Kansas State University Athletics
Wednesday, January 29
Manhattan, Kan.
7 p.m.
Kansas State University
9-11,2-5Big 12
61
vs
53
Oklahoma
13-7,3-4Big 12
1
2
F
Oklahoma
22
31
53
Kansas St.
28
33
61
Defense Lifts K-State to 61-53 Win Over Oklahoma
Jan 29, 2020 | Men's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State forced Oklahoma into a season-tying 19 turnovers, which included 12 steals, as the Wildcats snapped a 2-game losing streak with a 61-53 win over the Sooners on Wednesday night before 8,472 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (9-11, 2-5 Big 12) converted those 19 turnovers into 18 points, as the Wildcats won their eighth consecutive game against Oklahoma (13-7, 3-4 Big 12) in Bramlage Coliseum. The Sooners entered the game ranked tops in the Big 12 and No. 4 in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game (10.2).
It marked an overall stellar defensive night for K-State, which held Oklahoma to just 35.3 percent shooting (18-of-51), including 19 percent (4-of-21) from 3-point range. The team has now held an opponent to 60 points or less in 95 games under head coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting an 86-9 mark in those contests. Seven of the 9 wins this season have come when the opponent has been held to 60 points or less.
K-State got 28 points from its bench, as junior Mike McGuirl led all scorers with a game-high 16 points, including 11 in the second half, while fellow junior Cartier Diarra added 10 points. McGuirl, who led the Wildcats in scoring for the first time in his career, connected on 4-of-5 field goals, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go along with a 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line. Senior Xavier Sneed chipped in 12 points to go with his game-high 4 steals.
The defensive intensity started for the onset, as Oklahoma missed its first 7 field goal attempts to go with 3 turnovers before a dunk by junior Kur Kuath gave the Sooners their first successful make at the 11:21 mark. By that time, K-State had built a double-digit that the Wildcats nearly carried the entire first half before a 5-0 OU run cut the deficit to 28-22 at the half.
K-State opened the second half with 9 consecutive points to push the lead back into double figures at 37-22, as Oklahoma once again missed its first 7 field goal attempts to start the half before a jumper by junior Alondes Williams at the 14:26 mark. The lead stayed in double figures until the last minute when poor free throw shooting by the Wildcats and two 3-pointers drew the Sooners to within 57-53 with 10 seconds left. However, McGuirl ended any further comeback with 4 consecutive free throws to end the game.
The Sooner scoring trio of senior Kristian Doolittle (6) and juniors Brady Manek (5) and Austin Reaves (12), who entered tonight's game averaging more than 45 points per game, were held to just 23 points on 6-of-24 shooting. Williams scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was K-State which jumped out to the early lead, as the Wildcats scored the game's first 6 points, including consecutive jumpers by senior Xavier Sneed. After a pair of free throws by senior Kristian Doolittle just after the first media timeout, the Wildcats rattled off 6 more points to take a 14-4 lead at the 11:48 mark.
The defense put the clamps on the Sooners' offense early, forcing them into 7 consecutive missed field goals to start the game before junior Kur Kuath's dunk on a put back at the 11:21 mark. The Kuath dunk was the first of back-to-back baskets to close the gap to 14-8 near the midway point of the first half.
K-State responded with a 5-0 spurt, which was started by a 3-pointer from junior Mike McGuirl, to push the advantage to 19-8 and force Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger to call his first timeout at the 8:21 mark.
The teams traded points over the next few minutes before two free throws by freshman DaJuan Gordon and a layup by junior David Sloan extended the lead to 25-12 with 6:13 to play before halftime. It was at this point that the Sooners went to work, ending the half on a 10-3 run capped by a Doolittle jumper to close to within 28-22.
K-State connected on 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from the field in the first half, including 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from 3-point range, while Oklahoma hit on 31.6 percent (6-of-19), including 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from long range. However, the Sooners took advantage of the free throw line, knocking down 9 of 10 attempts.
Sneed and junior Cartier Diarra led all scorers with 6 points each in the first half, while junior Austin Reaves paced Oklahoma with 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
A pair of layups by senior Makol Mawien ignited a 9-0 run by K-State to start the second half, as the Wildcats took a 37-22 lead at the 15:20 mark after a 3-pointer by freshman Montavious Murphy.
The teams traded baskets in a stretch where neither had much offensive rhythm, as a Gordon layup gave K-State a 44-31 advantage at the 7:18 mark as head coach Bruce Weber called a timeout at the 7:18 mark.
