SE: Cats take another step forward in the WSU victory

Factor: D. Scott Fritchen

Although Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber talking about growing maturity among his team, the Wildcats continue to take steps. On Sunday, they may have taken the biggest yet. After playing in front of an audience of 14,488 people, the Wildcats, composed at INTRUST Bank Arena, made the necessary games late to advance to win the Wichita State in the first meeting of 65-59 state competitors since 2003.

In a tie 54-54 2 minutes, 2 seconds left, Markquis Nowell sank a deep three-point and then coolly made all four of his foul shots as the Wildcats 5-2 led up 8 points in the final minute and brought a big win home to Manhattan three nights before. will meet Marquette at Big EAST / Big 12 in Battle on Wednesday.

“I know our shot percentage wasn’t great, but we can score if we move the ball and trust each other,” Weber said. “We have a lot of guys who can do plays, and they just have to understand that they can do plays for other people. That’s part of the growth. Hopefully we’ll get better.”

After K-State lost consecutive games against 13th Arkansas and 14th Illinois, both 72-64, at the Hall of Fame Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, K-State has now won three tubes, keeping each opponent below 60 points. .

While the Weber teams are always proud of their strong defense, the actual test took place the day before the encounter with Wichita State, when the scorer Nijel Pack, the team ‘s top scorer (15.8 points per game), got a concussion. This put the ball in Nowell’s hands. Nowell, a 160-pound Division I transfer from Arkansas Little-Rock that has been in Manhattan since June. Although Nowell scored an average of 11.7 points, only after Pack, he had never started a match on a high-level university team.

“Before the game, I called him to the locker room with the coaches and said to him,‘ I need you to lead, direct things, and get us involved in something. When it ‘s hard, we can’t go wrong, “Weber said.

Nowell, who called himself an “entertainer” earlier this season, earned the best lead in a hostile environment against Shockers 6-2 when he scored 16 points for the team and 8 rebounds and 4 assists. only 1 win and 1 steal in 35 minutes. After winning a hard shooting bridge where he fell 4/15 off the floor, including 2/7 from behind the arc, Nowell still answered the call, especially when he had to be on the switch.

OHHHH YEEAHHH! Markquis from deep. #KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/V66ztj91Gt

– K-State Men’s Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 6, 2021

“He wants to play, so he’s grown up, but he’s started making the right passes and the right games,” Weber said. “His profit margin from the beginning of the year to the present is incredible. He can be such a pest in defense and get stocks.”

K-State missed as many as 12 points in the first 10 minutes of the game, but players took turns finding 6 feet 10, 255 pounds ahead. Kaosi Ezeagu inside dunks. Ezeagu scored 14 points with a 5/6 shot and added 6 rebounds to the Wildcats, who fired just 33.9% of the floor but overtook Wichita State 43-29 and forced the Shockers into 14 moves. Wichita State fired 35.2% of the floor, but K-State suffered just 7 wins and 7 assists.

.@Kaosi_E is 9 points in 9 minutes (4-5 FG) as the ‘Cats continue their 19-6 goal set #KStateMBB 27 – Wichita State 26 1H – 3:47 pic.twitter.com/dUKqrQTJsb

– K-State Men’s Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 5, 2021

Selton Miguel added 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Mike McGuirl was 10 points.

“We got to the finish line and did the right readings and the right plays,” Weber said. “We had that bad stretch in the second half, when the ball got sticky again and it has to move. You don’t have to play the game every time you have it. We have enough weapons that if we keep it moving, we’ll make the right games and shots. .

“In the first half, they made their shots, but we didn’t. We were completely open. They should have had the best looks we’ve had throughout the game, but we just didn’t succeed. Honor the guys, they stayed in it and found a way to crush the win.”

While Morris Edeze set a game record of 19 points in a 7/8 shot and added 7 rebounds to Wichita State, the Wildcats grabbed star guard Tyson Etienne, who endured a frustrating race. Etienne fired just 4 shots out of 20, including 1/11 shots out of three in 34 minutes.

“We have really good defenders,” Weber said. “We talked about staying in front of him and not giving him easy. When he did one, it was hard. We competed for shots and stayed ahead, and our big guys did a good job on the ball walls, which made them think about it.

“We’ve made progress in defense. Even in our games in Arkansas and Illinois, we weren’t that bad. Since then, we’ve taken pretty good steps.”

We all shouted just three letters 😉 KSU! #KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/ZFv6SiDlkg

– K-State Men’s Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 6, 2021

K-State won 79-66 the last time the teams played on December 14, 2003 in Wichita in a series dating back to 1932. They are scheduled to play for the next three years, each on their own campus and in Kansas City.

“It was a good environment,” Weber said. “Of course you’re much happier if you win, but I said I (replayed the match) because I thought it was good for college basketball, good for our state and if they keep this team together and come next to Bramlage Coliseum. The year is going to be a tough game.”

The big question Wildcats will face this week? Packaging status.

Asked if he was expecting Pack to return to Marquette on Wednesday, Weber replied, “I hope so. Everything has to go right. There are many things on the record, and he was minimal. We know more (Monday).” He was going to watch the game to the best of his ability. It’s going to get dark on the bus. You’ll come back and hope he gets a good night’s sleep and we hope and pray we’ll get him back. “

K-State, abbreviated on Sunday, showed it could still get positive results on the road without a Pack. While it may require a second dose of growth and maturity if they are again without their floor manager, the Wildcats showed their continued tenacious defense and, behind the double-digit goal scorers, will certainly be able to grind the game.

And that is the second step.

Status: Road Dawgs#KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/7ZyeaTjF7J

– K-State Men’s Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 6, 2021