'Cats Defend the Home Court, Top Kansas, 74-67

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State's senior trio of Barry Brown, Jr. (18), Dean Wade (12) and Kamau Stokes (9) combined for 39 points to lift the Wildcats to a 74-67 win over No. 13/14 Kansas in the 290^th edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,528 at Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday.

With the win, K-State (17-5, 7-2 Big 12) ends an 8-game skid against Kansas, winning its first contest against the Jayhawks since 2015. The Wildcats have now won 7 consecutive games in Big 12 play for the first time in nearly 10 years and the first time since also winning 7 in a row from Feb. 2 to Feb. 27, 2010.

K-State used a resilient effort that saw the Wildcats lead for nearly 29 minutes, that included a clutch effort in the waning minutes of the game.

With under two minutes left, junior Xavier Sneed knocked down a contested 3-pointer in the corner that gave the Wildcats a 6-point lead (67-61) with 1:15 left, before sophomore Cartier Diarra came through with a steal and windmill dunk in transition that would essentially put the game away with 48 seconds remaining.

The all-around K-State effort included the Wildcats shooting 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the field in the game, while connecting on 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from beyond the arc. The 10 3-pointers were the fifth time this season the Wildcats have achieved the mark, including the second in a row.

Brown had a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 field goals to go with a game-tying 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in playing all 40 minutes, while Wade added a near double-double with 12 points and a game-high 9 rebounds to go along with a game-tying 5 assists. Joining Brown and Wade in double figures were Sneed (14) and Diarra (11), as the Wildcats moved to 7-1 this season when four players or more scored double digits.

Kansas (17-6, 6-4 Big 12) suffers its fourth-straight defeat on the road, as the Jayhawks fell to just 1-6 on the road. The Jayhawks were led by 18 points from junior forward Dedric Lawson, who also added a team-high 9 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Stokes got the scoring started early for the Wildcats, nailing a 3-pointer on the first K-State possession of the game, assisted by Wade. Back on defense, Stokes came up with a steal and layup in transition to give K-State a 5-0 lead within the first minute of play.

The run played into a 14-6 early lead for the Wildcats that led to Kansas taking a timeout with 16:30, at which point the Wildcats connected on 6 of their first 7 shots from the field.

Over the next six minutes, Kansas drew back to within 3 points at the 8:04 mark of the first half behind 6 points from freshman guard Devon Dotson and junior forward Mitch Lightfoot. Kansas would later take their first lead of the game at 29-26 with 4:41 left in the half on the strength of an 11-0 run.

Kansas broke down the Wildcat defense in the first half, holding them scoreless from the field for 9:20, as the Jayhawks went into the half with the 33-30 lead. In the first 10 minutes of play, K-State shot 64.7 percent (11-of-17) as compared to the final 10 minutes, where they shot 7 percent (1-of-14).

In the second half, the Wildcats relied on seniorsBrown and Wade to claw back into the lead, as the duo combined for the team's first nine points in the half, putting K-State ahead 39-36 with 16:37 left in the game.

With the lead at 4 points, Sneed and Diarra connected on a pair of 3-pointers, with a Kansas layup in between, that gave K-State a 50-42 lead just under the 12-minute mark of the second half.

Diarra came up in the clutch for the Wildcats late in the game, knocking down a contested 3-pointer in the corner to give K-State a 5-point advantage with 4:19 remaining. On the other end, Diarra collected a Kansas miss and pushed it into transition, resulting in a layup by Brown to extend the lead to 7.

After a 5-0 run from the Jayhawks to bring the score to 64-61 with 1:42 left in the game, Sneed came through with a clutch 3-pointer in the corner to give the Wildcats a 6-point lead with 1:15 left.

With under a minute left, Diarra iced the game with a steal and windmill dunk in transition that brought the score to 69-61 with 48 seconds left. On the next Kansas possession, Wade came up with another steal which sent Brown to the line, where he canned two free throws to bring the score to 71-61 with 33 seconds left.

Kansas would connect on two 3-pointers in the final of play, before the Wildcats were able to dribble out the clock, as the Wildcats prevailed, 74-67.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Xavier Sneed – Leading another K-State barrage of 3-pointers, junior Xavier Sneed scored 14 points on 5-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and 7 rebounds. Sneed came through in the clutch with a 3-pointer to give K-State a 6-point lead with 1:15 left, leading to the K-State victory.

STAT OF THE GAME
8 – With the win, K-State snaps an 8-game Kansas winning streak that dates back to 2015.

SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 17-5 (7-2 Big 12)
Kansas 17-6 (6-4 Big 12)

IN THEIR WORDS
BRUCE WEBER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On making adjustments to Kansas' zone defense…
"I think when they went zone after our great start, the last few years they've got on us right away; 10 to 2 and 12 to 2, and we've always had to catch up and we've made them games. When you have to catch up like that it's hard, so this time we got off to a great start, usually that's the part they dominate, and then they go zone. We got a little stagnant. We knew they were going to go zone. I didn't like our body language, I didn't like our aggressiveness. We got tentative. We got off the line, and that's what the coaches challenged on at halftime; don't go down where you're playing tentative, take it to them. Dean (Wade) thought he got fouled on one of those layups early and after that he didn't go to the hoop, he kept shooting fadeaways. Second half he took it right at them, Barry (Brown) took it at them, all of them did. The other thing I told the team, the other guys are going to make the difference. In the first half (Mitch) Lightfoot and (Charlie) Moore made the difference. In the second half Cartier (Diarra), Mike McGuirl, Mak (Mawien), Levi (Stockard) was great on defense on the big guy. All those guys made the difference and we rebounded so much better in the second half. The first half they had 9 offensive rebounds."

On Cartier Diarra's 3 pointer at the end of the game...
"Mike's little layup when it got to one or two, and then Cartier's 3 in the corner, and Xavier Sneed's 3 in the corner kind of stretched it out. We obviously didn't shoot it great. The other night we were so hot, we still make ten, I guess 10-for-24 is still pretty good in most people's books. We were better in the second half, 5-for-11. We were just more aggressive, we got in to the zone. Made the right passes and the right reads. When the ball has energy, it likes it and then it usually goes in to the hoop."

On the sharing of scoring...
"We said 'We have to be the best team on the court for two hours.' They (Kansas) are good, they're a little young, a little new, but they're still good. They're going to win a bunch of games at home, we'll have a chance to go there. Now we have to worry about Baylor on Saturday. It was a good team win. We turned them over 23 times. Our defense and our play hard was almost double what theirs was. Just a lot of good things."

On fighting back before halftime…
"They are usually good at starting, they always find a way to make plays before the half. At the timeout with about two minutes left I just said 'We have to win this next two minutes and give ourselves a chance.' We did, we made a couple shots, we got some stops and we got in within three. The coaches in the locker room said, '20 minutes against Kansas at home, all you have to do is win by four points in the second half. Here it is, it's on the line.' Our guys stepped up and we came to the battle, we came to the fight, we attacked them and made the plays on both ends of the court. The crowd is unbelievable. Unbelievable atmosphere. Nothing against the crowd but I said the most important thing is the 15 guys on the court and in the locker room. We have to create the energy which allows the crowd to be a factor. When you do that the turnovers going this way and that way, that's when it makes a difference. I thought our defense, even though they scored 67, it was pretty good. It was pretty sound against the best offensive team in the league."

On the team's free throw shooting…
"I know we struggled. I don't know if it's because you're playing so hard that when you come to the free throw line. I kept saying 'Take a deep breath. Relax.' When we're hitting the back of the rim, you're just so tight that you're doing those things. But we made enough down the stretch that it stretched it out. We kept hitting 1 out of 2, I think three in a row. At least we got something out of those possessions. It would be nice to shoot a little better from the free throw line."

BARRY BROWN, SENIOR GUARD
On the scoreless stretch...
"Staying confident. We've got a good team. Even when shots don't fall we still play defense and not let them extend the lead."

On what the win against KU means...
"It's just a big time win for us. For us seniors, our coaches, and our players, it was a bucket list game for us. It was our first time win. It was a game that we really knew we wanted to win for our fans, for ourselves. It was a great win."

On forcing turnovers…
"We really understood the gap. We tried to force them to not be able to drive and get easy layups. They are known for getting in that gap and laying it in themselves or finding someone open, so we figured if we kept them out of the lane and away from the basket, that it would disrupt their timing and ability to get assists, and their overall ability to score."

KAMAU STOKES, SENIOR GUARD
On the quick start…
"It was real big. The games we start off well, we pretty much do well the whole game, so I feel like that's very important in any game - to get an early start and some momentum. Our energy was great in the beginning of the game."

On the momentum from Cartier Diarra's dunk…
"The noise, I have no words for that. It was just unbelievable. Our fans came out and did a great job. We've got the best fans ever. We weren't sure what Cartier was going to do, but we knew he was going to do something crazy. We loved it."

On what the win against KU means...
"Of course, this is our first time beating KU since we have been here. And staying in first in the Big 12 really means a lot, so we just need to keep this momentum going and get the next one. This is unbelievable. Rivalry game at home. Our first time [beating KU]. And it's our senior year, to go out at home with a bang."

DEAN WADE, SENIOR FORWARD
On KU's zone…
"I personally missed some shots in the first half that could have helped us spread out the zone a little more. But in the second half, my teammates wanted me to be aggressive. As for being aggressive, I was posting up and letting the guards drive in there so they have an open lane. I was trying to work the block to block area and keep my defender engaged the whole possession so he couldn't defend the flasher."

On what the win against KU means...
"It's a bucket list win. It also gets a little space in the Big 12 standings. I know Baylor is still up there with us but to get this win puts space between us. The more space the better because in the Big 12 you never know what is going to happen, so it's a big reason why we came out motivated and played like we did."

"Means a lot, me being from Kansas and watching this rivalry for a long time. It feels good just to get this for all the K-State fans that support us through everything and getting a win against these guys makes everyone feel good about us."

CARTIER DIARRA, SOPHOMORE GUARD
On his windmill dunk…
"My teammates have been telling me you have a 45-inch vertical, so use it. I really thought about going under the legs, but I wasn't sure I was going to make it fully. I didn't make it in warmups, so I'm just going to go with my old reliable."

On his dunk being a signature part of the win…
"I felt like it was an exclamation point, but they still kept fighting and got the lead down to five, so the game wasn't over, and Coach kept stressing that. And the game isn't over until it's over, so that was the mentality."

On what the win over KU means...
"It's cool, but there's a lot of basketball still to be played. We have Baylor, and they are still up with us. To really secure first place, we really need to secure the next games, so I am really looking forward to Baylor."

BILL SELF, HEAD COACH
On turnovers playing a factor...
"We did a terrible job of playing basketball. They did a good job of pressuring us, too. We got off to such a bad start and our young kids have never been in a situation like that. They ate us up pretty good for 40 minutes, as far as pressuring us and getting open one pass away. We were never ever remotely comfortable and that is a credit to them and our inexperience as well."

On how much of a difference their zone defense made...
"It is a zone we probably practiced 10 minutes this month and last month. We thought we could play it. It helped us out last year when we played here. It actually did help us. Our activity level was pretty good and they missed some shots. For the most part they did not get many good shots in the last 10 minutes in the first half. I think they only scored four to six points in the last 10 minutes. We should have been up by more than three but our offense was so poor we couldn't take advantage of it like we needed to."

On K-State's confidence growing in the second half...
"Their stats the first half weren't bad but they made those shots early. I knew there was a great chance they could get some rhythm and we were hoping they wouldn't but I knew that It was not our zone that hurt us but our ineffectiveness on the other end. It puts too much pressure on our defense if we do not score. We did not have any rhythm."

On if being 6-4 now in conference is a big worry...
"Obviously that is a concern. We put ourselves in a position where you think K-State has to come to our place. We get em and do what we are supposed to do it is a half game deal as opposed to a full game. You think like that but that is not how you should look at it. We shouldn't even be concerned about a damn race. We should be concerned about trying to win a game and playing the right way. Having freshmen grow up and some leadership [would help] but obviously it was lacking today. Are we in a great position to win the league? No. Do we deserve to be in a great position? Absolutely not. Can we flip the switch? It remains to be seen. We just have to get better and win a game on Saturday. "

On offensive performance...
"It was awful. It can't be worse. They did a good job on Dedric [Lawson]. They put bodies on Dedric. It has been something that has given him problems and they did a good job with that and trapped him everywhere. So it was obviously really frustrating but just to be able to pass and catch and be open one pass away. It was awful. Certainly we have had other awful offense days but this ranks up there with one of the best in that regard. Give them credit. Their defense was so much better than our offense it was comical."

On struggles on the road...
"It is not what you guys think it is. It is leadership, toughness, inexperience and a lot of things that go into it. We could have came over here and played great today and still lost. They have a really good team. Our ceiling is not nearly as high as it had been other times this year. Not having Marcus Garrett is a big miss for us. He is by far our most experienced true guard. Those are not excuses. Everybody deals with that crap. We are dealing with our fair share right now. Do not put it on turnovers and all that. It is leadership, toughness, paying attention to detail. There are a lot of things that already happened before we got to Manhattan."

On Cartier Diarra...
"He made about three or four really big time shots and plays. He was terrific tonight, no question."

DEDRIC LAWSON, JUNIOR FORWARD
On turnovers tonight…
"We started off with a couple turnovers early. You gotta give those guys credit they played great defense and they just turned us over tonight."

On holding K-State without a field goal for nine minutes in the first half...
"We played a 2-3 zone that slowed them a little bit. They made two early threes and were getting easy baskets so we went to the 2-3 which kinda slowed those guys down. In the second half I think they made those adjustments and we ended up going back to man."

On the difference in the second half...
"They just made shots. Dean Wade made a couple shots in the middle that he missed in the first half. They got a couple put-back layups to give them more and it was over from there"

On being two games behind K-State in conference play...
"We don't need to worry about that, we just need to worry about getting better. We have to worry about winning on Saturday and taking it one game at a time."

CHARLIE MOORE, SOPHOMORE GUARD
On how hard it was to communicate with his teammates…
"It was pretty hard. It was loud and it was a great atmosphere. It was hard to communicate."

On what Coach Self said after the game…
"He said those guys played hard tonight, they outplayed us. They stuck together out there and came out with a win."

On coming in to settle things down…
"I just came in and knocked down a shot. I got us going on the defensive end with a steal to make us come back. I just tried to come in and play some defense and energy. I think that helped us out in the first half."

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

K-State is now 11-1 at home this season, including 10-1 at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State is now 375-117 all-time at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening in 1988-89… The 375 wins are the second-most at a home venue, trailing the 378 at Ahearn Field House (1950-88).
K-State has rattled off 7 consecutive victories in Big 12 play for the first time since also winning 7 in a row from Feb. 2 to Feb. 27, 2010 and is the first such streak during the Bruce Weber era.
K-State is now 4-1 against Top 25 opponents this season… The Wildcats have at least 3 Top 25 wins in each of the last 3 seasons, including equaling their total from 2017-18.
Kansas still leads the all-time series with K-State, 196-94… It is the sixth-most played series (290) and eighth-most consecutive games played (113) in Division I… The Jayhawks still lead 78-48 in games played in Manhattan, including 26-5 at Bramlage Coliseum… Kansas is 49-6 in the Big 12 era.
K-State's 74 points marks the ninth time this season the Wildcats have scored 70 or more points... It is their second straight game with 70 or more and the fourth time during conference play.
Four different Wildcats scored 10 or more points for just the eighth time this season (Barry Brown, Jr., Xavier Sneed, Dean Wade and Cartier Diarra).
Since Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has posted a 59-19 (.756) record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 7-1 mark in 2018-19... The Wildcats are 12-4 (9-2 in 2017-18) when Diarra reaches double-digits.
The 10 made 3-point field goals mark the fifth time the Wildcats have made double-digit 3-pointers in a game this season... It is also their second straight game with 10 or more 3-pointers made.
Six different Wildcats connected on at least one 3-pointer, including a game-high 3 by Xavier Sneed.
K-State dished out 17 assists on 25 made field goals… The 17 assists tied for the fifth-most this season... It is their second straight game with 15 or more assists, which they have finished with 10 times this season.
K-State scored 22 points off turnovers tonight, which is the ninth time they have done so this season and just 3 off their season high of 25 (West Virginia, 1/9/19, Texas A&M, 1/26/19)... The Wildcats are now averaging 17.3 points off 15.5 opponent mistakes per game.
K-State forced 23 turnovers on Tuesday, which is the most they have forced this season... Their previous high was forcing 21 turnovers versus Kennesaw State on November 9, 2018.
The team's 11 steals are the second-most they have recorded in game this season (12 at Texas A&M, 1/26/19)... This marks the sixth time this season the Wildcats have accumulated 10 or more steals in a game and just the second time in conference play.
Senior Barry Brown, Jr., scored 18 points on 5-of-10 field goals, including 1-of-5 from 3-point range and 7-of-11 from the free throw line… He has now led the Wildcats in scoring in 37 career games, including 9 this season…He has now scored in double figures in 81 career games, including 18 this season… He has now scored in double figures in 9 consecutive games... With his 5 assists, he has now led K-State in assists in 27 career games, including 7 this season.
Brown has now seen action in 127 consecutive games, including 105 straight starts… His 127 consecutive games played ties Steve Henson (1987-90) for the school record… His 105 consecutive starts rank second behind Henson's school record of 118… His 127 games played now ranks 10^th in school history.
Brown eclipsed 4,000 career minutes, becoming just the second Wildcat and the first since Henson played a school-record 4,474 minutes… He is just the 19^th player in Big 12 history to top 4,000 career minutes.
Senior Dean Wade scored 12 points on 5-of-15 field goals, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 9 rebounds and 5 assists in 36 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 76 career games, including 14 this season… Wade now sits eighth on the all-time double-digit scoring games.
With his 9 rebounds, Wade has now led K-State in rebounding in 39 career games, including 8 this season. His 5 assists led the Wildcats and he has now led in assists in 18 career games, including 6 this season.
Junior Xavier Sneed scored 14 points on 5-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 7 rebounds... He has now scored in double figures in 46 career games, including 11 this season...The 3 made 3-pointers tied a season-high… He now has 3 or more treys in 19 career games, including 6 this season.
Sophomore Cartier Diarra scored 11 points on 3-of-5 field goals, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, to go along with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals... He has now scored in double figures in 15 career games, including 6 this season and 3 games in a row.

WHAT'S NEXT
K-State hits the road for a two-game road-trip beginning on Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to Waco, Texas to take on Baylor (15-6, 6-2 Big 12) for the first time this season. The game will tip at 5 p.m., CT and will air nationally on ESPN. The Wildcats hold a 21-18 advantage against the Bears in the all-time series but have won just seven times in their 15 trips to Waco.

Next Event

Team Stats

Barry Brown, Jr.

Xavier Sneed

Dean Wade

Cartier Diarra

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

Kansas State University Athletics