The Stone Cold Foxes roller derby team defeated the South Central ( Oklahoma ) Roller Girls 246-100 in season home opener at Spin City on Saturday night.

Sabrina Kaufmann of the Stone Cold Foxes felt the pre-bout preparation paid off for the Foxes. “Hard practice, we had Tuesday and Thursday our practices before the bout. We just went in hard.”

Kaufmann noted the Stone Cold Foxes had a good offense run during the bout,” where they would sweep from the outside to the end and allow the jammers to take the outside to get lead jammer multiple times.

A good crowd attended the bout at Spin City.

The Stone Cold Foxes will host Central Kansas in a bout May 5th.

Loyola-Chicago continued its improbable postseason run, beating Kansas State 78-62 on Saturday night to advance to its first Final Four in 55 years.

Extending its winning streak to 14 games, Loyola enjoyed strong shooting against a Kansas State team which relied on strong defense in the NCAA Tournament.

Led by Ben Richardson’s 23 points, the Ramblers shot 57.4 percent from the field in the NCAA South regional final. Richardson made six of seven 3-pointers.

Loyola will play in its first Final Four since 1963, when the Ramblers won their only championship. Kansas State was denied its attempt to return to the Final Four for the first time since 1964.

The Ramblers took a big lead of 23 points in the first matchup of No. 11 and No. 9 seeds in a regional final.

As the No. 11 seed, Loyola matches the lowest seed to play in the Final Four. Louisiana State (1986), George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011) also were No. 11 seeds.

— Charles Odum reporting from Atlanta

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — For the third year in a row, Kansas made it through the Sweet 16 — although not before Clemson tried its hardest to add another wild chapter to an already unbelievable tournament.

The top-seeded Jayhawks brought at least a temporary halt to the insanity of this March, withstanding a ferocious rally by fifth-seeded Clemson on Friday for a too-close-for-comfort, 80-76 victory.

Malik Newman led the Jayhawks (30-7) with 17 points in a one-time runaway that got much closer and, quite frankly, won’t mean much to KU fans if their team can’t finish the job in the Midwest Region final Sunday. The Jayhawks will play Duke in what will be the nation’s only 1 vs. 2 regional final; the Blue Devils beat Syracuse 69-65.

As a top seed the last two seasons, Kansas made it through the regional semifinals, only to flop a game shy of the Final Four both times. In fact, this marks the sixth time Bill Self’s team has been seeded first since KU won it all in 2008; the Jayhawks haven’t made the Final Four one of those times.

“I think about it all the time. I just told the guys in the locker room…this year, we’ve got to get over the hump,” said senior Devonte’ Graham, who had 16 points.

Still, it could’ve ended on Friday — in horrifying fashion — after Clemson stormed back from a 20-point deficit that stunned a crowd filled mostly with fans from Lawrence and surrounding areas, which are only a few hours from Omaha.

“We just kind of played not to lose down the stretch,” Self said.

Clemson trailed 62-42, but climbed to within six with 2:27 left. Graham’s offensive rebound after a Svi Mykhailiuk miss at the 1:57 mark allowed the Jayhawks to run almost a minute off the clock.

Kansas didn’t score after Graham’s rebound, and the Tigers got the next board for a chance to cut it to a one-possession game. But Shelton Mitchell and Gabe DeVoe each missed from beyond the arc. From there, Kansas overcame a dogged Clemson press just long enough to ensure that the Tigers couldn’t pull any closer until the tail end.

DeVoe had a career-high 31 for Clemson (25-10), which couldn’t replicate the magic it showed in beating Auburn by 31 to reach its first Sweet 16 in 21 years.

“We didn’t have our best game. Sometimes that’s not easy to keep fighting like that,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The 48th annual KSHSAA State Volleyball Tournament will welcome a new championship host site in 2018. Classes 3A and 4A will compete for trophies at the Hutchinson Sports Arena for the first time.

“The 2018-2019 school year will see a change in our school classification system which will result in a decrease in the number of tournaments for this state event. With this change we have explored some of the new venues and upgrades made to other facilities across the state as options for this tournament series,” said Cheryl Gleason, KSHSAA Assistant Executive Director & Volleyball Administrator. “We are excited about the opportunity to conduct a state volleyball event at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson and the other adjustments made to our tournament locations”.

