Wade posts career night in K-State victory

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Junior forward Dean Wade recorded his second-career double-double with a career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds, as Kansas State remained unbeaten at Bramlage Coliseum this season with a 77-68 win over Oral Roberts on Wednesday night.

Wade’s 25-point scoring outburst marked his fifth career 20-point game and finally eclipsed his previous career-high of 20 points done four times. It was his first 20-point, 10-rebound double-double and first overall double-double since a 14-point, 13-rebound effort against Missouri on Nov. 23, 2015.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Returning home after a two-game excursion at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational, K-State picked up where they left off at Bramlage Coliseum this season, extending their non-conference home winning streak to 21 games.

The streak continued due to an early-scoring run by K-State, as the Wildcats outscored the Golden Eagles 16-2 early in the first half to earn a 23-10 lead. The team benefited from back-to-back 3-pointers from redshirt freshman guard Cartier Diarra and junior guard Kamau Stokes, as they made the 3-pointer a theme in the first half.

Along with the 3-point shooting, K-State out-rebounded Oral Roberts by a 18-13 margin in the first half, including 8 offensive boards. Wade guided the effort by cleaning the glass with 6 rebounds in the first half, 4 of which came offensively.

After a strong offensive showing from the Wildcats, the Golden Eagles responded by connecting on four consecutive field goals, to bring the score to 27-22 with 5:21 remaining in the first half.

Nearing the end of the half, the Wildcats went back to the 3-pointer to extend their lead in to the break. Junior guard Amaad Wainright recorded 3 bench points on an assist from Diarra to bring the score to 42-34 at the break. As a team, the Wildcats shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from beyond the arc in the first half including 6 points off threes from Stokes. Wade led the Wildcats with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Wade continued his hot hand into the second half, connecting on the first Wildcat points out of the break and several influential baskets throughout the game. With under 10 minutes remaining, Wade connected on three consecutive scores for K-State to bring the Wildcat lead to 10 at 62-52.

Late in the second half, the Golden Eagles brought the score to within five points with 4:43 remaining on a tip-in from Jontray Harris. With both teams in the bonus, Wade was sent to the line on two consecutive possessions, where he made 3-of-4 of his attempts to bring the score to 69-61.

Coming off a career-high 27-point outing on Nov. 23, junior guard Barry Brown came up clutch for the Wildcats at 2:49 with a steal and fast-break layup. On the subsequent defensive possession, Brown continued the pressure with a blocked shot, helping the Wildcats seal the 77-68 victory. Brown totaled 9 points and 5 assists in the game.

Overall, K-State shot 48 percent (29-of-60) from the field and held Oral Roberts to just 37 percent (21-of-57) shooting. Wade led the team in both points and rebounds, while Stokes and Brown each dished out 5 assists.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Dean Wade – Junior forward Dean Wade recorded his second-career double-double on Wednesday, behind 25 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Wildcats in both statistical categories. Wade’s previous double-double came against Missouri on November 23, 2015.

STAT OF THE GAME

25 – Dean Wade scored a career-high 25 points on Wednesday, upping his previous career-high of 20 points. Wade has now scored 20 points or more on five occasions in his career, as his 25 points and 11 rebounds also marks his second-career double-double and his first of the 20-point, 10-rebound variety.

SEASON RECORD UPDATE

• K-State 6-1 (0-0 Big 12)
• Oral Roberts 1-7 (0-0 Summit)

IN THEIR WORDS

K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber

On the game…

“We have to be better obviously. We have been pretty good up to this point of coming ready to play but tonight it slipped a little bit and hopefully it is a learning lesson. We got to go against zone, figure some things out and you have tape to watch.”

On the defense…

“We took a step back especially in the first half. They beat us with dribbles. On the scouting report, we talked about post trapping the big guy and not letting him go to his right shoulder. We just were not there and were not in sync. I thought we had two good practices coming back on Sunday and Monday. It was very physical and feisty. We made some strides there but we just did not come mentally engaged like we needed to, especially on the defensive end. You go on the road, it does not matter what sport you play, if you do not play good defense on the road you do not have a chance to win.”

On Dean Wade…

“We always talk about protecting home court, and we are 5-0 now at home, but on the board I said ‘special effort’. Dean [Wade] has 25 points, a career high, 11 rebounds, almost a career high, and 14 on the play hard chart. He gave us a special effort and made a lot of big plays when we needed him. I thought there were a couple easy ones in the middle of the zone that I think he was so surprised of how open he was, he short-armed or quick shot it. It is good to see him do that. If we are going to be good our older guys have to be good and consistent and that will help the bench. There is no doubt about that. To me, the most disappointing thing is that we did not get to play the bench more because it was a grind-out game. It is what it is and we have to move forward and get ready for Vanderbilt.”

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• K-State is now 125-32 in non-conference play dating back to the 2006-07 season.
• K-State is now 94-5 (.948) in non-conference play at home dating back to 2006-07, including 87-5 (.944) mark at Bramlage Coliseum… The Wildcats have won 81 of their last 84 non-conference home games, including 21 in a row dating back to 2015.
• K-State now leads the all-time series with Oral Roberts, 4-2, including 4-0 at home… The Wildcats have now won three of the last four meetings dating back to 1983.
• K-State has posted at least 70 points in six of seven games this season… The Wildcats shot 48.3 percent (29-of-60) from the field, including 51.9 percent (14-of-27) in the second half.
• Ten different Wildcats scored in the game, which marked the fourth time this season that K-State had at least 10 players with points (American, UMKC and UC Irvine).
• K-State dished out 19 assists on 29 made field goals in the game… The Wildcats also outscored the Golden Eagles 11-2 on the fast break and 19-9 in bench points.
• Junior Dean Wade led the way with a career-high 25 points on 9-of-14 field goals… It was Wade’s fifth career 20-point game and second career double-double… It was his first double-double since a 14-point, 13-rebound effort against Missouri on Nov. 23, 2015… He now has 39 career double-digit scoring games, including in 5 of 7 games this season.
• Junior Kamau Stokes scored in double figures for a team-high sixth time (in seven games played) with 12 points on 3-of-11 field goals… He now has a team-best 41 career double-digit scoring games… He also was solid all-around with 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in 35 minutes.
• Stokes opened the game with a 3-pointer and has now hit at least one trey in all seven games…
• Junior Barry Brown scored 9 points on 4-of-9 field goals… He added 5 assists to go along with one steal and one blocked shot.

WHAT’S NEXT

K-State plays its first true road game this weekend, as the Wildcats travel to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (3-4) at 1:30 p.m., CT on Sunday. It will be the first visit to Memorial Gym since 1989. The game will be televised nationally on SEC Network Plus and ESPN3.