Salina Central swept Junction City in boys and girls basketball at the Shenk Gym Tuesday night.

In the girls contest the Mustangs prevailed 61-45, and in the boys contest they defeated the Blue Jays 49-33.

Junction City fell behind 17-2 after one quarter of the girls game and never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way. Alana Kramer did score 17 points for the Lady Jays, who fell to 1-1 on the season.

In the boys game turnovers and missed shots were problems for the Blue Jays, who failed to hit a three-point shot in the entire game. JCHS boys coach Nate Schmitt noted Salina Central coach Doug Finch has been at that school for more than 20 years. “For the people that don’t know basketball that’s such an advantage for your kids, for your coaches. We’re still trying to execute stuff that we just implemented 16 practices ago.” Schmitt added Central is a talented well coached team that shot can shoot well.

Junction City fell to 1-1 in boys play. A.J. Range led the Blue Jays with 14 points.

Both Salina Central teams are 2-0 on the season.

 

 

The Tuesday night high school basketball schedule finds:

–Junction City hosting Salina Central

–Chapman hosting El Dorado in the opener of the Irish Classic

–Clay Center goes to Beloit

–Abilene is hosting Rock Creek

–Riley County travels to Wamego

–Council Grove plays at Silver Lake

–Lawrence plays at Hayden

–Highland Park hosts Kansas City Schlagle

–Shawnee Heights hosts Lansing

–Washburn Rural visits Topeka West

 

The Saint Xavier High School boys basketball team finished fifth in the SHEA Tournament after defeating Manhattan Chief in round three with a final score of 66-48. Saint X won two out of three games in the tournament.

 

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)

Overall: 399-210/19^th season

At K-State: 86-55/5^th season

1. Prairie View A&M: First meeting

 

Prairie View A&M: Byron Smith (Houston ‘91)

Overall: 6-7/1st season

At Prairie View A&M: 6-7/1st season

1. Kansas State: First meeting

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (7-1)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes (10.1 ppg., 3.6 apg.)

G: #5 Barry Brown (13.3 ppg., 2.8 rpg.)

G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (12.4 ppg., 5.5 rpg.)

F: #32 Dean Wade (7.5 ppg., 5.8 rpg.)

F: #4 D.J. Johnson (11.6 ppg., 6.9 rpg.)

 

Prairie View A&M (2-6)

G: #11 Ja’Donta Blakley (6.0 ppg., 3.3 rpg.)

G: #22 Shaquille Preston (3.4 ppg., 1.6 rpg.)

G: #25 Daquan Cook (12.4 ppg., 2.3 rpg.)

F: #14 Zachary Hamilton (14.1 ppg., 3.0 rpg.)

C: #12 J.D. Wallace (3.4 ppg., 3.3 rpg.)

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: First meeting

1. SWAC: K-State leads 8-1 (8-1 at home)

In Manhattan: First meeting

Current Streak: n/a

Last Meeting: n/a

Weber vs. Prairie View A&M: First meeting

Weber vs. Smith: First meeting

 

GAME 9 – QUICK HITTERS

• K-State head coach Bruce Weber will attempt to win his 400th career game on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats return home to host Prairie View A&M (2-6) at 7 p.m. CT at Bramlage Coliseum.
• Weber would become the 131st Division I head coach to accomplish the feat, including the 51st active coach. He would be the fourth current Big 12 to win 400 games, joining Bob Huggins, Bill Self and Lon Kruger.
• The Wildcats have won 14 consecutive non-conference games at home venues (61-56 win over Colorado State in Wichita), including 13 in a row at Bramlage Coliseum with an average margin of victory of 17.9 points. The last home non-conference loss came to Georgia on Dec. 31, 2014.
• K-State has an 84-5 (.944) record at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including a 29-3 (.906) mark under Bruce Weber. The squad has won 73 of its last 76 non-conference home games.
• Tuesday’s game will be the first meeting with Prairie View A&M on the hardwood. K-State is 8-1 vs. the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) with an average margin of victory in those 8 wins of 22.0 points. Although, the team lost its last meeting with a SWAC foe (Texas Southern in 2014).
• The 7-1 Wildcats have won their 5 home games by an average of 20.4 points per game, while averaging 78.6 points on 51.1 percent shooting (140-of-274), including 43.9 percent (43-of-98) from 3-point range.
• K-State is coming off an impressive 84-53 road victory over Saint Louis on Saturday night, as St. Louis natives D.J. Johnson and Xavier Sneed combined for 36 points on 75 percent shooting (15-of-20). Johnson had his second career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
• The 31-point win was the largest in a non-conference road game in more than a half-century since defeating Oregon, 92-58, on Dec. 21, 1964.
• The Wildcats eclipsed the 80-point mark for the fifth time this season against the Billikens while shooting better than 50 percent from the field for the fourth time. The team posted season-highs for points in the paint (48), bench points (32), fast-break points (19) and second-chance points (16) while totaling 20+ points off turnovers (23) for the third time.
• K-State ranks 24th nationally in field goal percentage (49.8), 43rd in 3-point field goal percentage (39.5) and 37th in assists (16.8).
• K-State has also been stellar on defense, holding foes to a Big 12-best 58.4 points on 36.5 percent shooting while forcing 17.1 turnovers per game. The team ranks 5th nationally in scoring defense.