While the city of Hutchinson and Hutchinson Community College have played host to the State Basketball Tournament for 75 years and the State Football Championship at Gowans Stadium since 2006, the first state championship trophy for volleyball will be awarded in “Hutch” this fall.

“Hutchinson Community College is excited to play host the 2018 KSHSAA Class 3A & 4A State Volleyball Tournaments. Our experience in hosting 3A football and 3A basketball will benefit us greatly as we prepare to host 16 of the state’s best 3A and 4A volleyball teams. The City of Hutchinson has made a commitment with the renovation of the Hutchinson Sports Arena to bring quality championship-caliber events to our community. The relationship between the KSHSAA, Hutchinson Community College and the City of Hutchinson continues to grow with the addition of this great event,”  Josh Gooch,  Athletic Director, Hutchinson Community College.

“We are excited that the Kansas State High School Activities Association has chosen Hutchinson and the Sports Arena as the site for this year’s 3A & 4A State Volleyball Tournament. We can’t wait to welcome these teams to the newly renovated Sports Arena and be able to showcase one of the best volleyball facilities in the state of Kansas,” said Holly Leiker, National Sports & Destination Sales Manager for Visit Hutch.

Classes 6A and 5A will take the court at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina while class 2A will compete at Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Fort Hays State University. White Auditorium (Emporia) will welcome class 1A, hosted by Emporia Recreation Department. State Volleyball is set forOctober 26 and 27 at all sites.

For the 2018 State Football Championships the sites will remain the same, but with a shakeup of which classes assigned to specific venues has occurred. The addition of Class 1A and the removal of Class 4A DII, the number of classes and sites will remain the same.

State Football Sites (November 24):

6A – Emporia State University

5A – Pittsburg State University

4A – Hummer Sports Park, Topeka

3A – Hutchinson Community College

2A – USD 305 District Stadium, Salina

1A – Fort Hays State University

8-Man DI and DII – Fischer Field, Newton

The 2018 Game Day Spirit Showcase Competition will return to the Kansas Expocentre-Landon Arena in Topeka on November 17. Last year’s inaugural event provided a new opportunity to over 1,400 students crowning six new champions. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. September 26 and close at 11 p.m. October 2.

State Gymnastics will be held at Shawnee Mission South on October 20 and the championship sites for girls tennis, girls golf, cross country and boys soccer will be announced at a later date.

 

ATLANTA, Ga. – Led by sophomore forward Xavier Sneed’s 22 points and a decisive, go-ahead bucket in the final minute from junior guard Barry Brown Jr., Kansas State defeated Kentucky, 61-58, to advance to the Elite Eight for the 12th time and first time since 2010.

The win marks the first time in school history that K-State has defeated Kentucky on the hardwood in 10 tries, as the Wildcats improve to 37-33 all-time in NCAA tournament play. K-State (25-11) advances to the finals of the South Regional, where the Wildcats will take on No. 11 seed Loyola Chicago (31-5) on Saturday at 5:09 p.m., CT at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

The game came down to the final minute, knotted at 58 before K-State outscored Kentucky 3-0 in the final seconds, behind a layup from Brown with 19 seconds remaining and a free throw from junior guard Amaad Wainright. With five seconds on the clock, Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a 3-pointer with time expiring to give K-State the victory.

K-State was led by a strong defensive effort, holding Kentucky to just 38.1 percent (16-of-42) from the field and 25 percent (3-of-12) from 3-point range, while tallying 11 steals. The defense helped the Wildcats gain a 33-29 lead at half, as the team improved to 20-2 this season while leading at the break.

Offensively, K-State was led by Sneed’s 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Paired with Sneed, Brown reached double digits with 13 points on 4-of-15 from the field, including the deciding bucket in the waning seconds. As a team, the Wildcats shot 35.1 percent (19-of-54) from the floor and 40.9 (9-of-22) from long range in the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED
K-State wasted no time grabbing the lead, scoring the first seven points of the game behind two 3-pointers from junior guard Barry Brown, Jr., and sophomore guard Xavier Sneed. After scoring the first seven, the Wildcats continued to build upon their lead, spouting off a 13-1 run in the first four minutes of play. During the span, the team shot 4-of-5 from the field, including 3-of-4 from long range.

Kentucky would respond with a run of its own, going on a 9-0 run, including a 3-pointer from freshman guard Quade Green to bring the score to 13-10 with 12:28 left in the half.

