We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Jayhawks Cruise to Win Over Stanford

jayhawkFrank Mason III scored 20 points, Devonte Graham delivered an early 3-point barrage and finished with 15, and fourth-ranked Kansas pulled away late for an 89-74 victory over Stanford on Saturday.

Josh Jackson and Svi Mykhailiuk added 15 points apiece for the Jayhawks (7-1), who overcame a monster game from the Cardinal’s Reid Travis to win their 44th straight at Allen Fieldhouse.

Travis had a career-best 29 points and nine rebounds for Stanford (6-3), doing most of his damage at the free throw line. The career 54 percent free throw shooter was 19 of 22, breaking the school record for makes set by Todd Lichti against UC Santa Barbara during the 1987-88 season.

Travis also set records for makes and attempts in a game against Kansas. Rayford Young of Texas Tech hit 18 foul shots in February 1999 and Iowa State’s Craig Brackins attempted 21 in January 2009.

He couldn’t do it alone, though, and the Jayhawks‘ superior depth paid off.

Wildcats Run Over TCU in Big 12 Finale

 cats-win

FORT WORTH, Texas – For the first time since 2012, Kansas State was powered by two 100-yard rushers as the Wildcats handled TCU for a 30-6 victory before 42,746 fans at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

 

The win gave K-State eight regular-season wins prior to a bowl game for the fourth time in the last six seasons, while the Wildcats finished in fourth place in the Big 12 with a 6-3 mark. This marks the fourth time in the last six years that K-State has finished with six conference wins and the 12th time it has happened under head coach Bill Snyder.

 

K-State (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) held a small advantage at the half, 10-6, behind 192 rushing yards and a 32-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Jesse Ertz. TCU (6-6, 4-5 Big 12) was held to just 158 yards of total offense and two field goals before the break.

 

The Wildcats’ defense clamped down after intermission, surrendering only 122 yards in the second half while also forcing five three-and-out possessions from the Horned Frogs. Meanwhile, Ertz and sophomore wide receiver Byron Pringle connected for K-State’s longest offensive play this season, an 83-yard touchdown score. Behind Ertz’s career rushing performance, the Wildcats ran away with the game, adding 144 rushing yards in the second half to finish with 336 for the game.

 

Ertz, a junior, and the Big 12’s leading rusher amongst quarterbacks, finished with a career-high 170 rushing yards and one touchdown on 19 carries in his 12th start of the season. It was Ertz’s third 100-yard rushing performance of the season and the fifth most rushing yards by a quarterback in school history. Ertz was also 9-of-21 for 159 yards and one touchdown through the air.

 

Out of the backfield, Ertz was joined as a 100-yard rusher by running back Justin Silmon. Filling in for Alex Barnes, Silmon rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries Saturday, a new career-high in rushing yards and touchdowns for the sophomore. SophomoreWinston Dimel and senior Charles Jones added 16 and 15 yards, respectively, as K-State rushed for more than 200 yards for the sixth straight game.

 

With so much success on the ground, K-State relied much less on its passing attack. Only two receivers brought down passes, with Pringle reeling in six for 126 yards and one touchdown – the 83-yarder. With the 100-yard performances from Ertz and Silmon combined with a 126-yard output on the receiving end by Pringle, it marked the first time since the 2003 season opener against California that the Wildcats had two 100-yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver.

 

Freshman Isaiah Harris, who had four catches this season prior to Saturday’s game, was on the receiving end of three passes for 33 yards, both career-highs.

 

The Wildcats finished the day with 495 yards of total offense, including 336 on the ground, surpassing the 300-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season. With today’s rushing effort, K-State’s season total swelled to 2,795 yards, moving up four spots to fourth place in school history for the most rushing yards in a single season in school history.

 

On the defensive side of the ball, the Big 12’s top defense held the nation’s 18th ranked offense to just 280 total yards. K-State shut out TCU in the second half and became the first team to hold the Horned Frogs without a single touchdown score in a game since 2006.

 

Junior linebacker Elijah Lee and sophomore cornerback D.J. Reed led the charge for K-State’s defensive players with eight tackles each. Junior defensive lineman Will Geary came up with seven stops, including three-and-one-half tackles for loss. Five other Wildcats tallied five tackles on the day, including junior linebacker Trent Tanking, who came up with K-State’s only takeaway and his first career interception on the game’s final play.