 

THE OPPONENT: PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (2-6)

• Prairie View enters Tuesday’s game with a 2-6 record after dropping its third in a row at Houston, 105-61, on Saturday… The Panthers, who have played 6 of its 8 games on the road, do have a road win at Fresno State, 84-78, on Nov. 14.
• Prairie View is averaging 68.9 points on 41.7 percent shooting, including 33.1 percent from 3-point range, with 31 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 6.5 steals and 4.3 blocks per game… The team is allowing 86.9 points per game on 48 percent shooting.
• The Panthers have 2 players averaging in double figures led by transfers Zachary Hamilton (14.1 ppg.) and Daquan Cook (12.4 ppg.)… The duo have combined for 34 of the team’s 50 3-point field goals… Five players are averaging 3.0 or more rebounds led by senior Admassu Williams’ 4.2 per game average… Senior Ja’Donta Blakley has a team-best 3.4 assists per game.
• Prairie View returns 10 lettermen, including 3 starters, from a team that posted a 7-24 overall record and finished sixth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
• Head coach Byron Smith has a 6-7 overall record in his first full season after being elevated from interim status.

 

BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES

• Tuesday’s contest will mark the first meeting between K-State and Prairie View A&M on the hardwood.
• The Wildcats have met 4 other Southwestern Athletic Conference members (Alabama State, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Texas Southern)… The team is 8-1 all-time against the league (all contested at home)… The average margin of victory in those 8 wins is 22 points… The lone loss came to Texas Southern, 58-56, on Dec. 28, 2014.

 

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

• K-State has an 84-5 record at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including an 82-4 mark during the regular season… The Wildcats has won 73 of their last 76 non-conference home games.
• K-State has won 14 consecutive games played at home venues against non-conference opponents (61-56 win over Colorado State at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita), including 13 straight at Bramlage Coliseum… The Wildcats’ last loss to a non-conference team at home came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014… The team is 15-2 at home in December under Bruce Weber.
• K-State went 9-0 in games played at home venues in 2015-16, winning by an average margin of 15.2 points per game.

 

COUNTDOWN TO 400

• Head coach Bruce Weber is closing in a coaching milestone, as he stands just 1 win shy of 400 in his 19-year coaching career, which includes stints at Southern Illinois (1998-2003), Illinois (2003-12) and now K-State (2012-present).
• Weber would become the 131st Division I head coach to accomplish the feat, including the 51st active coach… Kennesaw State coach Al Skinner (399) needs just 1 win for 400, while N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried (393) is 7 shy of the milestone… He would be the fourth current Big 12 coach to win 400 games, joining Bob Huggins, Bill Self and Lon Kruger.
• Weber surpassed Tom Asbury (85, 1994-2000) for 6th on the all-time wins list Saturday with his 86th win after passing both Lon Kruger (81, 1986-90) and Jim Wooldridge (83, 2000-06) earlier this season… He is 4 wins shy of passing Charles Corsaut (89, 1923-33) for 5th place, behind Jack Hartman (295), Tex Winter (261), Jack Gardner (146) and Frank Martin (117).
• Interesting note, Weber could join a number of other coaches who have earned milestones this season…Football coach Bill Snyder won his 200th game (all at K-State) vs. Kansas on Nov. 26, while volleyball coach Suzie Fritz won her 300th match (all at K-State) vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 9 and women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie won his 500th game at Omaha on Dec. 4.

