Kansas State athletic officials were notified Sunday by the Big 12 Conference and ABC / ESPN that the Wildcats’ game this Saturday in Manhattan against Oklahoma State will kick off at 2:30 p.m. The contest will be shown on ABC in Big 12 markets and on ESPN2 throughout the rest of the country.

AMES, Iowa – A fourth quarter goal line stand by the Kansas State defense proved to be the game’s deciding moment as the Wildcats withstood a late Iowa State comeback, 31-26, in front of 52,763 fans at Jack Trice Stadium.

In the 100^th game of the all-time series, K-State’s victory was its ninth straight over Iowa State and fourth consecutive win in Ames, slimming the all-time deficit to 47-49-4. The Wildcats’ first road win of the season is Bill Snyder’s 198^thwin all-time, moving him into a tie for 25^th place on the FBS’ list for most career victories.

K-State (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) built a two touchdown lead by halftime behind a strong running presence in the early going as the Wildcats ground and pound attack went for 149 yards in the first half, averaging 7.5 yards per rush. The Wildcats ticked away more than 18 minutes of the clock in the first two quarters and were an efficient 6-of-8 on third down opportunities. Iowa State (1-7, 0-5 Big 12) was held to just 133 total yards on 30 plays in the first half with the K-State defense smothering the Cyclone running game for just 54 yards.

Despite falling behind by three scores to begin the fourth quarter, the second half’s final statistics flipped as Iowa State racked up 360 total yards on its way to making it a five-point game late. The Cyclones threw for 260 yards in the second half and limited K-State to just 141 total yards, but a key fourth down stop at their own 1-yard line proved to be the Wildcats’ game-clinching moment with six minutes to play.

Offensively, K-State was led by junior Jesse Ertz, who finished 18-of-28 for 151 yards and one touchdown. Ertz was also K-State’s leading rusher as he took off nine times for career-high 106 yards, including a career-long run of 54 to set up K-State’s opening field goal. Ertz’s day on the ground marked two new career highs and was the fourth time in eight games this season he has eclipsed the 75-yard rushing mark. Redshirt freshman Alex Delton also contributed at quarterback, running four times for 11 yards.

Three running backs carried it five or more times on Saturday, with sophomore Justin Silmon being the Wildcats’ biggest gainer behind Ertz, rushing nine times for 54 yards and one touchdown. Freshman Alex Barnes rushed five times for 37 yards and his first touchdown as a Wildcat. Senior Charles Jones saw the most carries, 12, as he also went for 37 yards on the day.

For the third consecutive week, sophomore Dominique Heath led the way for K-State receivers. Heath caught a career-high nine balls for 46 yards, while senior Deante Burton brought in five passes for 72 yards and K-State’s first touchdown – his first of the year.

The Wildcats finished with 398 yards of total offense with 247 yards earned between the tackles. K-State finished 8-of-12 on third downs, and despite running three fewer plays than Iowa State, won the time of possession battle by more than six minutes.

Defensively, the Wildcats’ were top notch in the first half, but struggled after the break as the Cyclones put together 493 yards of total offense with 339 through the air. However, K-State held Iowa State to 7-of-15 on third down conversions and stumped the Cyclones’ crucial fourth down chances 2-of-5 times.

Sophomore cornerback D.J. Reed paced all Wildcat defenders in tackles, as he tallied a career-high 14, matching Elijah Lee’s effort at West Virginia on Oct. 1 for the most tackles in a game this season. Lee, a junior linebacker, was second in tackles for K-State, as he was in on 11, while senior safety Dante Barnett and senior linebacker Charmeachealle Moore each added eight tackles apiece. Sophomore Duke Shelley came up with the game’s lone turnover in the first half, an interception, that is his second of the season.

In special teams, the Wildcats were forced into only three punts, with a healthy average of 52.7 yards. Junior placekicker Matthew McCrane was used just once with the field goal unit, converting from 23-yards out in the first quarter.

Iowa State received the game’s opening kickoff, but the Wildcats’ defense forced a three-and-out in just over a minute. The offense took over from its own 34-yard line and quickly moved into scoring position with a 54-yard quarterback draw from Ertz down to the Cyclone 10-yard line. K-State came as close as the 1-yard line, but a penalty setback thwarted the drive, as McCrane knocked through a 23-yard field goal to go up 3-0.

Iowa State leveled the score line five minutes later. The Cyclones drove down to K-State’s nine, but settled for a 24-yard field goal from placekicker Cole Netten to cap off the 12 play, 68-yard drive and tie the game, 3-3, with 5:23 to play in the first quarter.

The Wildcats answered with a 13 play, 75-yard drive to reclaim the lead. Ertz dropped a perfect, back shoulder fade to Burton, who made a splendid aerial adjustment to grab the 11-yard touchdown pass. K-State led 10-3 with 14:24 to play in the second quarter.

The defense came up with its first takeaway on Iowa State’s next drive as Shelley picked off a deep ball from Jacob Park at the Wildcats’ 14-yard line. Ertz and redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Delton exchanged plays as the Wildcats moved into Cyclone territory. Silmon rushed four times for 30 yards on the drive, including the exclamation point from 6-yards out to boost K-State’s advantage to 17-3 with 8:03 left in the half.

Neither team was able to muster up a score to close out the half. K-State maintained a 17-3 lead behind 149 rushing yards and conversions on 6-of-8 third down opportunities in the first half.

Iowa State grabbed the momentum to begin the second half. With K-State slated to receive the kickoff, the Cyclones went for trickery and were rewarded by recovering the onside kick. The home team wasted little time in making it count, finding pay dirt in just seven plays as Park found Deshaunte Jones for a 24-yard touchdown pass to slim the margin, 17-10, just 2:51 into the second half.

K-State’s next possession pushed it back to a two score game. The Wildcats’ drive began at their own 15, but three completions to Burton for a total of 39 yards, as well as 25 rushing yards from Ertz put K-State at the one. On the 14^th play of the drive, Dimel stumbled in for the score to put K-State ahead 24-10 with 5:24 left in the third quarter.

The Wildcats turned Iowa State over on downs on the Cyclones’ next possession before the Wildcats scored in six plays, all of which were runs. Ertz sprinted for a 25-yard gain and Barnes rushed five times for 37 yards, including the 8-yard touchdown run to pile on to K-State’s lead, 31-10.

Iowa State came right back with a score of its own. Park connected on a 48-yard pass to Allen Lazard to K-State’s 14-yard line. Joel Lanning entered at quarterback and two runs later found the end zone from 5-yards out to cut the deficit to 31-17 with 13:15 to play in the game.

After a K-State punt, the Cyclones’ offense looked destined to score. Iowa State ran four plays from the Wildcats’ 1-yard line, but the K-State defense rose to the occasion, stuffing three run attempts before an overthrown ball on fourth down.

However, ISU came away with two points on K-State’s first offensive play, as Kane Seeley brought Charles Jones down for a loss. The lead was whittled to 31-19 with 6:47 remaining.

Iowa State added another touchdown with 51 seconds on the clock when Park found Jones from 5-yards. Needing another onside recovery, the Cyclones were close to coming up with one, but an illegal touching penalty doomed the home team’s chance of putting together a game-winning drive. K-State kneeled out the remaining seconds for the 31-26 victory.

K-State returns to Manhattan, Kan., next Saturday for a Big 12 matchup against Oklahoma State, with kickoff against the Cowboys set for 2:30 or 6: 00 p.m. CT on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

– www.k-statesports.com —

Kansas State University, the nation’s first operational land-grant institution and a Carnegie Foundation Tier One university, is recognized as one of America’s best colleges with world-class research and academic excellence.

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

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Sophomore Barry Brown paced four players in double figures with a game-high 17 points to help Kansas State drop Division II foe Pittsburg State, 85-72, in the team’s first exhibition on Friday night before 11,315 at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats now have four wins over the Gorillas during the team’s streak of 19 consecutive home wins in exhibition games since 2004.

In a game of halves, K-State connected on 44.3 (31-of-70) percent from the field, including 52.8 percent (19-of-36) in the first half, while holding Pittsburg State to 37.3 percent (22-of-59) shooting. The Wildcats scorched the nets for eight first half 3-pointers and added another two after the break, while also dominating the battle in the paint, 32-14.

Brown was joined in double figures by sophomore Dean Wade, who scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Freshman Xavier Sneed, in his first game as Wildcat, scored 13 points off the bench while redshirt freshman Isaiah Maurice rounded out K-State’s double figure scorers with 10 points. Senior D.J. Johnson tallied 9 points and a team-high 7 rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.

The 85 points were the most in an exhibition game since scoring 81 against Emporia State on Nov. 4, 2012.
The Basics

• Final Score: Kansas State 85, Pittsburg State 72
• Records: Kansas State 0-0, 0-0 Big 12 // Pittsburg State 0-0, 0-0 MIAA
• Attendance: 11,315
• Next Game: Friday, Nov. 4, 2016 \\ vs. Washburn \\ 8 p.m. CT \\ FOX Sports Kansas City

The Short Story

• Sophomore Barry Brown paced four players in double figures with a game-high 17 points to help Kansas State drop Division II foe Pittsburg State, 85-72, in the team’s first exhibition on Friday night before 11,315 at Bramlage Coliseum.
• Brown paced K-State in scoring (17), assists (4) and minutes played (29), and added 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
• Sophomore Dean Wade (14), freshman Xavier Sneed (13) and redshirt freshman Isaiah Maurice (10) also scored in double figures for K-State. In all, 11 players scored at least two points, including 10 with a made field goal.
• Pittsburg State had three players score in double figures, led by junior transfer Elijah Gaines’ 12 points.

How It Happened  |  First Half

• The Wildcats shot out to a hot start as Iwundu drilled a 3-pointer just 30 seconds into the game. Dean Wade added a pair of triples, while Barry Brown added a lay-in and fadeaway jumper all before the first media timeout to give K-State a 13-5 lead.
• K-State then blitzed the Gorillas for a 10-0 run behind two 3-point baskets from Isaiah Maurice and Brown, as well as Xavier Sneed’s first points as a Wildcat. K-State led at the 11:58 mark, 23-9.
• The advantage swelled to 15 points, 32-17, thanks to a jumper and 3-pointer from Sneed with 7:49 to play in the half.
• Carlbe Ervin II’s old-fashioned three point play handed the Wildcats their largest lead of the half, 49-30, with just over a minute left in the half, before K-State took a 49-33 into the break.
• The Wildcats connected on 52.8 percent (19-of-36) in the first half and knocked down 8-of-15 from beyond the arc. K-State held the advantage in the paint, 16-8, and points off turnovers, 10-2.
• Wade led all scorers before the break with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including three 3-pointers, while Brown, Kamau Stokes and Sneed all added 7 points apiece.

How It Happened  |Second Half

• Dean Wade picked up where he left off in the first half, draining a 3-pointer for K-State’s first points after the break as the Wildcats began the half on a 13-7 run to build a 22 point lead, 62-40, by the first media timeout.
• The margin reached its peak of 26 when K-State went up 70-44 after an Isaiah Maurice and-1 with 11:55 left in the half.
• The Gorillas slimmed the K-State lead to 16 as the Wildcats went cold over the next 4:17 before Austin Budkeended the drought with a three-point play at the 7:38 mark to make it 73-54.
• Despite finishing the final 12 minutes on a 28-15 run, the Gorillas were unable to whittle the margin down to single digits, coming as close as 11 (81-70) with 1:10 left, as K-State held on late, 85-72.
• K-State was hindered by 10 second half turnovers, while shooting just 35.3 percent (12-of-34) and connecting on 2-of-11 3-point attempts.
• Barry Brown led all scorers in the second half with 10 points, while Xavier Sneed added six to get into double figures for the game.

Beyond the Boxscore

• K-State is now 61-20 (.756) all-time in exhibition play, including 47-9 at Bramlage Coliseum.
• The Wildcats have now won 19 consecutive home exhibition games dating back to 2004.
• K-State is 7-0 in exhibition play under head coach Bruce Weber.
• K-State is now 4-0 vs. Emporia State in exhibition play.
• The 85 points were the most in an exhibition since scoring 81 vs. Emporia State on Nov. 4, 2012.
• In all, five players made their first appearances in a Wildcat uniform – true freshmen Brian Patrick, Xavier Sneed and James Love III and redshirt freshmen Isaiah Maurice and Dante Williams.

Quotable

• “He did the things we anticipated he would do,” said head coach Bruce Weber on Sneed. “He had great energy. In Europe, he made a lot of threes, he did some pretty good things, but I love what he did tonight, not the offensive part as much as seven rebounds, blocked a couple of shots, got that steal. He had a great energy burst in that one stretch, which will be great for us; he is another mixed guy for us. He gives us versatility to play some 4, we played him a little at the three. It was a good start for him.”

Up Next

• K-State plays its second exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 4 when the Wildcats play host to Washburn at 8 p.m.Tickets are available starting at $10, while fans can take advantage of the new Bramlage Bundle for just $20, which includes a general admission/bench ticket, $10 concessions voucher and a souvenir from the K-State Super Store. The contest will be televised on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas, Kansas City area), K-StateHD.TV and ESPN3.

–www.kstatesports.com–

Kansas State University, the nation’s first operational land-grant institution and a Carnegie Foundation Tier One university, is recognized as one of America’s best colleges with world-class research and academic excellence.

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

LUBBOCK, Texas – After a strong showing by both the men and women in the first four races of the season, the Kansas State cross country team is set to compete at the Big 12 Championship meet, which will be held at The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday morning.

The competition is slated to begin at 10 a.m. CT, with the women’s 6K race, followed immediately by the men’s 8K race, which will begin at 11 a.m. CT.

“This race is just like any other race that we compete at in that we know that we will be challenged and that we are going to have to dig deep and give a big effort,” head coach Ryun Godfrey said. “The only difference is there is more excitement. We will get tested mentally and physically tomorrow. That is the excitement.”

K-State will look to build off last season’s performance at the Big 12 Championship, where the men finished in sixth place, their best finish since taking fifth place in 1998. The women finished in seventh place last season and were led by Morgan Wedekind’s 10^th place overall finish to earn her All-Big 12 honors.

The women enter this year’s meet with some impressive results under their belts, opening the year with a second-place finish at the Augustana Twilight followed by two third-place finishes at the Woody Greeno Invitational and the Cowboy Jamboree, respectively.

The Wildcats have been led by Wedekind, who has posted three top-five finishes, including a first-place finish at the Augustana Twilight to open the season, to earn the first of her two Big 12 Runner of the Week honors this year. Junior Kayla Doll has also posted strong marks for the team, recording three top-20 marks on the year, including a fifth-place finish at the Augustana Twilight.

K-State’s men have also recorded strong results over the first four races this season, finishing in second place at the Augustana Twilight followed by back-to-back third-place finishes at the Woody Greeno Invitational and the Cowboy Jamboree.

Three men have predominately powered the Wildcats during the 2016 season. Juniors Colton Donahue and Bryan Zack, as well as sophomore Joe Gorthy, have each posted season-high marks at the Augustana Twilight, taking fourth place, eighth place and 12^th place, respectively. All three went on to continue having success throughout the rest of the season, including three top-25 times at the Cowboy Jamboree.

This year’s meet will be streamed live courtesy of FloSports and FloTrack with a FloPro subscription. A link to both the live stream and access information can be found here.

For more information of the Big 12 Championship meet, including a full schedule, a course map and meet history, visit the conference’s meet homepage by clicking here.

For the latest on K-State cross country, follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State will have two former players on opening day NBA rosters, as Michael Beasley(Milwaukee Bucks) and Rodney McGruder (Miami HEAT) debut for their respective teams on Wednesday.

The HEAT travel to Orlando, while the Bucks host the Hornets.

K-State is one of six Big 12 teams with multiple NBA players, joining Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas. It marks 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 in late September to the Bucks, which will be his fifth NBA team (Miami [2008-10, 2013-15], Minnesota [2010-12], Phoenix [2012-13] and Houston [2015-16]. In his career, Beasley has averaged 13 points on 45.2 percent shooting with 4.8 rebounds per game, including averages of 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 52.2 percent shooting in 2015-16.

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 played in 48 games for the HEAT’s D-League team – the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce – during the 2015-16 season, leading the squad to a new league record for most wins in a single season (40) en route to capturing their first NBA D-League Championship in April. He averaged 15.8 points on 51.3 percent shooting with the Skyforce to go with 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 37.5 minutes per game.

One of the greatest one-year players in school history, Beasley is one of just two Wildcats to be named a consensus All-American, earning first team distinction in 2008, and the only player to be the consensus National Freshman of the Year.  He owns 30 career, single-season and freshman records at K-State, including scoring average (26.2 ppg.), 20-point games (26) and double-doubles (28), while he holds 17 single-game and single-season marks in the Big 12. The Pete Newell Big Man of the Year led the nation in 40-point games (3), 30-point, 10-rebound games (13), 20-point, 10-rebound games (22), rebounding average (12.4 rpg.) and double-doubles.

An honorable mention AP All-American as a senior, McGruder led K-State to its first conference title in 36 years in 2013, leading the Wildcats in eight categories, including scoring (15.6 ppg.), double-digit scoring games (29), 20-point games (11), rebounding (5.4 rpg.), starts (35) and minutes (33.5). He is one of only two Wildcats (along with two-time All-American Bob Boozer) to rank in the Top 10 in both career scoring (1,576, seventh) and rebounding (654, seventh). He is part of the winningest senior class in school history (101), while he is one of just four Wildcats to appear in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments (Steve Henson, Jordan Henriquez and Martavious Irving).

– www.k-statesports.com —

TOM GILBERT

Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics