Kansas State men’s basketball struggled to find any offensive rhythm in an 84-65 road loss to Wichita State on Saturday, ending non-conference play at 6-5.
Wichita State, which moved to 9-3, had four players in double-figure scoring and used a big second half to pull away from K-State en route to a 19-point victory.
“[Wichita State] knew exactly who they wanted to attack. They set the screen and put their heads down and went to the goal. They are one of the fastest teams in the country,” head coach Jerome Tang said to K-State Athletics.
K-State, like the previous game against Drake, got off to a slow start and was forced to call an early timeout. However, the Wildcats were able to find their footing quickly and got back into the game before halftime.
Sophomore forward Macaleab Rich led K-State efforts, scoring 13 points in seven first-half minutes. Rich who has seen little to none playing time in games this year provided a much needed spark.
Rich, who finished with a career-high 20 points, hit a trio of 3-pointers, bringing his career total to four triples. The offensive outburst of Rich, mixed with his high athleticism should allow him to see minutes even as Big 12 play starts.
A back and forth game the rest of the half saw K-State with momentum and a four point lead going into halftime.Out of the break, Wichita State struck fast, quickly tying the game up and going on runs that K-State couldn’t contain.
A 12-3 run in the second half pushed the Shockers’ lead to 56-48, tying their biggest lead of the game. K-State answered and cut the lead down to five before the Shockers scored on their next three possessions and held K-State scoreless during that stretch.
Most of the runs were led by Wichita State guard Xavier Bell who finished with a game-high 24 points. 13 of those points came in the second half and came due to his ability to get downhill and finish at the rim.
Other scorers for the Shockers included Corey Washington with 18 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Wichita State center Quincy Ballard provided lots of problems for K-State inside, scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds for another double-double.
“(Quincy) Ballard was unbelievable tonight,” Tang said. “He impacted the game. We couldn’t get to the rim and score easily. They took us out of our ball-screen offense because of the drop and how he was guarding and protecting the paint.”
In the second half, Wichita State shot a scorching 63% from the field including hitting three of its four three point attempts. The Shockers were very efficient inside and saw a lot of free throw attempts, going 18-20 from the line. Wichita State scored 55 points in the second half alone.
“I thought their staff did a great job tonight putting a game plan together on how they wanted to attack us. They really exploited that in the second half and their guys were really connected,” Tang said.
In the second half, junior guard Brendan Hausen hit three 3-pointers to try and keep the ‘Cats alive but it was to no avail. K-State remained cold as a team in the second half shooting just 35% from the field.
K-State now turns its focus to the gauntlet of Big 12 play where there will be no easy games.
The ‘Cats will welcome Cincinnati to Bramlage Coliseum at 6 p.m. Dec. 30.
