Kansas State University Athletics
Wildcats Fall to Loyola, 78-62, in the Elite Eight
Mar 24, 2018 | Men's Basketball
ATLANTA, Ga. – Paced by a game-high 23 points from senior guard Ben Richardson, Loyola Chicago used a near flawless shooting performance to defeat Kansas State and advance to its first Final Four since 1963 with a 78-62 victory in the South Regional Final at Philip Arena on Saturday night.
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K-State (25-12) concludes its record-setting 2017-18 campaign with its sixth 25-win season in school history and the first since winning 27 games in 2012-13. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the past 12-years, including the program's 12th Elite Eight appearance.
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The Wildcats were led by sophomore Xavier Sneed's 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, which included a 4-of-6 effort from 3-point range, while junior guards Barry Brown Jr. (14) and Kamau Stokes (13) added double-figure scoring efforts. The team scored 28 points off of 15 Rambler turnovers, but connected on just 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field, including just 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from beyond the arc.
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Loyola Chicago (32-5) were led by a game-high 21 points from Richardson, who led three players in double-figures. The Ramblers connected on 57.4 percent (27-of-47) from the field, including 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc. Junior guard Marques Townes and senior guard Donte Ingram added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Loyola Chicago struck first after winning the opening tip, as the Ramblers were able to find an opening bucket inside. For K-State, the opening basket came from Sneed, who led the team in scoring against Kentucky on Thursday, with a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead with 2:22 into the game.
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Loyola Chicago continued to find buckets early on, as the team jumped out to an early 12-5 lead, hitting their first 5-of-7 shots from the field.
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After the first media timeout, Loyola Chicago continued to find offensive success, going on an 11-0 run to extend their lead to 15-5. During that span, the Ramblers connected on five consecutive shots, including two 3-pointers from senior guard Ben Richardson.
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The Ramblers offense came out firing to start the game, connecting on 8 of their first 10 shots, including 10 of their first 19 points in the paint, to jump out to a 19-9 lead with 11:28 remaining in the first half.
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Despite the early run from the Ramblers, the Wildcats came clawing back from 10 down to bring the margin to seven points at 21-14 with 10:07 remaining in the half. Sneed led the charge, scoring five consecutive points for the Wildcats.
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After drawing back within single digits, Brown brought K-State to within five with 5:55 left in the half at 27-22, after drawing an and-one near the basket.
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Loyola Chicago was able to extend its lead just before the halftime buzzer, as Richardson connected on a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining. The Ramblers held the advantage, 36-24, at the break, where they shot 55.5 percent (15-of-27) in the half, including a team-high 11 points from Richardson.
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K-State shot just 37 percent (10-of-27) from the field, including 12 points off Loyola turnovers. The Wildcats were led by Brown's 9 points in the first half.
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Redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra came out firing in the second half for the Wildcats, scoring the first seven points of the half for the Wildcats, including an open 3-pointer to get the scoring started in the second half.
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However, the Ramblers continued their prolific scoring from the first half, as Richardson completed a four-point play to bring the score to 44-29 with 16:54 left in the game. Following the Richardson four-point play, the squad would go on a 9-0 run against the Wildcats, garnering a lead of 54-33 with 13:23 left.
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Minutes later, Loyola Chicago would get its largest lead of the night at 61-38 with 9:40 remaining behind a layup from freshman guard Lucas Williamson.
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Despite being down, the Wildcats showed fight late, as Sneed and junior guard Kamau Stokes connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the score to 61-46 with 6:07 remaining. The two 3-pointers helped K-State to put an 10-0 run on the Rattlers.
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Over the next two minutes, K-State would draw to with 12 after junior guard Amaad Wainright collected a rebound off the Diarra miss and scored to bring the score to 64-52 with 4:17 remaining. Over 4:51, the Wildcats outscored to Ramblers 14-3 to draw closer.
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With 2:33 remaining, junior guard Marques Townes scored on an and-one going to the basket to give the Ramblers a 69-52 lead.
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Despite the late run, K-State was unable to get any closers, falling to Loyola Chicago, 78-62. Loyola's victory came behind and impressive scoring effort of 57.4 percent (27-of-47) from the field.
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K-State shot just 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field and 23 percent (6-of-26) from long range in the game. After falling behind early, the Wildcats were unable to regain the lead, as the Ramblers led for 38:49 of the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Xavier Sneed – After a 22-point game on Thursday against Kentucky, sophomore forward Xavier Sneed scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from long range. Sneed's 16 points mark the 22nd time this season the sophomore has scored in double-digits this season and the 35th time in his career.