 

GOOD START ON THE OFFENSIVE END

• K-State is averaging 77.1 points on 49.8 percent shooting (224-of-450), including 39.5 percent (62-of-157) from 3-point range, through the first 8 games with averages of 37.9 rebounds, 16.8 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.8 blocks per game.
• K-State ranks 24th nationally in FG percentage, 43rd in 3-point FG percentage and 37th in assists per game… The team places among the Top 5 in the Big 12 in FG percentage (3rd), 3-point FG percentage (4th), 3-point FG made (4th) and assists (7.8).
• The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points in 6 of the first 8 games, including 80 or more points 5 times.
• K-State is now 52-16 under Bruce Weber when scoring 70 or more points, including 24-2 when scoring 80 or more points.
• K-State has shot better than 44 percent in each game, including 50 percent or higher 4 times (vs. Omaha (11/15), Hampton (11/20), Green Bay (11/30) and Saint Louis (12/3)… The Wildcats shot a season-best 58.3 percent (28-of-48) against Hampton, including 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from 3-point range… The lowest field goal percentage (44.3) came in the opener against Western Illinois (11/11)… K-State is 31-5 under Bruce Weber when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
• The Wildcats have connected on better than 46.9 percent of their field goals in 10 of their last 15 halves, including a team-best 62.5 percent (15-of-24) in the second half against Western Illinois (11/11)… The Wildcats have shot better than 50 percent in at least one half in each of its 8 games so far, including in both halves against Hampton (11/20) and Green Bay (11/30).
• K-State is shooting 54.8 percent (115-of-210) in the second half, including 44.9 percent (35-of-78) from 3-point range, this season while averaging 40 points… In contrast, the team is averaging 37.1 points on 45.4 percent (109-of-240) in the first half.
• K-State is averaging 33.8 points in the paint, 22.3 bench points, 19.4 points off of turnovers, 13.3 fast break points and 12.3 second-chance points through 8 games… The team is forcing 17.1 turnovers per game, including a combined 92 in the last 5.
• The Wildcats set season-highs for points in paint (48), second-chance points (16), fast-break points (19) and bench points (32) at Saint Louis (12/3)… The 48 points in the paint tied for most of the Bruce Weber era (48 at West Virginia on Feb. 1, 2014).
• K-State has already totaled 106 fast-break points (13.3 ppg.), an improvement from 6.2 ppg. from 2015-16 (7.1 ppg.).
• Five players are averaging in double figures, including 4 starters, led by Barry Brown’s 13.3 points per game average.
• Four Wildcats have scored in double figures in 5 of the first 8 games, including at least 3 in each game… In all, 7 players have at least one double-digit scoring game, including 7 from Brown and 5 each from Wesley Iwundu and Xavier Sneed.
• 10 Wildcats are shooting 50 percent or better from the field, including 3 of 5 starters… The starters are shooting a combined 50.2 percent from the field (160-of-319), including 37.9 percent (36-of-95) from 3-point range.

 

IMPROVEMENT FROM LONG RANGE

• One of the focal points for K-State in the offseason was to make improvement from 3-point range, where the Wildcats finished 10th in the Big 12 in both 3-point field goal percentage (30.0) and 3-point field goals made per game (5.30).
• K-State is shooting 39.5 percent (62-of-157) from 3-point range and is averaging 7.8 3-point field goals per game.
• K-State ranks 43rd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage… The team is 3rd in percentage and 4th in makes in the Big 12.
• K-State has at least 7 3-point field goals in 6 of 8 games, including double-digit totals vs. Western Illinois (11/11) and Hampton (11/15)… The Wildcats are 53-17 under Bruce Weber when connecting on at least 6 treys, including 6-0 this season.
• The Wildcats knocked down 10-of-14 3-point field goals in the opener with Western Illinois (11/11), including all 7 treys in the second half… Six different players had at least one 3-pointer, including season-best 4-of-5 performance by Xavier Sneed.
• The 71.4 3-point percentage vs. Western Illinois was the highest of Bruce Weber era and the 3rd-most makes.
• K-State posted 12 triples vs. Hampton (11/20), which were the most since also hitting 12 vs. Tulane on Dec. 28, 2013.
• 10 Wildcats have at least one 3-pointer this season, including a team-best 16-of-35 start by Xavier Sneed… Sneed has at least one 3-pointer in 6 of 8 games, including at least 2 in 5 games… Kamau Stokes is 15-of-35 from 3-point range.
• Seven Wildcats had at least one 3-pointer vs. Green Bay (11/30) for the first time since doing it vs. Iowa State on Feb. 12, 2011.
• K-State has made at least one 3-pointer in 280 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season.