 

Redshirt freshman defensive end Reggie Walker finished with four tackles and two sacks, a career-best for him, while senior defensive endJordan Willis also registered one sack, giving him 11.5 total sacks in 2016, tying him with Ryan Mueller (2013), Ian Campbell (2006) and Nyle Wiren (1996) for K-State’s single-season sack record.

 

TCU won the coin toss and deferred until the second half. From its own 32-yard line, K-State opened with a 13-play, 68-yard drive that used 56 rushing yards, including a long of 29 yards from Ertz. The Wildcats’ drive stalled at TCU’s 10-yard line as Patterson came on to connect from 27 yards just over five minutes into the game.

 

The Horned Frogs, led out by quarterback Foster Sawyer, completed two passes to move into Wildcat territory before K-State’s defense rallied to halt TCU’s first possession at the 39-yard line.

 

TCU worked with a short field minutes later to level the score, 3-3, with a 31-yard field goal from Brandon Hatfield at the 2:12 mark of the first quarter.

 

After two empty possessions, K-State put the defensive battle on the backburner five minutes into the second quarter. Silmon busted loose for a 35-yard run to begin the drive and two plays later, Ertz ran right, untouched for a 32-yard touchdown, his 10th of the season. The Wildcats’ three-play, 61-yard drive took just 1:18 as K-State went up 10-3 with 9:17 to play in the first half.

 

K-State’s running game asserted its dominance again on the next possession until TCU popped the ball away from Dimel on a lengthy carry. The Horned Frogs mustered up 40 yards in 12 plays to settle for a 40-yard field goal just before the half to narrow the margin, 10-6.

 

A quick TCU three-and-out took up the first minute of the third quarter before K-State took over from its own 17. On third and long, Ertz completed a slant to Pringle, who outran all Horned Frog defenders for an 83-yard touchdown – K-State’s longest offensive play from scrimmage this season. Just 1:59 into the second half, K-State built a 17-6 advantage.

 

The Wildcats forced another Horned Frog three-and-out on the ensuing possession before mounting their second scoring drive of the third quarter. The six-play, 72-yard drive featured five rushing plays, including back-to-back runs of 26 yards from Silmon and a 31-yarder from Ertz. Silmon refused to be stopped on his five-yard touchdown run, putting K-State on top 23-6 with 8:22 to play in the third quarter as Patterson was unable to connect on the extra point.

 

K-State held TCU without another score, shutting out the Horned Frogs in the second half, while the Wildcats would tack on a touchdown with 2:32 to play in the game.  Silmon plunged into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the day to push the score to 30-6 – a score that K-State would see out to the end.

 

With the regular season now complete, K-State will learn its bowl destination on Sunday afternoon.

 

–www.kstatesports.com–

 

TOM GILBERT

Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

Blue Jays – Lady Jays Sweep Season Openers

small-blue-jayThe Junction City Blue Jays and Lady Jays turned in good efforts on defense enroute to season opening wins over Dodge City Friday night at Shenk Gym.

In the girls game Junction City jumped out to an 11-point first half lead and then held off a Red Demon rally in the the fourth quarter which brought Dodge City back to within one point at 44-43.  Junction City tacked on two more points and Dodge City was unable to get a final shot off in the last eight seconds of the ballgame as the Lady Jays picked up the victory.

For Junction City, who went 3-18 last season, this was a big win. Blue Jay coach Derek Petty said it felt good to get the win. “I feel so good for the girls. They put in the work to get to this point and I’m so proud of them. They did a great job hanging in there through adversity.”

The Lady Jays were led in scoring by Alana Kramer with 12 points and Da’shawn Battiste with 10 points.

In the boys varsity contest Junction City by six points early in the first quarter but then surged ahead to take the lead. They pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 48-32.

It was the first win for the Blue Jays and the first for head coach Nate Schmitt after taking over the Blue Jay program. “It’s definitely special. It wasn’t pretty but that may be the way they go for awhile until we figure exactly how it is we want to play. Me inside I’m happy for the boys that they got their first win.”

Lonnie Autry and AJ Range both had 12 points for Junction City, while AJ Dickerson scored 11 points. Strong defense and rebounding helped carry the Blue Jays to the win.