After a layup by junior Alondes Williams, the Wildcats got a big 3-pointer from Sneed at the shot clock buzzer followed by a Sloan layup to extend the lead to 49-33 with 6:08 to play. However, the Sooners answered with a 5-0 run of their own, including a 3-pointer from Reaves, but McGuirl responded with a long 3-pointer at the top of the key to push the lead back out to 52-38 with 3:46 remaining.
K-State led 55-40 after a Diarra jumper with 2:30 to play, but the Wildcats inability to connect from the free throw line allowed Oklahoma to get back into single digits at 56-48 on a 3-pointer from Reaves from 46 seconds left. The lead was just 57-53 after another triple from freshman Victor Iwuakor with 10 seconds to play, but McGuirl was able to seal it from the line with 4 consecutive makes to end the game.
Both teams shot nearly identical in the second half with K-State connecting on 37.9 percent (11-of-29), including 40 percent (4-of-10) from 3-point range, while Oklahoma hit on 37.5 percent (12-of-32), including 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from long range. Williams led all scorers in the second half with 13 of his team-high 15 points for the Sooners, while McGuirl scored 11 of his game-high 16 after halftime.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Junior guard Mike McGuirl scored a game-high 16 points off the bench on 4-of-5 field goals, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with a 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line. It marked the first time in his K-State career that he led the team in scoring, while it was his sixth double-digit scoring of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
95 – K-State has now held an opponent to 60 points or less in 95 games under head coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting an 86-9 mark in those contests. Seven of the 9 wins this season have been when the opponent has been held to 60 points or less.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"Both halves we did a nice job of gutting it out. We got in a little foul trouble, a little tired down that stretch of the first half and they got it back to six. But Mak (Mawien) responds after not playing very many minutes because of foul trouble, gets two put backs right away and we win that first segment, 6-0, to get it to a 12-point lead and then even increased it but, again, we've got to be a little smarter down the stretch of games and take care of the ball and make free throws. But it's still a good win and we felt good how we played there last time. We led last time for 34 minutes. They led for three, it was tied for three, but they won the game. This time we led basically the whole game. It was a great defensive effort, turned them over 19 times, 18 points off turnovers when they only had two. We took care of the ball, we talked about energy and effort. We talked about keeping them off the foul line. I thought the first half, that's the only way they stayed in the game. Second half, if Xavier (Sneed) doesn't foul the three, they only have I think three free throws in the second half, so we did a better job with that. We talked about rebounding and not giving them second-chance opportunities, and then we about taking what the defense gives us. Our guys did a good job of reading stuff, and we were able to get enough easy ones and get a nice victory."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
Team Notes
Player Notes
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns to action on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats travel to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on 12/11 West Virginia (16-4, 4-3 Big 12) at the WVU Coliseum at 1 p.m., CT on ESPN2. The Wildcats won the first meeting at home, 84-68, on Jan. 18.
K-State (9-11, 2-5 Big 12) converted those 19 turnovers into 18 points, as the Wildcats won their eighth consecutive game against Oklahoma (13-7, 3-4 Big 12) in Bramlage Coliseum. The Sooners entered the game ranked tops in the Big 12 and No. 4 in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game (10.2).
It marked an overall stellar defensive night for K-State, which held Oklahoma to just 35.3 percent shooting (18-of-51), including 19 percent (4-of-21) from 3-point range. The team has now held an opponent to 60 points or less in 95 games under head coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting an 86-9 mark in those contests. Seven of the 9 wins this season have come when the opponent has been held to 60 points or less.
K-State got 28 points from its bench, as junior Mike McGuirl led all scorers with a game-high 16 points, including 11 in the second half, while fellow junior Cartier Diarra added 10 points. McGuirl, who led the Wildcats in scoring for the first time in his career, connected on 4-of-5 field goals, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go along with a 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line. Senior Xavier Sneed chipped in 12 points to go with his game-high 4 steals.
The defensive intensity started for the onset, as Oklahoma missed its first 7 field goal attempts to go with 3 turnovers before a dunk by junior Kur Kuath gave the Sooners their first successful make at the 11:21 mark. By that time, K-State had built a double-digit that the Wildcats nearly carried the entire first half before a 5-0 OU run cut the deficit to 28-22 at the half.
K-State opened the second half with 9 consecutive points to push the lead back into double figures at 37-22, as Oklahoma once again missed its first 7 field goal attempts to start the half before a jumper by junior Alondes Williams at the 14:26 mark. The lead stayed in double figures until the last minute when poor free throw shooting by the Wildcats and two 3-pointers drew the Sooners to within 57-53 with 10 seconds left. However, McGuirl ended any further comeback with 4 consecutive free throws to end the game.