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STAT OF THE GAME
28 – K-State scored 28 points off of 15 Loyola Chicago turnovers, marking the 13th time this season that the team has scored 20 or more points off of opponent miscues. Â
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SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 25-12
Loyola Chicago 32-5
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State (25-12) ends the record-setting 2017-18 season with just the sixth 25-win season in school history and the first since a 27-win campaign in 2012-13. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in a 12-year span, including the fourth time in head coach Bruce Weber's six seasons. The squad is expected to return all but two players, including all five starters.
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K-State (25-12) concludes its record-setting 2017-18 campaign with its sixth 25-win season in school history and the first since winning 27 games in 2012-13. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the past 12-years, including the program's 12th Elite Eight appearance.
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The Wildcats were led by sophomore Xavier Sneed's 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, which included a 4-of-6 effort from 3-point range, while junior guards Barry Brown Jr. (14) and Kamau Stokes (13) added double-figure scoring efforts. The team scored 28 points off of 15 Rambler turnovers, but connected on just 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field, including just 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from beyond the arc.
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Loyola Chicago (32-5) were led by a game-high 21 points from Richardson, who led three players in double-figures. The Ramblers connected on 57.4 percent (27-of-47) from the field, including 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc. Junior guard Marques Townes and senior guard Donte Ingram added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Loyola Chicago struck first after winning the opening tip, as the Ramblers were able to find an opening bucket inside. For K-State, the opening basket came from Sneed, who led the team in scoring against Kentucky on Thursday, with a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead with 2:22 into the game.
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Loyola Chicago continued to find buckets early on, as the team jumped out to an early 12-5 lead, hitting their first 5-of-7 shots from the field.
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After the first media timeout, Loyola Chicago continued to find offensive success, going on an 11-0 run to extend their lead to 15-5. During that span, the Ramblers connected on five consecutive shots, including two 3-pointers from senior guard Ben Richardson.
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The Ramblers offense came out firing to start the game, connecting on 8 of their first 10 shots, including 10 of their first 19 points in the paint, to jump out to a 19-9 lead with 11:28 remaining in the first half.
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Despite the early run from the Ramblers, the Wildcats came clawing back from 10 down to bring the margin to seven points at 21-14 with 10:07 remaining in the half. Sneed led the charge, scoring five consecutive points for the Wildcats.
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After drawing back within single digits, Brown brought K-State to within five with 5:55 left in the half at 27-22, after drawing an and-one near the basket.
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Loyola Chicago was able to extend its lead just before the halftime buzzer, as Richardson connected on a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining. The Ramblers held the advantage, 36-24, at the break, where they shot 55.5 percent (15-of-27) in the half, including a team-high 11 points from Richardson.
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K-State shot just 37 percent (10-of-27) from the field, including 12 points off Loyola turnovers. The Wildcats were led by Brown's 9 points in the first half.
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Redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra came out firing in the second half for the Wildcats, scoring the first seven points of the half for the Wildcats, including an open 3-pointer to get the scoring started in the second half.
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However, the Ramblers continued their prolific scoring from the first half, as Richardson completed a four-point play to bring the score to 44-29 with 16:54 left in the game. Following the Richardson four-point play, the squad would go on a 9-0 run against the Wildcats, garnering a lead of 54-33 with 13:23 left.
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Minutes later, Loyola Chicago would get its largest lead of the night at 61-38 with 9:40 remaining behind a layup from freshman guard Lucas Williamson.
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Despite being down, the Wildcats showed fight late, as Sneed and junior guard Kamau Stokes connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the score to 61-46 with 6:07 remaining. The two 3-pointers helped K-State to put an 10-0 run on the Rattlers.
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Over the next two minutes, K-State would draw to with 12 after junior guard Amaad Wainright collected a rebound off the Diarra miss and scored to bring the score to 64-52 with 4:17 remaining. Over 4:51, the Wildcats outscored to Ramblers 14-3 to draw closer.
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With 2:33 remaining, junior guard Marques Townes scored on an and-one going to the basket to give the Ramblers a 69-52 lead.
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Despite the late run, K-State was unable to get any closers, falling to Loyola Chicago, 78-62. Loyola's victory came behind and impressive scoring effort of 57.4 percent (27-of-47) from the field.
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K-State shot just 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field and 23 percent (6-of-26) from long range in the game. After falling behind early, the Wildcats were unable to regain the lead, as the Ramblers led for 38:49 of the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Xavier Sneed – After a 22-point game on Thursday against Kentucky, sophomore forward Xavier Sneed scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from long range. Sneed's 16 points mark the 22nd time this season the sophomore has scored in double-digits this season and the 35th time in his career.
