn't there. It changes the game there's no doubt, but we have to find a way to get some offense and be a little more efficient with taking care of the basketball."
On Kamau Stokes' play...
"I talked about it, it's the leadership of the older guys that have been through it. Even in the game, you have to make plays, you can't be scared to make plays. Obviously, he got going and he's put some time in the gym and he's got his shot going. It's great for him, I am happy for him. Obviously, 0 assists and 4 turnovers is not great but he made big plays when we needed."
On what turned around in the second half…
"To the kid's credit they finally manned up. We defended really well in the second half. They shoot 22 percent, 11 from three, we kept them off the line. That part of it was good. We even got a little bit of a transition which was positive, get some of those easy hoops which makes a difference. You just want to win, find a way to win. Obviously now we have to go back and watch this game and get ready for Vanderbilt. Quick turnaround. They just beat Arizona State in a huge win for them. They won at USC. We beat them last year, but we know that it is not going to be an easy game."
On Xavier Sneed's career-high in rebounds…
"Like I said at the end of our shootaround today, we are going to miss Dean (Wade) in a lot of ways. But his rebounding is huge. The one thing that we, I don't know all of these stats now they have all these analytical things but Coach Speraw said we are number one in the country in offensive rebounds. I don't know how or what, per possessions, whatever, something. I thought the first half, especially, we had guys standing there, watching. We had to go out and do something different."
Barry Brown, Jr., Senior Guard
On Stokes shooting in the second half...
"It was good. We needed someone to step up and make some plays. I feel like we were doing our part in the second half, especially on the defensive end, but offensively we still could hit no shots and then he hit that first three."
On mindset after scoring in the first 30 seconds of the game…
"I didn't think it going to be easy. We watched them on film and we knew they were tough. They don't quit. They were down like 18 against Wichita State and came back and took the lead, so we knew being up 2-0 in the first 30 seconds, it meant nothing."
On feeling after a game with a lot of mistakes...
"We're always happy to get a win, especially when we may not play our best game and to still get a win, that's always a good feeling. We are a new team from last year and added some new different guys and with Dean (Wade) out right now, we're back to another new team. We just gotta keep gelling and keep finding ways to score, put the ball in the basket and keep defending. He brought a lot to the table, so we just have to all step up and fill that void that he left behind."
Kamau Stokes, Senior Guard
On his first three in the second half...
"We came out in the second half and we knew we had to bring some energy and that shot just started everything."
On how he was able to go 4-4 for 3-pointers in the second half...
"I was feeling it and then credit to my teammates. They got me open, screens and moving the ball well. I give a lot of credit to them for that."
On mindset going into the second half…
"Definitely knew I had to step up. We needed everybody to step up, especially in the second half. We were down 14 and we knew in order for us to win we had to make some plays. Then, we went out into the second half and did that.
On how a shooter gets into a streak...
"Seeing that ball go into the rim. You get the right form, right mechanics and if you just do the same thing every time, most likely the ball is going to go in."
Southern Miss Head Coach Doc Sadler
On the game...
"I thought the first half we did everything but you have to give them credit for the second half. [Kamau] Stokes got hot and hit four threes on us and that was the difference in the ball game. You hold a team to 55 points and you have to win. We were 7-of-33 from the three-point line and did not get to the free throw line so give them credit. They made some plays down the stretch that we did not make."
On what he told the team at halftime…
"There are 20 more minutes. It is not even close to being over with. You know they are going to make a run and they did. Then we came back and had to show some toughness and we did. But you knew that they were going to come back."
On starting the second half strong…
"The first five minutes of the second half we came out, played with energy and got a steal on the first possession. They are a good basketball team. We missed some open shots, they got on that run and we could not stop it."
On Cortez Edwards and Tyree Griffin…
"I would not trade them for anything. Those two guys are the guys that have to play good for us to have a chance and both of them did. Probably should have given them a little bit of rest but did not. Maybe that was the reason they missed some shots late."
On K-State shooting better in the second half…
"They missed some open shots in the first half. We did a good job of defending, though. I have to give our guys credit. We did not give them any easy baskets and we made them earn it. We did not give them that many offensive rebounds. We made them earn every point that they got."
Cortez Edwards, Senior Guard
On the game…
"We came out with energy in the first half and we were making shots. They just locked us up on defense in the second half."
On their 17-2 run in the first half…
"We just came out with effort. We were kind of surprised that we made that run because we knew that they were a good defensive team. We just wanted to keep getting stops. That was the main part of our focus."
On his performance…
"I feel like I played well, but I left a few points out there. It goes with the game."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State makes the short trek to Kansas City on Saturday to host SEC foe Vanderbilt (7-2) at 6 p.m., CT at the Sprint Center in the Wildcat Classic. Tickets start at $15 for lower endzone and upper sidelines with $5 tickets available for groups of 10 or more fans. The game will air nationally on ESPN2.
K-State (8-2) went on a 24-2 run over 8:08 in the second half to take over the game, as the Wildcats held the Golden Eagles scoreless for 5:24 during the span. The run came after scoring a season-low 19 points in the first half and the fewest since scoring 15 against TCU on Feb. 18, 2015, as the Wildcats trailed 31-19 at halftime.
The 16-point deficit overcome for victory tied for the third-largest in school history, including the largest since coming from 16 points down to defeat New Mexico on Nov. 23, 2005.
In addition to Stokes, senior Barry Brown, Jr. reached double-digits in scoring behind 15 points, while junior Xavier Sneedpulled down a career-high 14 rebounds to lead all players and give the Wildcats a 38-32 edge on the glass.
As a team, K-State shot 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the field, including a 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) mark in the second half. The Wildcats found their first 3-pointer of the contest fall in the second half, when Stokes made back-to-back 3-pointers with 14:15 left in the second half.
Southern Miss (7-4) was led by senior Cortez Edwards'18 points, as the Golden Eagles shot just 31.7 percent (20-of-63) in the game, including 22.9 percent (8-of-35) in the second half.
K-State has now won 28 consecutive non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won eight in a row at home, including all five to start the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Wildcats jumped ahead early 7-0 on due to strong defensive play, as K-State held Southern Miss to miss on its first seven shots. The Wildcats found an advantage in the paint, scoring 4 of their first 5 points near the basket.
After the slow start, the Golden Eagles bounced back by scoring 11 straight points against the Wildcats, connecting on 5 of 6 from the field. The run gave Southern Miss the lead 11-7 with 11:33 left in the first half.
Following the second media timeout, Southern Miss extended its run to 19-2, taking a 19-9 lead with 9:10 left in the half. The Golden Eagles were able to ride their lead into the break, holding a 31-19 advantage at the half. The
19 points at the break were the fewest by the Wildcats since scoring 15 points at TCU on Feb. 18, 2015.
K-State connected on 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from the floor in the first half, including 0-of-9 from beyond the arc, as opposed to Southern Miss' 42.8 percent (12-of-28) shooting from the field. The Wildcats were led by a team-high 8 points from Brown and 9 rebounds by Sneed.
In the second half, the Wildcats were able to respond at the 14:13 mark when Stokes connected on consecutive 3-pointers, marking the first of the game to bring the score within single-digits at 35-27.
The Wildcats would claw back into the lead, as they extended their run to 24-2 to make the score 43-37 with 7:57 left to play. The run was due in part to K-State finding its rhythm offensively, while forcing Southern Miss into difficult shots.
With K-State leading at 46-44 with 3:07 left in the contest, Stokes connected on his fourth 3-pointer of the half to extend the lead to 49-44. Southern Miss closed to within 53-51 with 11 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Dominic Magee, but Brown knocked down a pair of free throws to finish it off.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kamau Stokes–Leading the Wildcats with a season-high 18 points on 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, senior guardKamau Stokes propelled the Wildcats to a come from behind victory. Stokes scoring output included 16 points in the second half alone, including four influential 3-pointers.
