Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, January 25
Tuscaloosa, AL
5 p.m.
Kansas State University
8-11,1-5Big 12
74
at
77
Alabama
12-7,4-2SEC
1
2
F
Kansas St.
37
37
74
Alabama
36
41
77
Late Charge by K-State Comes Up Short at Alabama, 77-74
Jan 25, 2020 | Men's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Down by 16 points with just over 12 minutes to play, Kansas State closed to within one possession on multiple occasions, including 69-67 with 2:48 remaining, but Alabama held strong at the free throw line to post a 77-74 win in a Big 12/SEC Challenge contest on Saturday before 11,824 fans at Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama (12-7, 4-2 SEC), which won for the fifth time in six outings, was led by a sensational scoring effort from sophomore guard Kira Lewis, Jr., who led five Crimson Tide starters in double figures with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-12 field goals and a perfect 8-of-8 effort from the free throw line.
For K-State (8-11, 1-5 Big 12), it was yet another frustrating loss in close fashion, as the Wildcats led for more 15 minutes in the first half before surrendering the lead moments into the second half. Alabama scored the first 7 points after halftime, which was part of a 23-6 overall run, that gave the Crimson Tide a 59-43 lead with 12:14 to play after a 3-point play from junior Herbert Jones.
With the momentum clearing on the home team's side before nearly 12,000 fans, K-State went to work on the next possession, as a 3-pointer from senior Xavier Sneed ignited an 18-3 run that closed the deficit to 62-61 on another 3-pointer from junior Cartier Diarra with 6:34 remaining. The Wildcats would have 6 opportunities to either tie it or take the lead down the stretch before the Crimson Tide sealed it at the free throw line.
Alabama connected on 48.8 percent (21-of-43) from the field, including 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from 3-point range, but also took advantage of 28 K-State personal fouls on the night, connecting on opponent season-highs with 27 makes on 37 attempts, as the Crimson Tide scored 15 more points from the line.
Lewis was among five Alabama starters in double figures, as juniors John Petty, Jr., and Alex Reese and freshman Jaden Shackelford each had 11 points, while Jones added 10.
Diarra led the Wildcats with 17 points in his first game off the bench this season, while senior Makol Mawien collected his fourth career double-double with 13 points on 5-of-9 field goals to go with a game-high and career-tying 12 rebounds. Fellow senior Xavier Sneed and freshman Montavious Murphy added 14 and 10 points, respectively. Junior Mike McGuirl scored 7 points in his first game back from missing 3 games due to a concussion.
K-State posted season-highs for both total rebounds (45) and offensive rebounds (22), while its 74 field goals attempted were the most by a Wildcat team in more than 10 years. For the game, the team connected on just 35.1 percent (26-of-74) from the field, including 34.5 percent (10-of-29) from 3-point range, and went 12 of 19 (63.2 percent) from the free throw line.
K-State has now lost six games by 6 points or less this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Senior Xavier Sneed gave K-State the early advantage with the first of what would be back-to-back 3-pointers on the opening 2 possession, as freshman Montavious Murphy followed moments later for a 6-2 lead. The two teams went back and forth over the next few minutes, including 3 triples by high-scoring Crimson Tide, as the Wildcats took a 12-11 lead into the first media timeout at the 14:43 mark.
Alabama tied the game at 12-all on the next possession on a free throw by junior Herbert Jones, as the teams traded the lead over the next several minutes before an 8-3 spurt, started by a 3-pointer from junior Cartier Diarra, gave K-State a 25-21 advantage at the 9:57 mark.
The Crimson Tide took their opportunities at the free throw line knocking down 4 in a row to tie the game at 25-all with 7:25 before halftime. However, the Wildcats responded with 5 straight points on a Diarra jumper and a 3-pointer from junior Mike McGuirl to push back ahead 30-25 and force a timeout by Alabama head coach Nate Oats at the 6:20 mark.
Alabama responded out of the timeout with 4 straight points to close the deficit to 30-29 and force Wildcat head coach Bruce Weber to call a timeout with 4:41 before halftime. The run continued on the next possession, as Jones gave the Crimson Tide a 31-30 edge at the final media timeout at the 3:42 mark.
As had been the case for much of the game, the teams exchanged the lead over the next few possessions before free throws by senior Makol Mawien and a jumper by junior Levi Stockard III gave K-State a 37-36 lead at the half.
The Wildcats connected on 38.2 percent (13-of-34) from the field in the first half, including 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from 3-point range, while the Crimson Tide hit on 45 percent (9-of-20), including 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from beyond the arc. They also took advantage of their opportunities at the line, knocking down 14 of 18 attempts.
Sophomore Kira Lewis, Jr., led all scorers with 13 points for Alabama on 3-of-5 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws, while Murphy led K-State with 8 points on 3-of-5 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Fellow freshman DaJuan Gordon added 6 points on 3-of-5 field goals to go with a career-best 8 rebounds.
The Crimson Tide opened the second half with 5 consecutive points, including a 3-pointer by junior Alex Reese on the first possession, to take a 41-37 lead and force Weber to call a timeout at the 18:08 mark.
The Alabama lead was 43-37 before junior David Sloan gave K-State its first points of the second half on a free throw at the 17:21 mark. Despite their poor shooting start to the second half, the Wildcats hung around, closing the gap to 45-43 on a Sneed free throw and a layup by Murphy at the 15:47 mark.
It was at this point that the Crimson Tide grabbed the momentum, using a 14-0 run to take a 59-43 lead at the 12:14 mark. Lewis (4) and freshman Jaden Shackelford (7) combined for 11 of the 14 points during the key run.
However, the ever-resilient Wildcats slowly chipped away at the deficit, using an 18-3 run to close to within 62-61 on a 3-pointer by Diarra at the 6:34 mark. Diarra and Sneed combined for 14 of the 18 points in the run.
Once again, the teams traded baskets before a 3-pointer by Reese gave the Crimson Tide the edge they needed for a 69-65 lead with 3:11 to play. Diarra once again pulled the Wildcats within a possession at 69-67 before Weber called his last timeout at the 2:48 mark.
However, Alabama was able to stave off any further comeback, as the Crimson Tide knocked down 7 of 10 attempts from the free throw line for the 77-74 victory.
Alabama connected on 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from the field in the second half, including 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from 3-point range, and went 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) from the free throw line. K-State hit on just 32.5 percent (13-of-40) from the field after halftime, including 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from beyond the arc, and went 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from the line.
Lewis led all scorers with 13 points for the Crimson Tide, while Diarra had 12 for the Wildcats in the second half.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Senior Makol Mawien recorded his fourth career double-double, including his second this season, with 13 points on 5-of-9 field goals and career-tying 12 rebounds in 31 minutes.
Junior Cartier Diarra scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second half to lead K-State in scoring for the fourth time in 5 games. He has now scored in double figures in 9 of the last 13 games.
STAT OF THE GAME
27-of-37 – Alabama took advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line, knocking down 27 of 37 attempts, including 14 of 18 in the first half. The Crimson Tide had 8 more makes than the Wildcats had attempts (19) from the line, as free throws accounted for more than 35 percent of their scoring.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"Just a special, special night for Kira (Lewis, Jr.). I had him for the U19 World Championships (this past summer), so I knew what kind of a special talent he is. We did a pretty good job on (John) Petty. We never let him get going, but we couldn't control Kira and he made the big plays when it counted. Obviously, the foul trouble played a big part in the game. We just need to play smarter. However, I'm really happy with how hard our guys played. I thought they showed tremendous character and played their butts off. Mak (Mawien) had a double-double, which was a big positive for us. But for us to make progress, we just have to play smarter."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
Team Notes
Player Notes
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns to action on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats play host to former lettermen and head coach Lon Kruger and his Oklahoma Sooners (13-6, 3-3 Big 12) to Bramlage Coliseum at 7 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The Sooners won the first meeting at home, 66-61, in the Big 12 opener at home on Jan. 4.
Alabama (12-7, 4-2 SEC), which won for the fifth time in six outings, was led by a sensational scoring effort from sophomore guard Kira Lewis, Jr., who led five Crimson Tide starters in double figures with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-12 field goals and a perfect 8-of-8 effort from the free throw line.
For K-State (8-11, 1-5 Big 12), it was yet another frustrating loss in close fashion, as the Wildcats led for more 15 minutes in the first half before surrendering the lead moments into the second half. Alabama scored the first 7 points after halftime, which was part of a 23-6 overall run, that gave the Crimson Tide a 59-43 lead with 12:14 to play after a 3-point play from junior Herbert Jones.
With the momentum clearing on the home team's side before nearly 12,000 fans, K-State went to work on the next possession, as a 3-pointer from senior Xavier Sneed ignited an 18-3 run that closed the deficit to 62-61 on another 3-pointer from junior Cartier Diarra with 6:34 remaining. The Wildcats would have 6 opportunities to either tie it or take the lead down the stretch before the Crimson Tide sealed it at the free throw line.
Alabama connected on 48.8 percent (21-of-43) from the field, including 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from 3-point range, but also took advantage of 28 K-State personal fouls on the night, connecting on opponent season-highs with 27 makes on 37 attempts, as the Crimson Tide scored 15 more points from the line.
Lewis was among five Alabama starters in double figures, as juniors John Petty, Jr., and Alex Reese and freshman Jaden Shackelford each had 11 points, while Jones added 10.
Diarra led the Wildcats with 17 points in his first game off the bench this season, while senior Makol Mawien collected his fourth career double-double with 13 points on 5-of-9 field goals to go with a game-high and career-tying 12 rebounds. Fellow senior Xavier Sneed and freshman Montavious Murphy added 14 and 10 points, respectively. Junior Mike McGuirl scored 7 points in his first game back from missing 3 games due to a concussion.
K-State posted season-highs for both total rebounds (45) and offensive rebounds (22), while its 74 field goals attempted were the most by a Wildcat team in more than 10 years. For the game, the team connected on just 35.1 percent (26-of-74) from the field, including 34.5 percent (10-of-29) from 3-point range, and went 12 of 19 (63.2 percent) from the free throw line.
K-State has now lost six games by 6 points or less this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Senior Xavier Sneed gave K-State the early advantage with the first of what would be back-to-back 3-pointers on the opening 2 possession, as freshman Montavious Murphy followed moments later for a 6-2 lead. The two teams went back and forth over the next few minutes, including 3 triples by high-scoring Crimson Tide, as the Wildcats took a 12-11 lead into the first media timeout at the 14:43 mark.
Alabama tied the game at 12-all on the next possession on a free throw by junior Herbert Jones, as the teams traded the lead over the next several minutes before an 8-3 spurt, started by a 3-pointer from junior Cartier Diarra, gave K-State a 25-21 advantage at the 9:57 mark.
The Crimson Tide took their opportunities at the free throw line knocking down 4 in a row to tie the game at 25-all with 7:25 before halftime. However, the Wildcats responded with 5 straight points on a Diarra jumper and a 3-pointer from junior Mike McGuirl to push back ahead 30-25 and force a timeout by Alabama head coach Nate Oats at the 6:20 mark.
Alabama responded out of the timeout with 4 straight points to close the deficit to 30-29 and force Wildcat head coach Bruce Weber to call a timeout with 4:41 before halftime. The run continued on the next possession, as Jones gave the Crimson Tide a 31-30 edge at the final media timeout at the 3:42 mark.
As had been the case for much of the game, the teams exchanged the lead over the next few possessions before free throws by senior Makol Mawien and a jumper by junior Levi Stockard III gave K-State a 37-36 lead at the half.
The Wildcats connected on 38.2 percent (13-of-34) from the field in the first half, including 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from 3-point range, while the Crimson Tide hit on 45 percent (9-of-20), including 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from beyond the arc. They also took advantage of their opportunities at the line, knocking down 14 of 18 attempts.