 

GETTING DEFENSIVE

• K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under Bruce Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the past 4 seasons (60.4 ppg. in 2012-13; 65.4 ppg. in 2013-14).
• Since Weber’s arrival at K-State in 2012-13 (spanning 141 games), the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in scoring defense at 64.0 points per game (9,027)… The next closest team in that span is Baylor (64.9 ppg.) followed by Oklahoma State (65.3 ppg.).
• K-State ranks 5th nationally in scoring defense (58.4), 14th in field goal percentage defense (36.5), 24th in turnovers forced (17.1) and 32nd in steals (8.5)… The Wildcats are 1st in the Big 12 in scoring defense and 2nd in field goal percentage defense.
• K-State has held its first 8 opponents to an average of 58.4 points on 36.5 percent shooting, including 32.7 percent from 3-point range, with just 87 assists on 161 made field goals… The Wildcats also hold a +5.1 rebounding margin (37.9-32.8).
• Four opponents have been held to 55 points or less, while 6 of 8 foes have been held to 40 percent shooting or less.
• 52 opponents have been held to 60 points or less in Weber’s tenure with the Wildcats boasting a 46-6 mark in those contests (losses to Kansas in 2012, Northern Colorado & Kentucky in 2013, Texas Southern & Georgia in 2014 and Texas & OSU in 2016).
• K-State held Robert Morris to just 40 points on 22.8 percent shooting (13-of-57)… It was the fewest points allowed and the lowest field goal percentage since Long Beach State scored 38 points on just 19.6 percent (11-of-56) on Nov. 24, 2013.
• K-State is 76-23 under Bruce Weber when holding an opponent to 69 points or less and 10-32 when allowing 70 or more.
• K-State has at least 15 points off turnovers in each of the first 8 games, including a season-high 26 vs. Omaha (11/15)… The squad has scored more than 2,000 points (2,075) off of turnovers under Bruce Weber, an average of 14.7 points per game.
• The Wildcats also forced 20 or more turnovers in 3 games, including a season-high 25 vs. Robert Morris (11/22).
• K-State already has 68 blocks this season, which nearly 75 percent of the entire total (91) from 2015-16.

 

QUITE THE RUN

• K-State has been able to change the momentum early this season by holding opponents without a field goal for stretches of nearly 6 minutes in 3 of its first 6 games… The Wildcats held Robert Morris without a field goal for two stretch of 6 minutes or more, including 6:13 of the first half (15:50 mark to the 9:37 mark) and 6:59 of the second half (16:44 mark to the 9:45 mark).
• It marked the third time this season that the Wildcats have held an opponent without a field goal for nearly 6 minutes in the first half, holding Western Illinois (11/11) for 5:57 to start the game and Omaha (11/15) for a season-best 7:35 stretch.
• It was particularly helpful against Omaha, as K-State went from trailing 13-4 at the 14:55 mark to leading 27-15 at the 7:20 mark, resulting in a 23-2 run and included 21 straight points… Omaha turned the ball over 7 times and missed 6 field goals.
• K-State also held WIU to just 2 made field goals (on 12 attempts) in the last 7:35 of the second half, as the Wildcats finished the game on a 25-6 run after the Leathernecks had closed the gap to 57-49 with a layup with 7:51 remaining.
• Although K-State didn’t hold Hampton (11/20) to such a drought, the Wildcats did use a pair of 13-0 runs to take command.

 

PLAYING HARD IS A SKILL

• One of the things that K-State has prided itself in under head coach Bruce Weber has been its ability to play harder than its opponents… Nothing is more valuable to Weber in this regard as the Wayne McClain Play Hart Chart, which is named in honor of the longtime Illinois high school coach and Wildcats’ former director of development who passed away on Oct. 15, 2014.
• The chart, which is kept for both teams by graduate assistants and team managers, is a point system based on the elements of playing hard, including deflections/blocks, steals, dives, loose balls, offensive rebounds and charges (+2).
• K-State has won the Play Hard Chart in 7 of 8 games by a combined score of 358-249.
• Senior D.J. Johnson has a team-best 73 points on the Play Hard Chart and has won the chart 5 times this year… He has 512 points in his career, which ranks second on the team to fellow senior Wesley Iwundu (525).
• Johnson, who has a team-best 14 Play Hard points vs. Western Illinois (11/11), owns the single-game, individual best for the chart since it was start in 2012-13 with 20 at Iowa State on Feb. 27, 2016.
• Sophomore Dean Wade has won the chart in 3 games, including 12 points vs. Hampton (11/20) and Robert Morris (11/22).

 

BROWN OFF TO A FAST START

• Sophomore Barry Brown is off to a solid start to the season, as he is averaging a team-best 13.3 points on 48.2 percent (40-of-83) shooting, including 54.2 percent (32-of-59) from inside the 3-point line.
• Brown has led the Wildcats in scoring 3 times, scoring a season-high 18 points with Western Illinois (11/11) to go with a game-high 15-point effort vs. Omaha (11/15)… He matched his season-high with 18 vs. Green Bay (11/30).
• Brown ranks in the Big 12’s Top 15 in 3 categories, including 5th in steals, 7th in minutes and 13th in scoring.
• Brown has been among the steals leaders, ranking 35th nationally in total steals (18) and 40th in steals per game (2.3)… He has at least 2 steals in 5 of 8 games, including a career-best 5 vs. Hampton (11/20)… He ranks 5th in the Big 12 in steals.
• Brown leads all Wildcats with 7 double-figure scoring games, including each of the first 7 games.

 

IWUNDU MOVING UP THE CHARTS

• Senior Wesley Iwundu could be the first Wildcat in school history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals in a career… Currently, he is shy of the milestone by 108 points, 59 rebounds, 28 assists and 7 steals.
• Only Rolando Blackman recorded more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career, as steals were not kept.
• Iwundu currently ranks 2nd on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg.) and assists (3.4 apg.) and 3rd in rebounding (5.5 rpg.).
• Iwundu ranks among the Big 12 leaders in 6 categories, including scoring (20th), rebounding (17th), assists (14th), field goal percentage (14th/50.0), free throw percentage (11th/74.1) and defensive rebounds (9th/4.8).
• Iwundu is one of only 3 Big 12 players to rank in the Top 20 in scoring and rebounding and Top 15 in assists.
• Iwundu is the leader in points (892), rebounds (441), assists (272), steals (93), minutes (2,854), games (105) and starts (97).
• Iwundu moved into the career Top 10 in assists (272) with 2 at Saint Louis (12/3), while he is 35th in scoring (892).
• Iwundu has played in 72 consecutive games, including a streak of 60 starts in a row… His 97 career starts currently rank 8th in school history and needs just 3 more starts to become just the 7th Wildcat with 100 career starts.

 

JOHNSON A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE

• Senior D.J. Johnson is a consistent force in the middle, averaging 11.6 points on 60.7 percent shooting (37-of-61) with team-bests in rebounding (6.9 rpg.) and blocks (2.1 bpg.)… He has double figures in 4 games, including 2 20-point games.
• Johnson scored a career-best 26 points vs. No. 23 Maryland (11/26) on 10-of-18 field goals with 8 rebounds in 29 minutes.
• Johnson collected his 2nd career double-double at Saint Louis (12/3) with 21 points on 10-of-11 field goals and 10 rebounds.
• His career 57.9 field goal percentage ranks 2nd in school history after shooting a school-record 60.8 percent as a junior.
• His 17 blocked shots are more than half of his total from 2015-16 (29), while twice he has posted a career-best 4 blocks.

 

BEASLEY, MCGRUDER MAKE NBA OPENING DAY ROSTERS

• K-State had two former players on opening day NBA rosters, as Michael Beasley (Milwaukee Bucks) and Rodney McGruder (Miami HEAT) debut for their respective teams on Oct. 26… McGruder earned his first career start vs. Atlanta on Nov. 15.
• K-State is one of six Big 12 teams with multiple NBA players, joining Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas… It marked the first time multiple Wildcats have been on NBA teams since Beasley (Miami), Bill Walker (Miami) and Cartier Martin (Detroit) all played in the league during the 2014-15 season.
• Beasley, who is entering his ninth NBA season, played the final 20 games of the 2015-16 season with the Houston Rockets after a stint with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association… He was traded to the Bucks in September.
• McGruder, who is entering his first season in the NBA, signed a free-agent contract with the HEAT in July and was able to snag with the final spots on the team’s 15-man roster… He helped the HEAT’s D-League team (Sioux Falls Skyforce) to D-League title.

 

BOOZER NAMED TO COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME

• Two-time All-American Bob Boozer was among 8 individuals announced on March 22 to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame… He was posthumously inducted on Friday, Nov. 18 as part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center.
• Considered one of the most decorated players in K-State history, Boozer was a first team All-American in both 1958 and 1959 and he averaged a double-double for his 77-game career with 21.9 points on 44 percent shooting with 10.7 rebounds per game. He is one of only two players (Willie Murrell) in school history to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in a career.