Friday Night High School Basketball Scores

little basketballsAP-KS–Kansas Prep Scores
Friday’s Scores
The Associated Press

Boys Basketball

Junction City 48 Dodge City 32

Abilene 47, Smoky Valley 35

Arkansas City 55, Winfield 35

Attica 47, Argonia 46

Bonner Springs 84, Lansing 79

BV Northwest 78, Mill Valley 53

Centralia 58, Valley Falls 32

Cheney 82, Garden Plain 71

Cherryvale 56, Riverton 35

Clearwater 52, Kingman 23

Conway Springs 69, Wichita Independent 51

Ellinwood 63, Russell 47

Ellsworth 49, Lyons 37

Emporia 67, Newton 57

Frankfort 38, Pawnee City, Neb. 29

Frontenac 62, Pittsburg Colgan 55

Goddard-Eisenhower 75, Valley Center 55

Goodland 56, Syracuse 21

Hesston 66, Salina Sacred Heart 36

Hill City 52, Stockton 43

Hillsboro 66, Sterling 33

Hutchinson Trinity 58, Haven 37

Inman 53, Goessel 23

Jackson Heights 62, Immaculata 37

Jefferson North 56, McLouth 27

Kapaun Mount Carmel 66, Wichita Heights 61

Lawrence 53, Topeka 49

Lebo 65, Flinthills 19

Liberal 60, Holcomb 56

Little River 39, Ell-Saline 27

Logan 73, Western Plains-Healy 20

Lyndon 66, Marais des Cygnes Valley 18

McPherson 58, El Dorado 26

Moscow 51, Ingalls 38

Moundridge 69, Pretty Prairie 32

Nemaha Central 46, Jefferson West 36

Ness City 70, Macksville 43

Northeast-Arma 53, Bronaugh, Mo. 19

Northern Valley 65, Weskan 40

Norton 55, Oakley 38

Olathe Northwest 56, Washburn Rural 44

Oswego 58, Southeast 49

Otis-Bison 58, Wilson 29

Ottawa 87, KC Piper 77

Oxford 54, Fairfield 36

Perry-Lecompton 42, Holton 34

Phillipsburg 56, Ellis 52

Plainville 76, Smith Center 44

Pratt 65, Larned 40

Remington 36, Halstead 32

Rock Creek 63, Clay Center 34

Royal Valley 52, Hiawatha 45

Salina Central 66, Goddard 43

Salina South 59, Andover Central 56

Scott City 58, Wichita County 16

Sedan 65, Central Burden 36

Shawnee Heights 81, KC Turner 63

SM Northwest 58, SM West 54

South Haven 51, Udall 33

Southeast Saline 68, Marion 37

St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 58, Natoma 18

St. Mary’s Academy 58, St. John’s Military 24

Topeka Seaman 65, Leavenworth 31

Trego 41, Dighton 36

Triplains-Brewster 67, Palco 25

Wabaunsee 62, Axtell 17

Wamego 61, Rossville 55

West Elk 47, Cedar Vale/Dexter 36

Wichita North 46, Wichita Bishop Carroll 39

Wichita Northwest 75, Wichita West 49

Flinthills Christian Tournament
Consolation Semifinal

Manhattan CHIEF 55, Chanute 22

St. Xavier 48, Flint Hills Christian 36

Semifinal

Heritage Christian 59, Tyro Community Christian 50

Hays City Tournament
Semifinal

Hays 67, Hays-TMP-Marian 48

Manhattan 60, Garden City 42

Waverly Tournament

Burlingame 63, Cornerstone Family 34

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Junction City 46 Dodge City 43