Sophomore Kira Lewis, Jr., led all scorers with 13 points for Alabama on 3-of-5 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws, while Murphy led K-State with 8 points on 3-of-5 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Fellow freshman DaJuan Gordon added 6 points on 3-of-5 field goals to go with a career-best 8 rebounds.
The Crimson Tide opened the second half with 5 consecutive points, including a 3-pointer by junior Alex Reese on the first possession, to take a 41-37 lead and force Weber to call a timeout at the 18:08 mark.
The Alabama lead was 43-37 before junior David Sloan gave K-State its first points of the second half on a free throw at the 17:21 mark. Despite their poor shooting start to the second half, the Wildcats hung around, closing the gap to 45-43 on a Sneed free throw and a layup by Murphy at the 15:47 mark.
It was at this point that the Crimson Tide grabbed the momentum, using a 14-0 run to take a 59-43 lead at the 12:14 mark. Lewis (4) and freshman Jaden Shackelford (7) combined for 11 of the 14 points during the key run.
However, the ever-resilient Wildcats slowly chipped away at the deficit, using an 18-3 run to close to within 62-61 on a 3-pointer by Diarra at the 6:34 mark. Diarra and Sneed combined for 14 of the 18 points in the run.
Once again, the teams traded baskets before a 3-pointer by Reese gave the Crimson Tide the edge they needed for a 69-65 lead with 3:11 to play. Diarra once again pulled the Wildcats within a possession at 69-67 before Weber called his last timeout at the 2:48 mark.
However, Alabama was able to stave off any further comeback, as the Crimson Tide knocked down 7 of 10 attempts from the free throw line for the 77-74 victory.
Alabama connected on 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from the field in the second half, including 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from 3-point range, and went 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) from the free throw line. K-State hit on just 32.5 percent (13-of-40) from the field after halftime, including 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from beyond the arc, and went 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from the line.
Lewis led all scorers with 13 points for the Crimson Tide, while Diarra had 12 for the Wildcats in the second half.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Senior Makol Mawien recorded his fourth career double-double, including his second this season, with 13 points on 5-of-9 field goals and career-tying 12 rebounds in 31 minutes.
Junior Cartier Diarra scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second half to lead K-State in scoring for the fourth time in 5 games. He has now scored in double figures in 9 of the last 13 games.
STAT OF THE GAME
27-of-37 – Alabama took advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line, knocking down 27 of 37 attempts, including 14 of 18 in the first half. The Crimson Tide had 8 more makes than the Wildcats had attempts (19) from the line, as free throws accounted for more than 35 percent of their scoring.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"Just a special, special night for Kira (Lewis, Jr.). I had him for the U19 World Championships (this past summer), so I knew what kind of a special talent he is. We did a pretty good job on (John) Petty. We never let him get going, but we couldn't control Kira and he made the big plays when it counted. Obviously, the foul trouble played a big part in the game. We just need to play smarter. However, I'm really happy with how hard our guys played. I thought they showed tremendous character and played their butts off. Mak (Mawien) had a double-double, which was a big positive for us. But for us to make progress, we just have to play smarter."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State falls to 3-4 all-time in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, which started during the 2013-14 season, including 0-4 in road matchups… This was the first meeting with Alabama in the Challenge series.
- K-State ends its non-conference season with a 7-6 record, including a 1-5 mark away from home.
- The series is now tied 2-all between K-State and Alabama… The Crimson Tide win snapped a 2-game winning streak by the Wildcats in the series… Alabama is now 2-0 all-time at home in the series.
- The Wildcats' starting lineup consisted of junior David Sloan, freshman DaJuan Gordon, senior Xavier Sneed, freshman Montavious Murphy and senior Makol Mawien… This was the first time using this lineup and the sixth different lineup used this season.
- Sneed has now played in 124 career games, including 91 starts (52 consecutive)… Mawien has played and started in every game in his career, which now stretches to 90… Murphy earned his ninth start (most among all K-State freshmen) and has played in 12 career games… Sloan made his third consecutive start (only 3 start of the season) and has played in all 19 games this season… DaJuan Gordon made his second career start and has played in all 19 games this season.