STAT OF THE GAME
24-2 – Down 35-19 with 16:05 left in the second half, a jumper by Kamau Stokesignited a 24-2 run that gave the Wildcats the lead for good at 43-37 lead at the 7:57 mark.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On turning things around in the second half…
"Part of it is making shots. Obviously when you only have 19 points at half. I thought that we missed some easy ones, I thought we missed some layups. Some of the layups, just go get a foul, don't try to make a double-pump underhand layup, go get a foul and get to the free throw line, we need to get to the free throw line more. Obviously, we didn't shoot it well there. Then turnovers too, we had a lot of empty possessions that led to 18 points off of turnovers. Last game it was 25. If you think about how many points these teams are scoring, its close to half or getting up there, same with the Georgia State game. We got to do a little better job and take care of the basketball, getting shots off, getting opportunities off. We tried to scramble without Dean (Wade) in two days, I don't know if the guys just thought, because last year it just went so easily and we went on the run it was going to happen. Obviously, it wasn't good, it wasn't smooth, but to Kamau (Stokes) credit he got us going. Xavier (Sneed) had great energy and great effort, 14 rebounds, which is a new career-high. Barry (Brown Jr.) had a few good hoops in that stretch. There were a lot of big plays. Levi (Stockard) had a layup in that stretch, Mike McGuirl had a layup. So those little plays make a difference. The problem is, we have so many guys boogered up. Sunday we didn't practice. Monday we didn't practice, we tried to go a little yesterday and I thought it looked like it. We didn't have great energy. Tomorrow has got to be a recovery day and hopefully get a little done on Friday and get ready for Saturday. Then we will have a well-deserved break after that."
On playing without Dean Wade...
"Part of it is offensively. Dean does so many things. Barry and Dean are the leading scorers. Dean leads in rebounds. We run a lot of things through him, it makes other people guard. This game, they're so little they just switched everything. Some of the stuff that Dean would put them in a bind but it wasn't there. It changes the game there's no doubt, but we have to find a way to get some offense and be a little more efficient with taking care of the basketball."
On Kamau Stokes' play...
"I talked about it, it's the leadership of the older guys that have been through it. Even in the game, you have to make plays, you can't be scared to make plays. Obviously, he got going and he's put some time in the gym and he's got his shot going. It's great for him, I am happy for him. Obviously, 0 assists and 4 turnovers is not great but he made big plays when we needed."
On what turned around in the second half…
"To the kid's credit they finally manned up. We defended really well in the second half. They shoot 22 percent, 11 from three, we kept them off the line. That part of it was good. We even got a little bit of a transition which was positive, get some of those easy hoops which makes a difference. You just want to win, find a way to win. Obviously now we have to go back and watch this game and get ready for Vanderbilt. Quick turnaround. They just beat Arizona State in a huge win for them. They won at USC. We beat them last year, but we know that it is not going to be an easy game."
On Xavier Sneed's career-high in rebounds…
"Like I said at the end of our shootaround today, we are going to miss Dean (Wade) in a lot of ways. But his rebounding is huge. The one thing that we, I don't know all of these stats now they have all these analytical things but Coach Speraw said we are number one in the country in offensive rebounds. I don't know how or what, per possessions, whatever, something. I thought the first half, especially, we had guys standing there, watching. We had to go out and do something different."
Barry Brown, Jr., Senior Guard
On Stokes shooting in the second half...
"It was good. We needed someone to step up and make some plays. I feel like we were doing our part in the second half, especially on the defensive end, but offensively we still could hit no shots and then he hit that first three."
On mindset after scoring in the first 30 seconds of the game…
"I didn't think it going to be easy. We watched them on film and we knew they were tough. They don't quit. They were down like 18 against Wichita State and came back and took the lead, so we knew being up 2-0 in the first 30 seconds, it meant nothing."
On feeling after a game with a lot of mistakes...
"We're always happy to get a win, especially when we may not play our best game and to still get a win, that's always a good feeling. We are a new team from last year and added some new different guys and with Dean (Wade) out right now, we're back to another new team. We just gotta keep gelling and keep finding ways to score, put the ball in the basket and keep defending. He brought a lot to the table, so we just have to all step up and fill that void that he left behind."
Kamau Stokes, Senior Guard
On his first three in the second half...
"We came out in the second half and we knew we had to bring some energy and that shot just started everything."
On how he was able to go 4-4 for 3-pointers in the second half...
"I was feeling it and then credit to my teammates. They got me open, screens and moving the ball well. I give a lot of credit to them for that."
On mindset going into the second half…
"Definitely knew I had to step up. We needed everybody to step up, especially in the second half. We were down 14 and we knew in order for us to win we had to make some plays. Then, we went out into the second half and did that.
On how a shooter gets into a streak...
"Seeing that ball go into the rim. You get the right form, right mechanics and if you just do the same thing every time, most likely the ball is going to go in."
Southern Miss Head Coach Doc Sadler
On the game...
