Kansas State University Athletics
Thursday, March 14
Kansas City, Mo.
1:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
25-7, 14-4
70
vs
61
TCU
20-13, 7-11
1
2
F
TCU
34
27
61
Kansas State
32
38
70
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
Photo by: Emily Starkey
15/14 K-State Takes Down TCU in Big 12 Quarterfinals, 70-61
Mar 14, 2019 | Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo.– Led by four players in double figures, including a game-high 19 points from junior forward Xavier Sneed, No. 15/14 Kansas State took down TCU, 70-61, in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in front 18,930 fans at the Sprint Center.
K-State (25-7, 15-4 Big 12) reaches 25 wins for the seventh-time in program history, including the first time in consecutive seasons. The victory advances the Wildcats to the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship for the third-straight year to take on Iowa State (21-11) on Friday at 6 p.m., CT.
With four players in double figures, the Wildcats were led by a game-high 19 points from Sneed, who scored 16 points in the second half, in the victory. The team is now 13-1 this season when four or more players score in double digits. Sneed was joined in double-figures by senior guards Barry Brown, Jr., (12) and Kamau Stokes (11) and junior forward Makol Mawien (10). In addition, sophomores Cartier Diarra and Levi Stockard III each chipped in 8 points to pace an 18-point effort by the bench. It marked Diarra's first game in more than 5 weeks.
With the win, K-State sweeps all 3 games against TCU this season, holding the Horned Frogs to under their scoring average in all three contests this season. On Thursday, the Wildcats held the Horned Frogs to 61 points on 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field, while scoring 22 points off 18 turnovers.
Offensively, K-State shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62) from the floor and 32 percent (8-of-25) on 3-pointers. K-State benefitted from play off the bench, where the Wildcats outscored Horned Frogs, 18-6.
K-State erased a 12-point first-half deficit, bringing the score to a 34-32 TCU advantage at halftime. In the second half, the Wildcats spouted off a 17-2 run midway through the half to grab their first lead of the game, as they would bring their lead to as much as 10.
TCU (20-13, 7-11 Big 12) was led by junior guard Desmond Bane, who scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 on 3-pointers. Bane was joined in double-figures by senior Alex Robinson(12) and redshirt freshman Kevin Samuel (11).
HOW IT HAPPENED
TCU got started with a hot hand from beyond the arc, scoring its first 9 points from long range. K-State responded with a 3-pointer of its own from senior Kamau Stokes, as the Wildcats trailed 9-5 at the first media timeout.
While TCU got started hitting shots from deep, while K-State struggled to score, making 2 of its first 12 from the field, as the Horned Frogs went on a 9-0 run to take a 15-5 lead with 12:09 left in the first half.
With 8:06 left in the first half, Brown cut the margin to single digits on a 3-pointer from the corner in transition, forcing TCU to take a timeout with the score at 23-14. Minutes later, Brown connected on another 3-pointer to bring K-State to within just 8 at 25-17. SophomoreLevi Stockard III scored on consecutive K-State possessions to bring the score to 26-21 with 4:53 left in the half.
After a pair of TCU free throws, K-State drew up an alley-oop from Stokes to sophomore Cartier Diarra, providing a spark for the Wildcats.
K-State would then go on a 6-0 run, including a play where Brown saved the ball from going out-of-bounds by tossing it up-court, leading to a transition alley-oop from Diarra to sophomore guard Mike McGuirl. On the last play of the half, Sneed brought the Wildcats to within 2 points, connecting on a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired, with the score at 34-32, TCU.
The Wildcats ended the half shooting 40 percent (14-of-35) from the field, including 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from beyond the arc. K-State also benefitted from 14 points from its bench, including 8 points from Stockard, who tied a career-high in just 8 minutes of play.
In the second half, the K-State defense came to play, forcing TCU to make just 2 of its first 9 from the field, including a block from Mawien, which led to a layup by Brown in transition, bringing the score to 39-36 with 17:18 left in the half.