- Gordon and Murphy start together for the second time this season… The last time a pair of true freshmen started together in more than one game came when Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade started the last 9 games of the 2015-16 season.
- Junior Cartier Diarra saw his streak of 20 consecutive starts end in today's game.
- Freshman Levi Stockard III was the first player off the bench.
- Junior Mike McGuirl returned today after missing 3 games due to injury (concussion).
Team Notes
- K-State scored 74 points on 35.1 percent shooting (26-of-74), including 34.5 percent (10-of-29) from 3-point range, and knocked down 12 of 19 attempts (63.2 percent) from the free throw line.
- K-State held the SEC's top 3-point team to just 36.4 percent (8-of-22) shooting.
- The 74 points were the most in a loss, as 10 of the 11 losses have come scoring 65 points or less.
- The 74 field goal attempts were the most under head coach Bruce Weber, surpassing 73 done twice most recently at Oklahoma on Jan. 9, 2016… The 74 attempts were the most since recording 88 against South Dakota on Jan. 3, 2010.
- K-State took 31 more field goal attempts than Alabama (74-43), but had just 5 more makes (26-21).
- The 29 3-point field goal attempts were the second-most this season, following the school-record tying 37 at Oklahoma on Jan. 4, 2019, while they tied for the ninth-most in school history.
- K-State set season-highs for total rebounds (45) and offensive rebounds (22)… The 45 rebounds were the most since having 52 against Central Arkansas on Dec. 1, 2013, while the 22 offensive rebounds were the first time with 20 or more offensive boards since a game with Kansas on Feb. 6, 2017.
- K-State held advantages in points off turnovers (18-9), points in the paint (28-22), second-chance points (15-3) and bench points (26-8).
- Alabama set opponent season-highs for free throws made (27) and attempted (37).
- K-State led 37-36 at the half, which marked its first halftime lead on the road since a 33-30 lead at Oklahoma.
Player Notes
- Junior Cartier Diarra led the way with a team-high 17 points on 6-of-19 field goals, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range, and a 2-of-2 effort from the free throw line in 28 minutes… He also a game-tying 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals… It marked the 10th time leading the team in scoring, including the ninth this season… He has now scored in double figures in 29 career games, including 12 this season.
- Senior Xavier Sneed scored 14 points on 4-of-16 field goals, including 3-of-9 from 3-point range, and 3-of-5 effort from free throw line in 33 minutes… He also added 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal… He has now scored in double figures in 68 career games, including 15 this season… He has now scored in double figures in 12 of the last 14 games.
- With his 14 points tonight, Sneed now has 1,287 career points, which currently ranks 14th on the all-time scoring list… He needs just 18 points to surpass Ed Nealy (1,304/1978-82) for 13th place.
- With his 3 makes tonight, Sneed now needs just 5 3-pointers to become just the fifth Wildcat with 200 or more 3-pointers.
- Senior Makol Mawien registered his fourth career double-double, including his second this season, with 13 points on 5-of-9 field goals to go with a career-tying 12 rebounds… It was his first double-double since the opener with North Dakota State… He also had 12 boards against UC Irvine (3/22/19) in last season's NCAA Tournament… He has now scored in double figures in 29 career games, including 7 this season.
- Freshman Montavious Murphy posted his second double-digit scoring game of the season (second in the last 4 games) with 10 points on 4-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with a season-high 8 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 28 minutes.
- Freshman DaJuan Gordon had a season-best 8 rebounds to go with 6 points, 3 assists and a steal.
- Junior Mike McGuirl scored 7 points on 2-of-8 field goals, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with game-tying 4 assists and 4 rebounds in 30 minutes of action… It was his first game after missing 3 in a row due to a concussion.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns to action on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats play host to former lettermen and head coach Lon Kruger and his Oklahoma Sooners (13-6, 3-3 Big 12) to Bramlage Coliseum at 7 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The Sooners won the first meeting at home, 66-61, in the Big 12 opener at home on Jan. 4.
Team Stats
KState
Bama
FG%
.351
.488
3FG%
.345
.364
FT%
.632
.730
RB
45
33
TO
13
16
STL
5
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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