Abilene 61, Smoky Valley 35

Attica 49, Argonia 39

Bennington 43, Lincoln 36

Bishop Miege 76, KC Sumner 46

Bronaugh, Mo. 50, Northeast-Arma 42

Caney Valley 66, Bluestem 32

Centralia 37, Valley Falls 35

Cherryvale 61, Riverton 41

Clay Center 51, Rock Creek 27

Columbus 26, Galena 22

Concordia 60, Beloit 52

Council Grove 57, Central Heights 20

Ellis 55, Phillipsburg 33

Ellsworth 43, Lyons 42

Fairfield 49, Oxford 30

Falcon, Colo. 75, Colby 30

Flinthills 62, Lebo 50

Frankfort 51, Pawnee City, Neb. 42

Frontenac 41, Pittsburg Colgan 37

Garden Plain 57, Cheney 38

Girard 49, Iola 13

Glasco/Miltonvale-Southern Cloud 52, Osborne 29

Goessel 48, Inman 33

Goodland 30, Syracuse 25

Haven 35, Hutchinson Trinity 32

Hesston 56, Salina Sacred Heart 20

Hiawatha 42, Royal Valley 22

Hill City 66, Stockton 51

Holton 57, Perry-Lecompton 24

Humboldt 45, Eureka 35

Hutchinson Central Christian 39, Centre 30

Ingalls 46, Moscow 26

Jackson Heights 52, Immaculata 29

Kapaun Mount Carmel 44, Wichita Heights 35

KC Piper 92, Ottawa 20

Kingman 51, Clearwater 22

Kiowa County 47, LaCrosse 45

Lakeside 57, Tescott 23

Larned 47, Pratt 42

Lawrence 56, Topeka 44

Leavenworth 48, Topeka Seaman 17

Liberal 53, Holcomb 23

Little River 46, Ell-Saline 44

Logan 52, Western Plains-Healy 15

Lyndon 56, Marais des Cygnes Valley 44

Macksville 44, Ness City 29

Maize 66, Andover 33

Maize South 58, Wichita Campus 21

Marion 35, Southeast Saline 19

McPherson 67, El Dorado 23

Moundridge 53, Pretty Prairie 36

Nemaha Central 39, Jefferson West 34

Newton 48, Emporia 43

Norton 36, Oakley 23

Olathe Northwest 54, Washburn Rural 52

Otis-Bison 67, Wilson 41

Plainville 50, Smith Center 24

Pleasant Ridge 55, Oskaloosa 47

Rawlins County 51, Oberlin-Decatur 21

Remington 54, Halstead 49

Riley County 49, Valley Heights 21

Rose Hill 41, Augusta 38

Russell 65, Ellinwood 45

Salina Central 49, Goddard 34

Sedan 59, Central Burden 31

Shawnee Heights 57, KC Turner 27

SM Northwest 50, SM West 45, OT

South Gray 65, Bucklin 43

South Haven 48, Udall 44

St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 43, Natoma 16

Sterling 43, Hillsboro 26

Sylvan-Lucas 50, Wakefield 35

Thunder Ridge 73, Chase 25

Triplains-Brewster 71, Palco 56

Valley Center 49, Goddard-Eisenhower 38

Wabaunsee 44, Axtell 30

Wichita Bishop Carroll 73, Wichita North 28

Wichita Independent 50, Conway Springs 40

Wichita Northwest 50, Wichita West 45

Wichita Trinity 47, Douglass 31

Winfield 44, Arkansas City 33

Flint Hills Tournament
Consolation Semifinal

Chanute 30, Flint Hills Christian 21

Semifinal

Derby 46, Heritage Christian 32

Hays City Tournament
Consolation Semifinal

Great Bend 54, Olathe North 45

Semifinal

Hays-TMP-Marian 62, Hays 54

Manhattan 67, Garden City 34

Thunderbird Invitational

Pike Valley 49, Rock Hills 23

Waverly Tournament

Waverly 54, Cair Paravel 35

K-State Plays First Road Game at Saint Louis Saturday

wildcatCOACHES

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

Overall: 398-210/19th season

At K-State: 85-55/5th season

  1. Saint Louis: 4-2 (1-1 on road)

 

Saint Louis: Travis Ford (Kentucky ‘94)

Overall: 347-261/20th season

At Saint Louis: 2-4/1st season

  1. Kansas State: 7-10 (6-1 at home)

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (6-1)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes (10.6 ppg., 3.1 apg.)

G: #5 Barry Brown (14.7 ppg., 2.7 rpg.)

G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (13.0 ppg., 5.6 rpg.)

F: #32 Dean Wade (6.7 ppg., 5.9 rpg.)

F: #4 D.J. Johnson (10.3 ppg., 6.4 rpg.)

 

Saint Louis (2-4)

G: #5 Davell Roby (12.2 ppg., 3.5 apg.)

G: #11 Jermaine Bishop (12.2 ppg., 3.8 apg.)

G: #32 Mike Crawford (8.3 ppg., 6.0 rpg.)

F: #33 Elliott Welmer (9.0 ppg., 4.7 rpg.)

F: #35 Reggie Agbeko (11.7 ppg., 10.3 rpg.)