"I thought the first half we did everything but you have to give them credit for the second half. [Kamau] Stokes got hot and hit four threes on us and that was the difference in the ball game. You hold a team to 55 points and you have to win. We were 7-of-33 from the three-point line and did not get to the free throw line so give them credit. They made some plays down the stretch that we did not make."
On what he told the team at halftime…
"There are 20 more minutes. It is not even close to being over with. You know they are going to make a run and they did. Then we came back and had to show some toughness and we did. But you knew that they were going to come back."
On starting the second half strong…
"The first five minutes of the second half we came out, played with energy and got a steal on the first possession. They are a good basketball team. We missed some open shots, they got on that run and we could not stop it."
On Cortez Edwards and Tyree Griffin…
"I would not trade them for anything. Those two guys are the guys that have to play good for us to have a chance and both of them did. Probably should have given them a little bit of rest but did not. Maybe that was the reason they missed some shots late."
On K-State shooting better in the second half…
"They missed some open shots in the first half. We did a good job of defending, though. I have to give our guys credit. We did not give them any easy baskets and we made them earn it. We did not give them that many offensive rebounds. We made them earn every point that they got."
Cortez Edwards, Senior Guard
On the game…
"We came out with energy in the first half and we were making shots. They just locked us up on defense in the second half."
On their 17-2 run in the first half…
"We just came out with effort. We were kind of surprised that we made that run because we knew that they were a good defensive team. We just wanted to keep getting stops. That was the main part of our focus."
On his performance…
"I feel like I played well, but I left a few points out there. It goes with the game."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State is now 5-0 at home this season and has won 8 in a row at Bramlage Coliseum.
- K-State is now 103-6 in non-conference play at home dating back to 2006-07 with wins in 90 of its last 94 non-conference home games… The Wildcats have won 28 consecutive non-conference home games.
- The 16-point deficit overcome for victory tied for the third-largest in school history, including the largest since coming from 16 points down to defeat New Mexico (11/23/05)… It has been done 4 other times, including vs. Hawai'i (11/25/89), vs. Oklahoma (2/23/93) and vs. La Salle (1/5/94).
- The 12-point halftime deficit overcome for victory tied for the third-largest in school history, including the largest since coming from 14 points down at halftime to defeat Charleston Southern (11/11/11).
- The 55 points were the fewest in a victory since scoring 50 vs. Bradley (12/9/14).
- K-State connected on 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the field, which included a great disparity from the first half to the second half… The team hit on just 30.8 percent (8-of-26) in the first half then hit on 66.7 percent (12-of-18) in the second half.
- K-State has now held 76 opponents to 60 points or less in the Weber era with the Wildcats boasting a 68-8 mark in those contests, including 7 of 10 opponents this year… Southern Miss was held to 51 points on 31.7 percent shooting (20-of-63), including 21.2 percent (7-of-33) from 3-point range.
- SeniorKamau Stokesscored 18 points on 6-of-8 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, in 37 minutes… He has now led the team in scoring in 13 games, including the first time in 2018-19… He has now scored in double figures in 56 career games, including 7 this season… He now had posted 3 or more 3-point field goals in 22 career games.
- SeniorBarry Brown, Jr., scored 15 points on 6-of-16 field goals to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 38 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 70 career games, including 7 this season.
- Brown now has 70 career double-digit scoring game, which ties for the 10th-most in school history, along with Bob Boozer(1956-59), Jamar Samuels(2008-12) and teammate Dean Wade.
- With his 6 field goals made tonight, Brown became the 10thWildcat in school history to eclipse 500 career field goals made and the first since Rodney McGruder(2009-13).
- With his 2 steals tonight, Brown now has 208 in his career and moves to within 2 of the all-time mark of 210 set by Jacob Pullen(2007-11).
- JuniorXavier Sneedgrabbed a career-high with 14 rebounds to go with 8 points, 2 assists and 1 block in 34 minutes… The 14 rebounds surpassed his previous career-high of 13 set against Texas (2/21/18).
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State makes the short trek to Kansas City on Saturday to host SEC foe Vanderbilt (7-2) at 6 p.m., CT at the Sprint Center in the Wildcat Classic. Tickets start at $15 for lower endzone and upper sidelines with $5 tickets available for groups of 10 or more fans. The game will air nationally on ESPN2.
Team Stats
USM
KS
FG%
.317
.455
3FG%
.212
.250
FT%
.667
.550
RB
34
39
TO
8
17
STL
11
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
4
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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