Over the next three minutes, Kentucky drew within two points to bring the score to 17-15. K-State earned valuable minutes off the bench, including a tip-in from junior guard Amaad Wainright and a pair of free throws from freshman forward Levi Stockard III.

K-State expanded upon its lead minutes later, as Sneed drilled a 3-pointer assisted by Stockard in the post, which gave the Wildcats a 22-15 advantage with 7:59 left. Sneed would go on to lead the team in scoring in the first half, shooting 3-of-7, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc to lead to his 9 first-half points.

Defensive pressure was a consistency for K-State in the first half, forcing Kentucky into difficult shots throughout the half. K-State held Kentucky to shoot just 26 percent (6-of-23) from the floor in the first half, while creating 6 steals and forcing 7 turnovers in the first half.

Late in the first half, Kentucky switched to the 2-3 zone to try to slow down the K-State offense. On the first offensive possession against the zone, junior guard Kamau Stokes connected on a deep 3-pointer to bring the score to 30-21 with 2:41 left in the half. K-State benefited from beyond the arc in the first half, shooting 6-of-15 in the half.

Just before the half, Kentucky was able to put together a run at the free-throw line, where they were able to bring the score to 30-29 with 55.3 remaining. Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Wildcats with 13 points at the half, including 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. In the first half, K-State committed 16 fouls, resulting in 16-of-23 shooting from the free-throw line for Kentucky in the first half.

On K-State’s final possession of the half, freshman guard Mike McGuirl hit a deep 3-pointer to bring the score to 33-29 at the end of the first half.

K-State shot 10-of-28 from the field in the first half, including 9 points off of Kentucky turnovers. Prior to Thursday, K-State was 19-2 when leading their opponent at the break, while Kentucky was 6-6 when trailing.

Out of the break, Kentucky was able to even it up behind a 4-0 run, including a pair of free throws to tie the game at 33-33. After trailing the entire first half, Kentucky gained its first lead at 36-35 behind a 3-pointer from Green with 17:21 left in the contest.

K-State would go back to the hot hand from the first half to reclaim their lead, as Sneed put the Wildcats back up at 38-36 with 15:53 remaining, marking his fourth 3-pointer of the night.

Following the Sneed 3-pointer, the Wildcats went back to the deep shot, this time with Diarra, as K-State regained the lead at 41-38. On the ensuing defensive possession, Sneed drew a charge on a drive by Gilgeous-Alexander that led to a technical foul on the Kentucky bench. K-State capitalized on the opportunity, regaining possession and scoring on the technical foul free-throw before Sneed hit another 3-pointer to bring the score to 45-38 with 14:00remaining in the game.

After leading the team in scoring in the first half, Sneed continued to take over for K-State, scoring 5 consecutive points for the Wildcats to bring the score to 52-44 with 8:24 remaining.

Late in the second half, K-State fell into foul trouble, as four players reached four fouls with six minutes left on the clock. At the 6:18 mark, Kentucky drew the score to within three points, connecting on two free throws to bring the score to 52-49.

After drawing close, Kentucky would rattle off a 6-0 run with 4:02 remaining in the game to retake the lead at 55-54 on a Gilgeous-Alexander layup.

K-State would strike back to take over the lead again, as Diarra found a crease in the defense and drew an and-one. Diarra would miss on the free throw as K-State possessed a 56-55 advantage with 3:01 remaining.

With 1:32 remaining, Kentucky would connect on and and-one of their own, as Kentucky’s P.J. Washington collected an offensive rebound and drew a foul sophomore forward Makol Mawien. Washington would miss the free throw, in which, Kentucky fouled K-State’s Brown. Brown would give K-State the lead back at 58-57 with 1:31 after connecting on both free throws.

Heading into the final minute knotted at 58, K-State got a go-ahead bucket from Brown with only 19 seconds remaining to bring the score to 60-58. After a defensive stop and a foul, Wainright connected on 1-of-2 from the line to bring the score to 61-58.

With five seconds remaining, Gilgeous-Alexander marched down the court before he missed a 3-pointer as time expired, as K-State survived, 61-58.

Led by Sneed’s 22 points, and 5-of-8 from three, K-State shot 35.1 percent (19-of-54) from the floor and 40.9 (9-of-22) from long range in the game, while holding Kentucky to just 38 percent (16-of-42) from the field and 25 percent (3-of-12) from 3-point range.

TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The 2018 Kansas State Purple/White Spring Game is set for Saturday, April 21, at 1:10 p.m., inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. All tickets are general admission and just $5, and for a ninth-straight year, the game will be broadcast worldwide on K-StateHD.TV using audio from the K-State Sports Network.

The night prior to the game, the Powercat Auction – the department’s largest annual fundraising event that supports the Ahearn Fund – will be held on Friday, April 20, in Bramlage Coliseum. Doors to the arena open at 5:00 p.m., and the silent auction will begin immediately and wrap up at 7:05 p.m. A buffet dinner will be served from 6:15 p.m., until 7:30 p.m., prior to the live auction portion of the event beginning at 7:45 p.m. More than 100 live and silent auction items will be bid on at this year’s event.

For more information on reserving a table sponsorship or to buy tickets, contact the Ahearn Fund Office at 1-888-232-9074 orahearnfund@kstatesports.com.

K-State Cheer will also be hosting their annual kids clinic from 6:00 p.m., until 8:15 p.m., the night before the game in the indoor football practice facility. Registration is $45 and includes a throwback shirt, pleated cheer skirt, instruction from K-State Cheer and coaching staff, free ticket to the game, and a performance on the field during halftime.

The day of the game will include several fan-friendly events. A public beer garden in Cat Town will feature tailgate food for purchase and a country music concert by former K-State punter Nick Walsh. Kids of all ages can enjoy Willie’s Fun Zone in the Brandeberry Indoor Facility, including inflatable games and interactive activities from the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Fans will also be able to use the official K-State Sports app to purchase official upgrades and experiences, including a West Stadium Center buffet package. Fans can also get their photo taken with the 2017 Cactus Bowl trophy and Phil the Bobcat, while they will have their first opportunity to pick up their 2018 K-State Football schedule poster.

Tickets for the spring game can be purchased through the K-State Athletics Ticket office online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum. Those who order or renew their season tickets by the early bird deadline of this Friday will receive two free mobile tickets per account to the spring game.

K-State opens spring practices next Wednesday, March 28, and will conduct 14 practices leading up to the spring game. Head coach Bill Snyder will conduct his 27^th set of spring practices at K-State in 2018 as he holds a career record of 210-110-1 (.656), one of six coaches in FBS history to reach 200 win and coach at only one school.

Following the program’s eighth-straight bowl berth and sixth eight-win season in the last seven years, season tickets for the 2018 season are on sale now. Season tickets start as low as $199 for the seven-game home slate that features a non-conference matchup against SEC foe Mississippi State (Sept. 8) and Big 12 opponents Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas Tech. The priority deadline for season tickets is Friday, April 20.

 

– k-statesports.com –

 
RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

Kansas State defeated Utah 74-57 in round two of the WNIT Sunday evening at Bramlage Coliseum.

With the win the Wildcats will advance into the sweet 16 round against UC Davis at 7 p.m. Friday at Bramlage Coliseum.

Kansas State got 24 points from Peyton Williams and 23 from Kayla Goth in the victory over Utah. Williams added seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals to her final stat line. Goth had four assists and two blocks.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Kansas State Wildcats were led by a strong defensive effort and junior guard Barry Brown Jr.’s 18 points, as No. 9 seed K-State defeated No. 16 seed UMBC, 50-43, in the second round of the NCAA South Regional at the Spectrum Center on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16.

The victory advances K-State (24-11) into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament against No. 5 seed Kentucky Wildcats (26-10) on Thursday, March 22 at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The Sweet 16 appearance marks the 17^th time in program history K-State has reached the Sweet 16, and their first bid since 2010. K-State also improves to 36-33 in tournament history, including a 7-5 record in the second round.

Brown was one of two Wildcats in double figures, as sophomore forward Makol Mawien added 11 points and a team-high 7 rebounds. Brown’s 18 points came off 5-of-13 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw stripe, while sophomore forward Xavier Sneed contributed 8 points, including six in the final five minutes to propel K-State to victory.

With the win, K-State head coach Bruce Weber becomes the 10^th Division I coach to take three different teams to the Sweet 16 (K-State, Illinois, Southern Illinois). Weber is now 14-11 all-time in the NCAA tournament as a head coach, including a 3-3 mark with K-State.