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: Tied 9-9

  1. Atlantic 10: K-State leads 20-13 (8-7 on the road)

In St. Louis: Saint Louis leads 6-4 (W, 65-64, 1/3/2004)

Current Streak: K-State, 1

Last Meeting: K-State won 75-47 in Manhattan, Kan. (12/29/2015)

Weber vs. Saint Louis: Weber leads 4-2 (1-1 on the road)

Weber vs. Ford: Weber leads 6-4 (0-4 on the road)

 

GAME 8 – QUICK HITTERS

  • Kansas State plays its first true road contest of the season on Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to St. Louis to face the Saint Louis Billikens (2-4) at 7 p.m. CT at Chaifetz Arena. It will be the first visit to St. Louis since playing Kentucky in the 2014 NCAA Midwest Second Round at Scottrade Center on March 22, 2014 and the first to play the Billikens since 2004.
  • Saturday’s game will be a homecoming for senior D.J. Johnson and freshman Xavier Sneed, who are both natives of St. Louis. Johnson was a two-sport athlete at Parkway North, where he averaged a double-double in leading the Vikings to their first-ever Class 5, District 5 title in 2011-12. Sneed was a four-year letterman at Hazelwood Central, where he led the Hawks to a 70-18 record in his final 3 seasons. The Wildcats also recently signed Vashon High standout Levi Stockard for the 2017-18 season.
  • Head coach Bruce Weber also has ties to the area after serving as head coach at Southern Illinois and Illinois and playing in the Missouri Valley Tournament (1998-2003) and the Braggin’ Rights’ game (2003-12) with Missouri. He led the Fighting Illini to the 2005 NCAA Championship game against North Carolina at the Edward Jones Dome. He is 12-10 in the city.
  • K-State and Saint Louis will be meeting for the 19th time and the first time in St. Louis since a 65-64 Billikens win on Jan. 3, 2004. The Wildcats are 4-6 all-time at Saint Louis with 3 wins in their last 4 meetings. Last season, K-State earned a 75-47 win on Dec. 29 at Bramlage Coliseum.
  • K-State will also meet a familiar foe in first-year Saint Louis coach Travis Ford, who previously spent 8 seasons as coach at Oklahoma State (2008-16). Ford went 7-10 against the Wildcats, including 6-1 in home venues.
  • K-State rebounded from its first loss of the season to post an 80-61 win over Green Bay on Wednesday, which was the Wildcats’ 13th straight non-conference home win dating back to 2015-16. The team eclipsed the 80-point plateau for the fourth time this season in connecting on 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the field, including better than 50 percent in both halves.
  • Sophomore Barry Brown led a balanced scoring effort with a game-high 18 points, as six players had at least 8 points, including four double-digit scorers for the fifth time in 7 games. Brown is the only player to post double figures in all 7 games, connecting on 52 percent (39-of-75).
  • K-State has been stellar on defense, holding foes to 59.1 points on 36.8 percent shooting while forcing 16.6 turnovers per game. The team ranks 15th in scoring defense and 18th in field goal percentage defense.

 

THE OPPONENT: SAINT LOUIS (2-4)

  • Saint Louis enters Saturday’s game with a 2-4 record after dropping its third in a row to Samford, 68-64, on Tuesday at home… The Billikens started the season with wins in 2 of their first 3 home games before neutral court losses to BYU and Alabama.
  • Saint Louis is averaging 68.2 points on 41.6 percent shooting, including 31.6 percent from 3-point range, with 37.2 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.2 blocks per game… The team is allowing 75.3 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting.
  • The Billikens have 3 players averaging in double figures led by sophomore Jermaine Bishop and junior Davell Roby, who are both averaging 12.2 points per game… Bishop is shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range with a team-high 11 treys, while Roby is connecting on 45.8 percent of his field goals… Bishop is 1st in both assists (3.8 apg.) and steals (1.5 spg.)… Senior Reggie Agbeko is averaging a double-double with 11.7 points on a team-best 58.3 percent shooting and team-high 10.3 rebounds.
  • Saint Louis returns 9 lettermen, including 3 starters, from a team that posted an 11-21 overall record and finished tied for 13th in the Atlantic 10… The Billikens have won 26 or more games 3 times in the past 5 seasons.
  • Head coach Travis Ford has a 347-261 overall record in his 21st season as a head coach, including a 2-4 mark in his first season at Saint Louis… Ford has been a head coach at Campbellsville (1997-2000), Eastern Kentucky (2000-05), Massachusetts (2005-07) and Oklahoma State (2008-16)… He went 7-10 vs. K-State, including 6-1 in home games, while at Oklahoma State.

