MANHATTAN, Kan. – Junior forward Dean Wade flirted with a triple-double with a game-high 22 points, a career-best 9 assists and a game-tying 8 rebounds, as Kansas State used a strong second-half effort to defeat Iowa State, 78-66, on Saturday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum.
Tied at 33-all at the half, K-State (19-8, 8-6 Big 12) opened the second half on a 21-6 run en route to building a 19-point lead with 11:45 to play and never trailed by less than double digits the rest of the way. The Wildcats connected on 51.7 percent (31-of-60) from the field, including 58.6 percent (17-of-29) after halftime, to sweep the season series from the Cyclones (13-13, 4-10 Big 12) for the first time since 2011. It marked the 14th time shooting 50 percent or better from the field this season, which is the most since doing it 19 times in the 1987-88 season.
Wade was one of two Wildcats to register 20-point games on the day, as fellow junior Barry Brown, Jr., added 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, as the duo combined to score 42 of the team’s 78 points on 17-of-27 field goals after combining for 55 against Iowa State in the first meeting on Dec. 29, 2017. Wade finished 9-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Xavier Sneed also reached double digits, scoring 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a team-high 13 in the first half.
Iowa State was led by freshman forward Cameron Lard, who scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and a game-tying 8 rebounds. As a team, the Cyclones shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the field in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After shooting 54.9 percent against Oklahoma State on Wednesday, K-State went back to high-percentage shots early against Iowa State on Saturday. On the opening possession, junior forward Dean Wade collected a Barry Brown Jr., miss and put it back for a quick 2-0 lead. The Wildcats would get six of their first 12 points in the paint in the game, as they claimed a 12-6 lead over the Cyclones at the 15:17 mark.
Holding a 15-9 lead with 12:30 remaining in the first half, K-State went on a scoring drought, in which, the team shot 0-for-5, while Iowa State drew to within 15-12 at near midway point of the half. After the drought, the Wildcats bounced back by hitting 4-of-5 from the field, including a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Xavier Sneed, to bring the score to 26-19 at the 4:33 mark. Sneed finished the half with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
In the closing minutes of the half, Iowa State was able to draw the score back to even at 33-all at the half, as the Cyclones connected on five straight baskets, including a 3-pointer by freshman guard Lindell Wigginton on the final shot. The Wildcats shot 45.1 percent (14-of-31) in the opening half, including 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from 3-point range, while the Cyclones hit on 44.4 percent (12-of-27), including 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from the long range.
After the break, K-State came back with explosiveness to reclaim the lead at 37-33 and forced Iowa State to use a timeout just a minute into the second half. On the first offensive possession, Wade scored on an up-and-under layup, before coming up with a steal on the defensive end. Wade then passed the ball up to Brown, who slammed a dunk over a Cyclone defender in transition.
In the first five minutes of the second half, the Wildcats shot 62.5 percent (5-of-8), including a 3-pointer from junior guard Kamau Stokes, to push the advantage to 49-39, the first time the margin reached double digits.
With the lead in double digits, K-State showed no signs of slowing up. The Wildcats expanded their lead, as Brown scored five-straight points and Stokes found Wade slashing to the paint for a dunk. During the span, K-State went on a convincing 25-8 run, as the team made 6-of-6 from the field, and pushed the lead to 58-41 with 12:21 to play.
However, Iowa State was able to put together a run of its own with under 10 minutes remaining in the game, scoring three-straight field goals to cut the deficit to 64-54 and force a K-State timeout at the 7:37 mark
After trading 3-pointers, the Wildcats benefitted from running the floor, where Sneed intercepted a Cyclone pass and finished it off with a dunk on the other end. On the next possession, Wade found Brown streaking down the court for another dunk to bring the score to 71-57 with 5:26 remaining.
Brown went on to score seven-straight points for the Wildcats, before finding Wade on a cut to a basket that led to a layup and Brown’s third assist of the night. In total, Brown and Wade accounted for 42 of K-State’s 78 points, after the duo totaled 55 points against the Cyclones earlier this season.
The Wildcats ended up closing out the season-sweep of the Cyclones behind 51.6 percent (31-of-60) shooting from the field, including 40 percent (10-of-25) from the perimeter, in the 78-66 win. Wade led the way with 22 points, while Brown and Sneed hit double-digits with 20 and 17, respectively.
Defensively, K-State held Iowa State to 44.6 percent (25-of-56) shooting from the field and forced 13 turnovers, as the Wildcats led for nearly 38 minutes.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Dean Wade – The junior forward neared a triple-double on Saturday, as he totaled 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field to go with a career-best 9 assists and game-tying 8 rebounds. Saturday’s outing marked his 13th career 20-point game, including his ninth this season. He has now scored in double-figures in all 14 Big 12 games.
STAT OF THE GAME
14 – The Wildcats connected on 51.6 percent (31-of-60) from the field on Saturday, marking the 14th time this season K-State shot 50 percent or better. The 14 games are the most since the 1987-88 season when the Wildcats shot 50 percent or better in 19 games.