The Sooner scoring trio of senior Kristian Doolittle (6) and juniors Brady Manek (5) and Austin Reaves (12), who entered tonight's game averaging more than 45 points per game, were held to just 23 points on 6-of-24 shooting. Williams scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was K-State which jumped out to the early lead, as the Wildcats scored the game's first 6 points, including consecutive jumpers by senior Xavier Sneed. After a pair of free throws by senior Kristian Doolittle just after the first media timeout, the Wildcats rattled off 6 more points to take a 14-4 lead at the 11:48 mark.
The defense put the clamps on the Sooners' offense early, forcing them into 7 consecutive missed field goals to start the game before junior Kur Kuath's dunk on a put back at the 11:21 mark. The Kuath dunk was the first of back-to-back baskets to close the gap to 14-8 near the midway point of the first half.
K-State responded with a 5-0 spurt, which was started by a 3-pointer from junior Mike McGuirl, to push the advantage to 19-8 and force Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger to call his first timeout at the 8:21 mark.
The teams traded points over the next few minutes before two free throws by freshman DaJuan Gordon and a layup by junior David Sloan extended the lead to 25-12 with 6:13 to play before halftime. It was at this point that the Sooners went to work, ending the half on a 10-3 run capped by a Doolittle jumper to close to within 28-22.
K-State connected on 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from the field in the first half, including 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from 3-point range, while Oklahoma hit on 31.6 percent (6-of-19), including 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from long range. However, the Sooners took advantage of the free throw line, knocking down 9 of 10 attempts.
Sneed and junior Cartier Diarra led all scorers with 6 points each in the first half, while junior Austin Reaves paced Oklahoma with 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
A pair of layups by senior Makol Mawien ignited a 9-0 run by K-State to start the second half, as the Wildcats took a 37-22 lead at the 15:20 mark after a 3-pointer by freshman Montavious Murphy.
The teams traded baskets in a stretch where neither had much offensive rhythm, as a Gordon layup gave K-State a 44-31 advantage at the 7:18 mark as head coach Bruce Weber called a timeout at the 7:18 mark.
After a layup by junior Alondes Williams, the Wildcats got a big 3-pointer from Sneed at the shot clock buzzer followed by a Sloan layup to extend the lead to 49-33 with 6:08 to play. However, the Sooners answered with a 5-0 run of their own, including a 3-pointer from Reaves, but McGuirl responded with a long 3-pointer at the top of the key to push the lead back out to 52-38 with 3:46 remaining.
K-State led 55-40 after a Diarra jumper with 2:30 to play, but the Wildcats inability to connect from the free throw line allowed Oklahoma to get back into single digits at 56-48 on a 3-pointer from Reaves from 46 seconds left. The lead was just 57-53 after another triple from freshman Victor Iwuakor with 10 seconds to play, but McGuirl was able to seal it from the line with 4 consecutive makes to end the game.
Both teams shot nearly identical in the second half with K-State connecting on 37.9 percent (11-of-29), including 40 percent (4-of-10) from 3-point range, while Oklahoma hit on 37.5 percent (12-of-32), including 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from long range. Williams led all scorers in the second half with 13 of his team-high 15 points for the Sooners, while McGuirl scored 11 of his game-high 16 after halftime.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Junior guard Mike McGuirl scored a game-high 16 points off the bench on 4-of-5 field goals, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with a 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line. It marked the first time in his K-State career that he led the team in scoring, while it was his sixth double-digit scoring of his career.
STAT OF THE GAME
95 – K-State has now held an opponent to 60 points or less in 95 games under head coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting an 86-9 mark in those contests. Seven of the 9 wins this season have been when the opponent has been held to 60 points or less.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"Both halves we did a nice job of gutting it out. We got in a little foul trouble, a little tired down that stretch of the first half and they got it back to six. But Mak (Mawien) responds after not playing very many minutes because of foul trouble, gets two put backs right away and we win that first segment, 6-0, to get it to a 12-point lead and then even increased it but, again, we've got to be a little smarter down the stretch of games and take care of the ball and make free throws. But it's still a good win and we felt good how we played there last time. We led last time for 34 minutes. They led for three, it was tied for three, but they won the game. This time we led basically the whole game. It was a great defensive effort, turned them over 19 times, 18 points off turnovers when they only had two. We took care of the ball, we talked about energy and effort. We talked about keeping them off the foul line. I thought the first half, that's the only way they stayed in the game. Second half, if Xavier (Sneed) doesn't foul the three, they only have I think three free throws in the second half, so we did a better job with that. We talked about rebounding and not giving them second-chance opportunities, and then we about taking what the defense gives us. Our guys did a good job of reading stuff, and we were able to get enough easy ones and get a nice victory."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- Oklahoma still leads the all-time series, 109-102, with K-State, including 17-17 in the Big 12 era… The Wildcats now own a 63-36 mark at home in the series, including a 17-8 mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
- Head coach Bruce Weber is now 8-0 at home against Oklahoma.
- 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 second time using this lineup and the sixth different lineup used this season.
- Sneed has now played in 125 career games, including 92 starts (53 consecutive)… Mawien has played and started in every game in his career, which now stretches to 91… Murphy earned his 10th start (most among all K-State freshmen) and has now played in 13 career games… Sloan made his fourth consecutive start (only 4 starts of the season) and has played in all 20 games this season… Gordon made his third career start and has played in all 20 games this season.
- Gordon and Murphy start together for the third time (second consecutive) 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 Levi Stockard III was the first player off the bench.
Team Notes
- K-State has now held an opponent to 60 points or less in 95 games under head coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting an 86-9 mark in those contests… Seven of the 9 wins this season have been when the opponent has been held to 60 points or less.
- Oklahoma was held to 35.3 percent shooting (18-of-51), including 19 percent (4-of-21) from long range.
- K-State held the Oklahoma trio of Brady Manek (5), Kristian Doolittle (6) and Austin Reaves (12) to 23 combined points after they entered the contest averaging better than 45 points.
- K-State had 12 steals on the day, which marked the ninth time with double-digit steals this season, part of a season-tying 19 turnovers by Oklahoma… It marked the 19th consecutive game forcing double-digit turnovers this season.
- K-State held an 18-2 advantage in points off turnovers, which marked the sixth time in the last 7 games that the Wildcats have scored in double figures off turnovers.
- K-State's 8 turnovers were the second-fewest this season and the fewest since posting a season-low 6 vs. North Dakota State (11/5/19).
- K-State led the entirety of the game over the Sooners…. This is the second time all season K-State has never trailed in a game (12/11/19 vs. Alabama State)
Player Notes
- Junior Mike McGuirl led the way with a season-tying 16 points on 4-of-5 field goals, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and a career-high 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line in 27 minutes off the bench… He has now scored in double figures in 6 career games, including 4 this season… It marked the first time he led K-State in scoring in his career.
- Senior Xavier Sneed scored 12 points on 5-of-13 field goals, including 1-of-5 from 3-point range, and a 1-of-4 effort from the free throw line to go with a game-high 4 steals in 35 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 69 career games, including 16 this season… He has now scored in double figures in 13 of the last 15 games.
- With his 12 points, Sneed remains at No. 14 all-time in school history with 1,299 points… Needs five more points to pass Ed Nealy (1,304/13th).
- Junior Cartier Diarra scored 10 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the field in 26 minutes off the bench… He has now scored in double figures in 30 career games, including 13 this season.
- Senior Makol Mawien grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds… He has now had double-digit rebounds in 5 career games, including 3 this season.
- Freshman Montavious Murphy had a career-high 9 rebounds in 25 minutes played.
- Junior David Sloan scored 7 points on 3-of-9 field goals and 1-of-2 free throw to go with a game-high 5 assists in 25 minutes…. It marked the fourth time in his career that he had 5 or more assists as well as leading the team in assists.
- In his third career start, freshman DaJuan Gordon scored 7 points on 2-of-7 from the field while grabbing 3 rebounds in 29 minutes… Tied a career high in three point field goal attempts, going 1-of-4 from beyond the arc, which is the sixth time he has done that this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns to action on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats travel to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on 12/11 West Virginia (16-4, 4-3 Big 12) at the WVU Coliseum at 1 p.m., CT on ESPN2. The Wildcats won the first meeting at home, 84-68, on Jan. 18.
CATS WIN! #KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/fgaP5Tfb8K
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) January 30, 2020
🔑s to the game #KStateMBB 52
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) January 30, 2020
OU 38
2H | 4:10 pic.twitter.com/V59KaT6dbV
With the win tonight, @coachbruceweber and the 'Cats own an 8-game home winning streak over Oklahoma. #KStateMBB x Culture Of Effort pic.twitter.com/vjFpOuYWdC
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) January 30, 2020
Team Stats
OU
KState
FG%
.353
.371
3FG%
.190
.261
FT%
.765
.600
RB
40
36
TO
19
8
STL
7
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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