AMES, Iowa – Junior forward Dean Wade tallied a career-high 34 points, and he led a trio of scorers to score 20 or more points, as Kansas State earned its win at Hilton Coliseum since 2011 with a decisive 91-75 win over Iowa State before a sold-out crowd of 14,384 fans on Friday night.
Wade became the Wildcats’ first 30-point scorer since 2014, as he joined fellow juniors Kamau Stokes and Barry Brown, who scored 23 and 21 points, respectively, with 20-point games, and accounted for 78 of the team’s 91 points. They became the first trio to register 20-point games in the same contest since Jacob Pullen (28), Denis Clemente (25) and Curtis Kelly (21) did it against Xavier in the 2010 NCAA West Regional Semifinal in Salt Lake City.
K-State (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) snapped a four-game losing streak to Iowa State (9-3, 0-1 Big 12) in the series and earned its first win at Hilton Coliseum since an 86-85 win over Feb. 5, 2011. The victory was also the first in a Big 12 opener on the road since 2008, halting a four-game losing streak.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Playing their first game in nine days, K-State was ready to get back on the floor and score points. Brown got the scoring started for the Wildcats as he rattled off the first five points in the opening minute of play, including a 3-pointer and a layup in the paint.
Despite the early scoring run from Brown, Iowa State claimed a lead throughout a majority of the first half that was spurred by several scoring runs, including a 7-0 run, backed by a 5-0 scoring run that saw K-State fall into a drought, connecting on 1-of-7 as Iowa State led 22-17 with 11:35 remaining in the first half.
However, the Wildcats would respond with a convincing run of their own to claim their first lead since the opening minutes.
Midway through the first half, K-State would connect on six-straight 3-pointers, including four of them from Stokes, and two from Wade, as the Wildcats claimed the lead at 33-31, and continued to battle with the Cyclones to bring the score to 39 apiece.
With under four minutes remaining, Stokes was fouled on his 3-point attempt and was sent to the line, where he made all three attempts to bring the score to 46-43. Stokes (21) and Wade (18) would combine for 39 of the team’s 53 points at the half, as the Wildcats led the Cyclones 53-50 at the break.
The first-half scoring outbursts from Stokes and Wade helped the Wildcats shoot an even 50 percent (16-of-32) from the field in the half coupled with a 50 percent (9-of-18) mark from beyond the arc, while the Cyclones shot an impressive 69 percent (18-of-26) from the floor. The 53 points scored by K-State in the first half tie a season-high in points scored in a single half, as the Wildcats also dropped 53 points against Southeast Missouri State earlier this month.
In the second half, the Wildcats would expand upon their lead, due to continued efficient shooting. The Wildcats put together a run in which they connected on 5-of-7 from the floor, while holding Iowa State scoreless from the field for 5:24 to grab a hefty 75-60 lead.
K-State enjoyed a game-high 18-point lead in the second half, due in part to a Cyclone attack that cooled down from the first half. In the second half, Iowa State shot 23 percent (6-of-26) from the field, while swiping 10 steals throughout the game.
In his 79th career start, Wade reached the 30-point barrier in the second half, becoming the first Wildcat to reach 30 or more points since Marcus Foster scored 34 against Texas in 2014. Wade went on to score a career-high 34 points in the game on 13-of-16 shooting to become the 12th Wildcat since the century mark to score 30 or more points in a game. Wade also added 8 rebounds to his career day.
As a team, the Wildcats shot 55 percent (32-of-58) from the field, while holding the Cyclones to 45 percent (23-of-51) after a hot first half. Freshman Lindell Wiggington scored a team-high 23 points for the Cyclones.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Dean Wade – Junior Forward Dean Wade scored a career-high 34 points on Saturday, becoming the first Wildcat since Marcus Foster to score 30 or more points in a game. Wade joins an illustrious crew of 36 Wildcats to score 30 or more points in a game, and he is the 12th Wildcat since 2000.
STAT OF THE GAME
53 – The Wildcats dropped 53 points in the first half, tying a season-high for most points in a half. The scoring outburst was due to three players reaching double digits in scoring in the half, as Stokes tallied 21, Wade scored 18 and Brown added 12 points. K-State also scored 53 points in the first half against Southeast Missouri State on Dec. 16.