At the 14:48 mark of the second half, K-State grabbed its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer from Stokes, which put K-State ahead, 42-39. The Stokes 3-pointer contributed to a 17-2 run that put the Wildcats up 51-41 with 11 minutes left in the game.
After K-State opened up a 10-point lead, TCU went on a 7-0 run behind 5 points from junior Desmond Bane, to put TCU down just 3 points at 53-50 with 6:09 remaining.
With TCU lingering, Sneed made sure to distance the Wildcats from the Horned Frogs, scoring on a 4-point play after being fouled on a made 3-pointer. On the following possession, Sneed swiped a steal from TCU, leading to a layup by Stokes in transition, as K-State led 61-52 with 5:13 left in the game.
With under two minutes remaining, TCU drew to just 3 points, before Sneed nailed a contested 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring to give K-State a 66-60 lead with 56 seconds remaining. Sneed would go on to finish the game with a game-high 19 points on 6-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, as the Wildcats would defeat TCU, 70-61.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Xavier Sneed – Junior Xavier Sneed scored a game-high 19 points, including 16 in the second half, on 6-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. The 19-point performance tied a season-high and marks his 17thgame in double-figures this season and 52ndof his career. He added 7 rebounds and 5 assists to his stat-line.
STAT OF THE GAME
25 – K-State reaches 25 wins for the seventh-time in school history, marking the first time in history the Wildcats have reached 25 victories in consecutive seasons.
SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 25-7 (14-4 Big 12)
TCU 20-13 (7-11 Big 12)
IN THEIR WORDS
BRUCE WEBER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On the game…
"Just proud of the continuing to be resilient and fight. It's human nature after Saturday night to win a championship, to celebrate like that. To come back, I didn't think we had great emotion to start the game, not very good energy. I thought the bench was really key, other people. Obviously, Cartier (Diarra) coming in, getting us going. Levi (Stockard III) did a nice job. Mike McGuirl, we got some stops, turned them over, got a lot of transition points. That with the fast-break points were really key and Xavier (Sneed) in the second half really stepped up. I thought a big offensive rebound after Kam (Stokes) missed the free throw, got it back to Kam, hit the three, broke their spirit a little bit and got to 10 and then we had to find a way to finish it out. So proud of these guys, the whole team. They've continued to fight and get 25 wins and move closer to getting a Big 12 Championship."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State advances to the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship where the Wildcats will take on No. 5 seed Iowa State (21-11) at 6 p.m., CT on Friday at the Sprint Center.
K-State (25-7, 15-4 Big 12) reaches 25 wins for the seventh-time in program history, including the first time in consecutive seasons. The victory advances the Wildcats to the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship for the third-straight year to take on Iowa State (21-11) on Friday at 6 p.m., CT.
With four players in double figures, the Wildcats were led by a game-high 19 points from Sneed, who scored 16 points in the second half, in the victory. The team is now 13-1 this season when four or more players score in double digits. Sneed was joined in double-figures by senior guards Barry Brown, Jr., (12) and Kamau Stokes (11) and junior forward Makol Mawien (10). In addition, sophomores Cartier Diarra and Levi Stockard III each chipped in 8 points to pace an 18-point effort by the bench. It marked Diarra's first game in more than 5 weeks.
With the win, K-State sweeps all 3 games against TCU this season, holding the Horned Frogs to under their scoring average in all three contests this season. On Thursday, the Wildcats held the Horned Frogs to 61 points on 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field, while scoring 22 points off 18 turnovers.
Offensively, K-State shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62) from the floor and 32 percent (8-of-25) on 3-pointers. K-State benefitted from play off the bench, where the Wildcats outscored Horned Frogs, 18-6.
K-State erased a 12-point first-half deficit, bringing the score to a 34-32 TCU advantage at halftime. In the second half, the Wildcats spouted off a 17-2 run midway through the half to grab their first lead of the game, as they would bring their lead to as much as 10.