 

PAIR OF FRESHMEN TO MISS 2016-17 SEASON

• Freshmen Cartier Diarra and James Love III are expected to miss the 2016-17 season after going down with injuries.
• Diarra went down with a knee injury in a practice in early July and underwent surgery on July 13.
• Love broke his foot in a practice in late October and underwent surgery on Nov. 5.
• Diarra averaged a double-double of 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game his senior season at West Florence High School en route to earning Class 4A

Alabama will play Washington and Ohio State is set to face Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The selection committee stayed with the same top four as it had going into championship weekend, leaving out Penn State even though the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten championship and beat Ohio State earlier in the season.

The unbeaten Crimson Tide is in the playoff for the third straight season and is the top seed for the second time. They will play the fourth-ranked Huskies in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 31.

No. 2 Ohio State is making its second playoff appearance and No. 3 Clemson is in for the second consecutive season. The Buckeyes and Tigers will meet at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, on Dec. 31.

 

ATLANTA (AP) — Eric Berry returned an interception for a touchdown, and then brought back another pick for a 2-point conversion that gave the Kansas City Chiefs an improbable 29-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The Falcons, rallying from a 27-16 deficit, went ahead 28-27 on Matt Ryan’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson with 4:32 remaining.

Atlanta decided to go for 2, looking to stretch the margin to a field goal. But Berry stepped in front of Ryan’s pass and ran 99 yards the other way to give the Chiefs (9-3) their winning margin. It came after Denver won a game in similar fashion last month, returning a blocked PAT for the winning points at New Orleans.

Berry had another huge play with less than a minute to go in the first half, picking off Ryan’s pass over the middle and bringing it back 37 yards for a touchdown. After reaching the end zone, the suburban Atlanta native handed the ball to his mother sitting in the stands at the Georgia Dome.

Those weren’t the only big plays for the Chiefs. On fourth-and-2 from their own 45, Kansas City faked a punt and snapped the ball directly to Albert Wilson , who played his college ball in the same stadium for Georgia State. Wilson burst up the middle for a 55-yard touchdown that extended Kansas City’s lead in the third quarter.

Alex Smith completed 21 of 25 passes for 270 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown to Spencer Ware. Travis Kelce was Kansas City’s top receiver, hauling in eight passes for 140 yards.

Ryan was 22 of 34 for 297 yards, but his two huge mistakes cost the Falcons (7-5). Julio Jones hauled in seven passes for 113 yards, while Devonta Freeman had a couple of 1-yard touchdown runs.

LONG KICK

Forty-one-year-old Matt Bryant closed out the first half with the second-longest field goal of his career for the Falcons.

Barely across midfield, Bryant booted a 59-yarder that easily clear the crossbar, cutting Kansas City’s lead to 20-16 at the break. The only longer kick for Bryant was a 62-yarder with Tampa Bay in 2006.

He also tied Atlanta’s franchise record for longest field goal. Morten Andersen made a 59-yarder in 1995.

INJURY REPORT

The Falcons lost left tackle Jake Matthews to a left knee injury in the first half.

Trainers put a sleeve over the knee, and Matthews tested it out on the sideline with some runs and cuts. But he headed to the locker room just before halftime and didn’t return. Tom Compton finished out the game protecting Ryan’s blind side.

Kansas City was again missing Jeremy Maclin, its leading receiver. He returned to practice Wednesday and it was thought he’d be able to play after sitting out three straight games with a groin injury. But he didn’t dress against the Falcons.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Return home for a huge Thursday night game against AFC West rival Oakland, the first of three straight games at Arrowhead Stadium before the season finale at San Diego.

D.J. Johnson scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Xavier Sneed added 15 points to lead Kansas State to an 84-53 win over Saint Louis on Saturday.

The Wildcats won their second in a row following a 69-68 loss to Maryland on Nov. 26. Saint Louis now has lost four in a row.

Johnson dominated inside, hitting his first 10 shots from the field on the way to a 10-for-11 effort. Johnson had four of the Wildcats nine dunks.

Jermaine Bishop led Saint Louis (2-5) with 11 points.

Kansas State (2-1) used a 23-9 run over the final 11 minutes of the first half to break the game open. The Wildcats jumped out to a 13-5 lead on back-to-back baskets by Johnson. Sneed sank a pair of 3-pointers midway through the half to push the lead to 18-10.

Dean Wade added 13 points for Kansas State.