 

BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES

  • Saturday’s contest will mark the 19th meeting between K-State and Saint Louis on the hardwood dating back to 1929.
  • The teams met 8 times between 1929-33 with the Billikens winning 4 of the first 5 meetings… The squad played 5 more times between 1948-63 before the first of 3 home-and-home series in 1998 and 1999, 2003 and 2004 and 2015 and 2016… The Wildcats have won 4 of the last 5 meetings since 1998, including 75-47 at Bramlage Coliseum on Dec. 29, 2015.
  • K-State is 20-13 all-time against teams from the Atlantic 10, including an 8-7 mark in road games… It will be the first meeting with an Atlantic 10 foe on the road since knocking off George Washington, 65-62, on Dec. 8, 2012.

 

LAST MEETING: K-STATE 75, SAINT LOUIS 47

  • Kansas State won the latest meeting with Saint Louis, 75-47, using a balanced scoring attack with Wesley Iwundu’s 13 points led seven Wildcats with at least 7 points… K-State ended the game on a 21-3 run to break open a 10-point margin with 4:43 to play… The squad connected on 50 percent (26-of-52) from the field, scoring 38 points in the paint and 20 points off turnovers.
  • Iwundu led all Wildcats with a game-high 13 points on 6-of-8 field goals to go with team-highs in rebounding (8), assists (4) and steals (2) in 29 minutes… Kamau Stokes (11) and then senior Justin Edwards (10) also scored in double figures, as 10 different players registered at least one field goal in the contest… D.J. Johnson came off the bench with 9 points.
  • Eight Wildcats return who played in last year’s contest, including starters Iwundu, Stokes and Dean Wade.

 

GOOD START ON THE OFFENSIVE END

  • K-State is averaging 76.1 points on 49.4 percent shooting (192-of-389), including 39.7 percent (54-of-136) from 3-point range, through the first 7 games with average of 38.0 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 8.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game.
  • The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points in 5 of the first 7 games, including 80 or more points 4 times.
  • K-State is now 51-16 under Bruce Weber when scoring 70 or more points, including 23-2 when scoring 80 or more points.
  • K-State has shot better than 44 percent in each game, including 50 percent or higher 3 times (vs. Omaha (11/15), Hampton (11/20) and Green Bay (11/30)… The team shot a season-best 58.3 percent (28-of-48) against Hampton, including 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from 3-point range… K-State is 30-5 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 9 of their last 13 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 7 games so far, including in both halves against Hampton (11/20) and Green Bay (11/30).
  • K-State is shooting 53.8 percent (98-of-182) in the second half, including 43.7 percent (31-of-71) from 3-point range, this season while averaging 39.6 points… In contrast, the team is averaging 36.6 points on 45.4 percent (94-of-207) in the first half.
  • K-State is averaging 31.7 points in the paint, 20.9 bench points, 18.9 points off of turnovers, 12.4 fast break points and 11.7 second-chance points through 7 games… The team is forcing 16.5 turnovers per game, including a combined 71 in the last 4.
  • K-State has at least 15 points off turnovers in each of the first 7 games, including a season-high 26 vs. Omaha (11/15)… The squad has scored more than 2,000 points (2,052) off of turnovers under Bruce Weber, an average of 14.7 points per game.
  • K-State has already totaled 87 fast-break points (12.4 ppg.), an improvement from 5.3 ppg. from 2015-16 (7.1 ppg.).
  • 10 Wildcats are shooting 50 percent or better from the field, including 4 of 5 starters… The starters are shooting a combined 51.9 percent from the field (138-of-266), including 41.5 percent (34-of-82) from 3-point range.
  • D.J. Johnson (8th), Wesley Iwundu (9th) and Barry Brown (12th) rank in the Big 12’s Top 15 in field goal percentage.
  • Four Wildcats have scored in double figures in 5 of the first 7 games, including double-digit performances in each of the first 7 games from Barry Brown, who is averaging a team-best 14.7 points on 52 percent (39-of-75)… In all, 7 different players have at least one double-digit scoring game, 5 from Wesley Iwundu and 4 each from Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes.

 

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 39.7 percent (54-of-136) from 3-point range and is averaging 7.7 3-point field goals per game.
  • K-State ranks 39th 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 5 of 7 games, including double-digit totals vs. Western Illinois (11/11) and Hampton (11/15)… The Wildcats are 52-17 under Bruce Weber when connecting on at least 6 treys, including 5-0 this season.
  • The Wildcats knocked down 10-of-14 3-point field goals in the opener with Western Illinois, 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 13-of-30 start by Kamau Stokes… Stokes has at least one 3-pointer in 6 of 7 games, including at least 2 in 4 of the last 6 games… Sneed is 12-of-29 from 3-point range.
  • Seven Wildcats had at least one 3-pointer vs. Green Bay (11/30) for the first time in the Bruce Weber era.
  • K-State has made at least one 3-pointer in 279 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).
  • K-State ranks 15th nationally in scoring defense (59.1), 18th in field goal percentage defense (36.8), 35th in steals (8.6) and 41st in turnovers forced (16.6)… The Wildcats are 3rd in the Big 12 in scoring defense and 2nd in field goal percentage defense.
  • K-State has held its first 7 opponents to an average of 59.1 points on 36.8 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range, with just 77 assists on 144 made field goals… The Wildcats also hold a +5.4 rebounding margin (38-32.6).
  • K-State has scored 132 points (18.9 ppg.) off 116 turnovers… The team has at least 15 points off turnovers in all 7 games.
  • 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.
  • The Wildcats also forced the Colonials into 25 turnovers, which were the most since Lamar had 26 on Nov. 12, 2012.
  • K-State is 75-23 under Bruce Weber when holding an opponent to 69 points or less and 10-32 when allowing 70 or more.
  • Since Weber’s arrival at K-State in 2012-13 (spanning 140 games), the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in scoring defense at 64.1 points per game (8,974)… The next closest team in that span is Baylor (64.9 ppg.) followed by Oklahoma State (65.3 ppg.).
  • n  51 opponents have been held to 60 points or less in Weber’s tenure with the Wildcats boasting a 45-6 mark in those contests (losses to Kansas in 2012, Northern Colorado & Kentucky in 2013, Texas Southern & Georgia in 2014 and Texas & OSU in 2016).

 

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 6 of 7 games by a combined score of 309-228.
  • Senior D.J. Johnson has a team-best 65 points on the Play Hard Chart and has won the chart 5 times this year… He has 505 points in his career, which ranks second on the team to fellow senior Wesley Iwundu (521).
  • 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 with 12 points each vs. Hampton (11/20) and Robert Morris (11/22).

 

COUNTDOWN TO 400

  • Head coach Bruce Weber is closing in a coaching milestone, as he stands just 2 wins 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 (392) is 8 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 tied Tom Asbury (85, 1994-2000) for 6th on the all-time wins list on Wednesday with his 85th 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 is not the only Wildcat coach that could reach a milestone this season, as women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie is 1 win shy of 500 in his career… Football coach Bill Snyder won his 200th career game (all at K-State) vs. Kansas on Nov. 26, while volleyball coach Suzie Fritz won her 300th career match (all at K-State) vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 9.

 

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 14.7 points on 52 percent (39-of-75) shooting, including 58.5 percent (31-of-53) 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 4 categories, including 7th in minutes, 8th in scoring and 12th in field goal percentage.
  • Brown has been among the steals leaders, ranking 22nd nationally in total steals (17) and 28th in steals per game (2.4)… He has at least 2 steals in 5 of 7 games, including a career-best 5 vs. Hampton (11/20)… He ranks 5th in the Big 12 in steals.
  • Brown is the only Wildcat to score in double figures in all 7 games plus the only one to register double digits in all 7 games and both exhibitions, posting 17 vs. Pittsburg State (10/28) and 15 vs. Washburn (11/4) in exhibition play… He is averaging 15 points during that span on 52.7 percent (49-of-93) shooting, including 60 percent (37-of-62) from inside 3-point range.

 

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 116 points, 64 rebounds, 30 assists and 8 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 1st on the team in assists (3.6 apg.) and is 2nd in scoring (13.0 ppg.) and rebounding (5.6 rpg.).
  • Iwundu ranks among the Big 12 leaders in 7 categories, including scoring (16th), rebounding (18th), assists (13th), field goal percentage (9th/52.4), free throw percentage (13th/72.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (15th/1.7) and defensive rebounds (8th/4.7).
  • Iwundu is the leader in points (884), rebounds (436), assists (270), steals (92), minutes (2,828), games (104) and starts (96).
  • Iwundu has played in 71 consecutive games, including a streak of 59 starts in a row… His 96 career starts currently rank 8th in school history and needs just 4 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 for the Wildcats, averaging 10.3 points on 54.0 percent shooting (27-of-50) with team-bests in rebounding (6.4 rpg.) and blocks (2.1 bpg.)… He has double figures in 3 games this season.
  • 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.
  • His career 56.9 field goal percentage ranks 2nd in school history after shooting a school-record 60.8 percent as a junior.
  • His 15 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 All-State honors from the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association (SCBCA)… Love averaged 10 points, 13 rebounds and 5 block

Friday Night High School Basketball Schedule

little basketballsThe Junction City Blue Jay and Lady Jay basketball teams open their seasons Friday night at the Shenk Gym against Dodge City.

In other boys and girls games in the area:

–Abilene plays at Smoky Valley

–Clay Center hosts Rock Creek

–Concordia hosts Beloit

–Marysville is at Sabetha

–Wamego travels to Rossville

–Central Heights visits Council Grove

–Herington goes to Peabody

–Saint Xavier competes at the SHEA Tournament in Manhattan

–Rural Vista hosts Canton-Galva

–Wakefield hosts Sylvan Unified

–Manhattan is playing in the Hays City Shootout.

–Shawnee Heights visits Kansas City Turner

–Seaman hosts Leavenworth

–Topeka High at Lawrence

–Washburn Rural at Olathe Northwest

Blue Jays Sweep Double Dual in Wrestling

The Junction City Blue Jays swept Clay Center and Chapman in a double dual Thursday evening at the Shenk Gym.

The Blue Jays defeated Clay Center 42-29 and Chapman 58-24.

Junction City coach Bob Laster stated Clay Center and Chapman are good teams. “Clay Center is ranked in the top five in 4A so we beat a good team, and so hopefully that means good things down the road.”

Blue Jays who went 2-0 in the double dual included Max Bazan at 126 pounds, Tanner Bogenhagen 132, Logan Roether 138, and Aryus Jones at 182 pounds. Hunter Bogenhagen went 1-0 at 145 pounds.

For years Junction City has opened the season with Chapman and Clay center in a double dual that rotates between the three schools. Laster noted this was the final time the Blue Jays will compete against the other two schools in that arrangement. “Hopefully next year we can try to get something that we can host and have it stay in Junction City.”wrr-two

Saint Xavier Falls to Heritage Christian

St. Xavier Rams LogoThe Saint Xavier Rams high school boys basketball team fell to Heritage Christian 54-38 in boys basketball action in the first round of the SHEA Tournament on Thursday,

Also on Thursday the Saint Xavier Middle School teams both lost to Smoky Valley Home Educators. The girls team fell by a score of 33-11, and the boys lost 51-9.

Blue Jay Boys Swimming Team Finishes 10th at Topeka West Invitational

small-blue-jayThe Junction City Blue Jay boys swimming team opened their season this week.

The Blue Jays finished 10th out of 11 teams in the Topeka West Invitational.

Ganion Paige of Junction City finished 19th in the 100 yard freestyle in 1:04.63 and was a member of the Blue Jay 200 yard medley relay team that finished in 15th in 2:20.22. Other members of that relay team included Isaiah Poulson, Ja’Quan Aird, and Samuel Osenga. Logan Post of Junction City finished 20th in the 100 yard freestyle in 1:08.31.

Paige finished 19th in the 50 yard freestyle in 28.04 and teammate Ja’quan Aird was 20th in that event in 28.52.

In the team scoring Seaman finished first out of 12 teams with 447 points. Junction City scored 25 points.

K-State Defeats Green Bay in Men’s Basketball

PowerCatBarry Brown scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Xavier Sneed added 14 points and Kansas State beat Green Bay 80-61 on Wednesday night.

Wesley Iwundu had 11 points and five assists and Carlbe Ervin II scored 10 for Kansas State (6-1). Dean Wade added eight points and eight rebounds.

Turner Botz led Green Bay (4-3) with 11 points.

Iwundu, Kamau Stokes and Sneed each hit a 3-pointer during a 13-2 run that put the Wildcats up 30-14 with 7:27 left in the half. The Phoenix trimmed its deficit to 37-29 at halftime, but Wade and Brown hit back-to-back 3s before a dunk by Iwundu to make it 45-29 fewer than two minutes into the second half and Kansas State led by double figures the rest of the way.

Green Bay was 11-of-33 shooting, including 3 of 15 (20 percent) from 3-point range and committed 11 turnovers in the first half.

Kansas State shot 57 percent from the field and never trailed.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File