TCU (20-13, 7-11 Big 12) was led by junior guard Desmond Bane, who scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 on 3-pointers. Bane was joined in double-figures by senior Alex Robinson(12) and redshirt freshman Kevin Samuel (11).
HOW IT HAPPENED
TCU got started with a hot hand from beyond the arc, scoring its first 9 points from long range. K-State responded with a 3-pointer of its own from senior Kamau Stokes, as the Wildcats trailed 9-5 at the first media timeout.
While TCU got started hitting shots from deep, while K-State struggled to score, making 2 of its first 12 from the field, as the Horned Frogs went on a 9-0 run to take a 15-5 lead with 12:09 left in the first half.
With 8:06 left in the first half, Brown cut the margin to single digits on a 3-pointer from the corner in transition, forcing TCU to take a timeout with the score at 23-14. Minutes later, Brown connected on another 3-pointer to bring K-State to within just 8 at 25-17. SophomoreLevi Stockard III scored on consecutive K-State possessions to bring the score to 26-21 with 4:53 left in the half.
After a pair of TCU free throws, K-State drew up an alley-oop from Stokes to sophomore Cartier Diarra, providing a spark for the Wildcats.
K-State would then go on a 6-0 run, including a play where Brown saved the ball from going out-of-bounds by tossing it up-court, leading to a transition alley-oop from Diarra to sophomore guard Mike McGuirl. On the last play of the half, Sneed brought the Wildcats to within 2 points, connecting on a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired, with the score at 34-32, TCU.
The Wildcats ended the half shooting 40 percent (14-of-35) from the field, including 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from beyond the arc. K-State also benefitted from 14 points from its bench, including 8 points from Stockard, who tied a career-high in just 8 minutes of play.
In the second half, the K-State defense came to play, forcing TCU to make just 2 of its first 9 from the field, including a block from Mawien, which led to a layup by Brown in transition, bringing the score to 39-36 with 17:18 left in the half.
At the 14:48 mark of the second half, K-State grabbed its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer from Stokes, which put K-State ahead, 42-39. The Stokes 3-pointer contributed to a 17-2 run that put the Wildcats up 51-41 with 11 minutes left in the game.
After K-State opened up a 10-point lead, TCU went on a 7-0 run behind 5 points from junior Desmond Bane, to put TCU down just 3 points at 53-50 with 6:09 remaining.
With TCU lingering, Sneed made sure to distance the Wildcats from the Horned Frogs, scoring on a 4-point play after being fouled on a made 3-pointer. On the following possession, Sneed swiped a steal from TCU, leading to a layup by Stokes in transition, as K-State led 61-52 with 5:13 left in the game.
With under two minutes remaining, TCU drew to just 3 points, before Sneed nailed a contested 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring to give K-State a 66-60 lead with 56 seconds remaining. Sneed would go on to finish the game with a game-high 19 points on 6-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, as the Wildcats would defeat TCU, 70-61.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Xavier Sneed – Junior Xavier Sneed scored a game-high 19 points, including 16 in the second half, on 6-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. The 19-point performance tied a season-high and marks his 17thgame in double-figures this season and 52ndof his career. He added 7 rebounds and 5 assists to his stat-line.
STAT OF THE GAME
25 – K-State reaches 25 wins for the seventh-time in school history, marking the first time in history the Wildcats have reached 25 victories in consecutive seasons.
SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 25-7 (14-4 Big 12)
TCU 20-13 (7-11 Big 12)
IN THEIR WORDS
BRUCE WEBER, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On the game…
"Just proud of the continuing to be resilient and fight. It's human nature after Saturday night to win a championship, to celebrate like that. To come back, I didn't think we had great emotion to start the game, not very good energy. I thought the bench was really key, other people. Obviously, Cartier (Diarra) coming in, getting us going. Levi (Stockard III) did a nice job. Mike McGuirl, we got some stops, turned them over, got a lot of transition points. That with the fast-break points were really key and Xavier (Sneed) in the second half really stepped up. I thought a big offensive rebound after Kam (Stokes) missed the free throw, got it back to Kam, hit the three, broke their spirit a little bit and got to 10 and then we had to find a way to finish it out. So proud of these guys, the whole team. They've continued to fight and get 25 wins and move closer to getting a Big 12 Championship."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State is now 36-41 all-time in Big Eight/12 Championship play, including 15-22 in the Big 12 era… The Wildcats are now 4-0 as a No. 1 seed in their first appearance since 1977… The team is now 7-10 in the quarterfinals, including 3 consecutive wins (Baylor/2016 and TCU in 2018 and 2019)… K-State is now 2-2 all-time (1-2 in the Big 12 era) against the No. 8 seed.
- Head coach Bruce Weber is now 150-87 at K-State and 463-242 overall in his career… He is the third Wildcat coach (Jack Hartman and Fred "Tex" Winter) to earn 150 wins in a tenure… He is now 24-18 all-time in conference tournament play, including a 6-6 mark at K-State.
- K-State now leads the all-time series with TCU, 16-6, including 13-4 in the Big 12 era… The Wildcats have won 8 of the last 10 meetings with the Horned Frogs, including back-to-back seasons in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals… K-State is now 2-1 at the Phillips 66 Championship vs. TCU.
- K-State scored 70 points on 41.9 percent shooting (26-of-62), including 32 percent (8-of-25) from 3-point range, and 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the free throw line… It marked the 13thtime scoring 70 or more points in a game and the first since scoring 85 against Oklahoma State (2/23/19).
- K-State scored 22 points off 18 TCU turnovers, marking the 12thgame with 20 or more turnovers.
- K-State turned the ball over just 9 times, which marked the 10th time with single-digit turnovers.
- Junior Xavier Sneed scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line to go with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in 33 minutes… He has now led the Wildcats in scoring in 14 career games, including 7 this season… He has now scored in double figures in 52 career games, including 17 this season… He now has 3 or more 3-pointers in 23 career games, including 10 this season.
- Senior Barry Brown, Jr., scored 12 points on 5-of-16 field goals, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range, and to go with a game-high 6 assists and 4 rebounds in 39 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 90 career games, including a team-high 27 this season… He is just the fourth Wildcat (Jacob Pullen, Rolando Blackman and Mike Evans) to post 90 or more career double-digit scoring games.
- Brown has now seen action in a school-record 137 consecutive games, including 115 straight starts… His 115 consecutive starts rank second behind Henson's school record of 118… His 137 games played continue his school record, which he set with 136 games played against Oklahoma (3/9/19).
- Senior Kamau Stokes scored 11 points on 4-of-13 field goals, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range, and 1-of-2 from the free throw line to go with 2 assists and 2 steals in 36 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 68 career games, including 19 this season.
- Junior Makol Mawien scored 10 points on 4-of-7 field goals to go with a game-high 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in 29 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 20 career games, including 10 this season… He has now scored in double figures in 4 of the last 6 meetings with TCU… He has now led the team in rebounding in 14 career games, including 10 this season.
- Sophomore Levi Stockard III scored a season-high 8 points on 4-of-5 field goals in 11 minutes… It was his most points since scoring 8 against Oklahoma State (2/23/19).
- Sophomore Cartier Diarra scored 8 points on 2-of-7 field goals to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 29 minutes… It was his first game since playing at Baylor (2/9/19) after missing 8 games due to injury.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State advances to the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship where the Wildcats will take on No. 5 seed Iowa State (21-11) at 6 p.m., CT on Friday at the Sprint Center.
Team Stats
TCU
KS
FG%
.442
.419
3FG%
.294
.320
FT%
.667
.667
RB
36
36
TO
18
9
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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