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STAT OF THE GAME
28 – K-State scored 28 points off of 15 Loyola Chicago turnovers, marking the 13th time this season that the team has scored 20 or more points off of opponent miscues. Â
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SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 25-12
Loyola Chicago 32-5
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State now has a 1,635-1,147 all-time record since basketball play began in 1903.
- K-State concludes the season with a 25-12 overall record, which is the most wins in a single season since winning 27 in coach Bruce Weber's first season in 2012-13… It is the sixth 25-win season in school history, including the first since that 27-win campaign in 2012-13… The other 25-win seasons came in 1950-51 (25-4), 1958-59 (25-2), 1987-88 (25-9) and 2009-10 (29-8)… Weber is the first coach in school history to do it twice… It is the 29th 20-win season in school history and the fourth in six seasons under Weber.
- K-State is now 37-34 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, in this, its 30th all-time appearance… The Wildcats are now 3-10 in the regional finals, including a 4-3 mark as a No. 9 seed, in this, the third such appearance (1987, 2014, 2018)… The team has now lost seven straight regional finals since advancing to the Final Four in 1964… K-State is now 1-3 vs. a No. 11 seed in the fourth such meeting (1989, 1993, 2017, 2018)… Overall, the school is now 43-42 all-time in postseason play, in its 37th appearance (30 NCAAs and 7 NITs).
- K-State advanced to the Elite Eight for the 12th time in school history, including the first time since the 2009-10 season… The Wildcats also advanced to the Elite Eight in 1951, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1981 and 1988… This is Weber's second trip to the Elite Eight (Illinois, 2005) as a head coach.
- Head coach Bruce Weber is now 438-235 overall in his 20th season, including a 125-80 mark in his sixth season at K-State… The 125 victories rank fourth all-time in school history and are the most wins since Jack Hartman retired as the winningest coach in 1986 with 295 career victories… Weber is the fifth different head coach in school history to lead K-State to at least four NCAA Tournament appearances.
- Weber is now 15-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, in this, his 12th trip to the NCAA Tournament, which includes a 4-4 mark at K-State… He is the 10th Division I coach to take three different teams to the Sweet 16 (K-State, Illinois, Southern Illinois) in his career.
- The series is now tied 5-all between K-State and Loyola Chicago, which dates back to 1936… This was the first meeting in the NCAA Tournament and the first on a neutral court… This was the sixth meeting since 1998 and Loyola's win snapped a three-game losing streak to K-State in the series.
- K-State scored 28 points of off 15 Loyola Chicago turnovers… It marked the 13th time this season scoring 20 or more points off turnovers… The 28 points off of turnovers are the most since scoring 36 vs. USC Upstate (12/15/17) and the third-most this season.
- K-State managed just 6 turnovers in the game, which marked the 10th time this season with single-digit turnovers… Overall, the team had 12 or fewer turnovers in 27 of 37 games this season.
- Junior Barry Brown, Jr., and sophomore Xavier Sneed were named to NCAA South Regional All-Tournament Team… They are the first Wildcats to earn recognition to NCAA All-Tournament Team since Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen were named to the 2010 NCAA West Regional All-Tournament team.
- Sneed scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 36 minutes… He has now led the Wildcats in scoring in seven games, including six this season… He has now scored in double figures in 35 career games, including 22 this season.
- Brown scored 14 points on 6-of-16 field goals and 2-of-3 from the free throw line to go with 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists in 38 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 63 career games, including 29 this season.
- With 1,285 minutes on the season, Brown eclipsed Denis Clemente (1,284;2009-10) for the most minutes played in a single season… He tied Jacob Pullen's junior record with 67 steals this season.. Brown now has 189 career steals, which is third all-time and one behind Steve Henson (190, 1986-90) and 21 behind all-time leader Jacob Pullen (210, 2007-11).
- Junior Kamau Stokes scored 13 points on 4-of-12 field goals and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to go with 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 block in 28 minutes… It marked the 49th time scoring in double figures, including 14 times this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State (25-12) ends the record-setting 2017-18 season with just the sixth 25-win season in school history and the first since a 27-win campaign in 2012-13. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in a 12-year span, including the fourth time in head coach Bruce Weber's six seasons. The squad is expected to return all but two players, including all five starters.
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Team Stats
LUC
KS
FG%
.574
.348
3FG%
.500
.231
FT%
.833
.833
RB
36
28
TO
15
6
STL
2
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Players Mentioned
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