K-State played their third consecutive contest without All-Big 12 First Team selection Dean Wade, who was held out as a precaution due to foot soreness. The Wildcats returned a four-guard lineup for the third consecutive game, featuring guards Brown, Sneed, Cartier Diarra, and Kamau Stokes and Mawien at forward.

UMBC (25-11) was led by senior guard Jairus Lyles, who scored 12 points on 4-of-15 from the field. The Retrievers shot 29.8 percent (14-of-47) from the field in the game and 27.3 (6-of-22) from beyond the arc, after becoming the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed after their 74-54 victory over Virginia on Friday.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After upsetting the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers on Friday, the Retrievers continued their streak against the Wildcats early on Sunday, as they got out to an early 5-0 run, while K-State struggled to find an open look. The Wildcats missed on their first five shots as UMBC claimed a 5-0 lead through four minutes of play.

The Wildcats got their first basket with 13:39 left in the first half, after Stokes found Mawien under the hoop for a layup. The Retrievers responded with a 3-pointer to give the Retrievers a 10-2 advantage with 13:26 remaining in the half.

After falling behind early, the Wildcats clawed back into the game by holding the Retrievers defensively, while finding an advantage on offense in the paint. K-State gained their first lead of the game behind a 7-0 run which led to a 15-14 advantage with 8:28 remaining in the first half.

With 4:51 remaining in the first half, Brown came up with a big steal on the UMBC inbound, before taking the ball coast-to-coast in transition, to give K-State a 19-15 lead. K-State’s defense had a big impact in the first half, as the Wildcats tallied 8 forced turnovers and 7 points off the Retriever mistakes.

The layup in transition started a run for Brown, as he scored eight consecutive points for the Wildcats, including a contested jumper with 1:59 left in the half to bring the score to 25-17. Brown led K-State with 10 points on 3-of-6 from the field coupled with 2 steals at the half.

K-State went into the locker room with a 25-20 lead at the break, where the Wildcats entered Sunday’s contest with an 18-2 record when leading at the half. The Wildcats shot 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from the field and 87.5 percent (8-of-9) from the free throw stripe in the first half. Stokes

For UMBC, the Retrievers were held to shoot 29.1 percent (7-of-24) from the field and 22.2 (2-of-9) from beyond the arc in the half. UMBC was led by senior guard Jourdan Grant, who scored 6 points in the half.

After not connecting on a 3-pointer in the first half, the Wildcats got their first of the game on a step-back from Diarra to give K-State a 28-22 lead with 17:28remaining in the second half. However, UMBC would find their spot behind the arc to draw within one at 32-31 with 14:25 remaining.

Over the next six minutes, neither team was able to capitalize from the field, as the Wildcats still possessed a one-point lead at 34-33 with 7:48 remaining. During that span, the Retrievers shot 0-of-5 from the field, connecting on a pair of free throws.

With 6:55 remaining in the contest, Stokes found some offense for K-State, as he hit a mid-range jumper with the shot clock expiring to bring the score to 38-33, K-State’s lead.

UMBC marched back behind 3-pointer from Jarius Lyles to bring the score back to just one point at 38-37 with 6:01 left in the game. The Lyles 3-pointer ended a scoring drought of 8:24 from the field.

On the next defensive, possession, Sneed responded with a steal that led to a fast-break dunk on the other end. The Sneed dunk gave the Wildcats some momentum, as Brown scored on the next offensive possession to give K-State a 42-37 lead with 4:25 remaining.

With 3:03 remaining in the game, Sneed came up with another ferocious dunk, after Brown missed on a pull-up jumper. The put back dunk from Sneed helped K-State lead 44-38.

On defense, Mawien recorded a big block with 1:39 remaining, as Lyles drove the lane. The block led to a clutch jumper from Sneed on the following possession, as K-State began to pull away at 46-41 with 1:08 left.

The Wildcats earned their 17^th Sweet 16 bid by defeating UMBC 50-43. K-State shot 40.9 percent (18-of-44) from the field in field in the game, improving to 24-2 when outshooting the opponent this season. K-State also claimed the rebounding battle, outrebounding UMBC 35 to 28.

For UMBC, the Retrievers shot 29.8 percent (14-of-47) from the field and 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from the field. UMBC was led by Lyles’ 12 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

–www.kstatesports.com–

 
TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics