K-State earns bounce back win

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Kansas State scored over half of their points in the paint (34) and shot 89 percent (16-of-18) from the free-throw line to fight off a late rally from George Washington, 67-59, to earn a third-place finish at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Friday.

Junior forward Dean Wade nearly tallied a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 9 rebounds, while junior guard Kamau Stokes added a team-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, in what was an efficient outing for the Wildcats as the close out tournament play. Fellow junior Barry Brown, Jr. added 15 points.

Stokes, who averaged 21 points on 61.9 percent shooting (13-of-21), including 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from 3-point range in the two games, was named to the Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Coming off their first defeat of the season just 24 hours earlier, K-State recouped early against George Washington, connecting on four of its first seven shots to jump out to an early 13-7 lead.

The scoring success for the Wildcats was due in part to their inside presence, as they totaled 18 points in the paint in the first half, as Wade put together 9 points and 4 rebounds in the first half, while sophomore forward Makol Mawien added 8 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first half. K-State was able to gather a 32-18 lead at the 7-minute mark in the first half.

Paired with K-State big men, Stokes led the Wildcats in scoring the half, as he put together a 10-points on 3-of-5 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. As a team, K-State shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field and 90 percent (9-of-10) from the free-throw line in the first half.

Despite the early success in the paint, George Washington was able to capitalize on an 8-2 run to tighten the game before halftime. Sophomore forward Arnaldo Toro led the Colonels with 10 points at the half, as they shot 43 percent (12-of-28) as a team from the field. K-State led 38-29 at the half.

After the intermission, the Wildcats continued their efficiency in the paint, as the team scored over half their points in the paint, totaling 34 to the Colonels 18 in the game. The easy buckets were a result of efficient passing, as K-State gave up only 5 turnovers in the game, junior guard Barry Brown dished out 3 assists to lead the Wildcats.

K-State possessed a game-high 15-point lead at the 10:38 mark in the second half, but much like the first half, George Washington was able to put together another run to bring the game to a slim margin. Over the span of 3 minutes and 50 seconds, the Colonels were able to put together a 15-2 run to bring the score to just a 56-54 K-State lead with 5:05 remaining.

With the George Washington lingering, K-State was able to fight off Colonels in the final minutes. Wade put together four straight points for the Wildcats, including a lay-up in the paint and a pair of free throws to bring the Wildcat lead to 62-56 with 2:25 remaining. Wade would also come up with a decisive rebound in the final minute to cap off the Continental Tire Las Vegas Tournament with a 66-59 win.

The Wildcats were led by Stokes who tallied 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the game and Wade who added an impressive effort of his own with 17 points and 9 rebounds. K-State shot 47 percent (23-of-49) from the field and 16-of-18 from the free-throw strike in the game to down the Colonels.

George Washington shot 41 percent (22-of-54) from the floor, and were led by Toro who led the game in scoring with 21 points.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Dean Wade – Wade helped the Wildcats bounce back on Friday with a convincing performance in the paint, totaling 17 points on 60 percent (6-of-10) shooting from the field, adding a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Paired with Wade’s 17 points, Stokes added 19 of his own, as the junior duo helped lead the Wildcats past George Washington.

STAT OF THE GAME
89 – The Wildcats shot a season-high 89 percent (16-18) from the free-throw line on Saturday, as Xavier Sneed (2-of-2), Stokes (4-of-4) and Wade (5-of-5) all shot perfect from the strike and Brown shot 83 percent (5-of-6).

SEASON RECORD UPDATE
· K-State 5-1 (0-0 Big 12)
· George Washington 2-4 (0-0 Atlantic 10)

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
K-State is now 124-32 in non-conference play dating back to the 2006-07 season.
K-State is now 1-3 all-time in the championship round of the Las Vegas Invitational… The Wildcats are now 5-4 all-time in Las Vegas, including 4-3 in games played at the Orleans Arena.
K-State leads the all-time series with George Washington, 4-1, winning each of the last four meetings.
K-State has now held 63 opponents to 60 points or less in the Weber era… George Washington was held to 40.7 percent shooting (22-of-54), including 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from 3-point range.
K-State connected on a season-best 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the free throw line.
Junior Kamau Stokes led the way with 19 points on 6-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with 2 assists and 2 steals in 36 minutes… He now has 40 career double-digit scoring games, including 5 in 6 games this season… He led the team in scoring for the 11th time in his career, including the second time this season.
Junior Dean Wade narrowly missed a double-double with 17 points on 6-of-10 field goals and game-high 9 rebounds… He has now scored in double figures in 38 games, including 4 of 6 games.
Junior Barry Brown followed up his career night against Arizona State with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go with 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 32 minutes… He now has 39 career double-digit scoring games, including 5 in 6 games this season.

WHAT’S NEXT
K-State returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 29 when the Wildcats play host to Oral Roberts (1-4) at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets are available starting at $10, while fans can take advantage of the Wildcat 4 Pack for just $30. The contest will be televised on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas/Kansas City area), K-StateHD.TV (free) and ESPN3 (outside of state of Kansas).