K-State falls behind Kansas by 10 points at close of the first half

At 8 p.m. CT K-State tipped off against the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks, a first half full of intensity ended with K-State trailing the Jayhawks at 28-18.

The student section of Bramlage Coliseum filled up quick as students anticipating the evening's game were permitted to enter the stadium at 6 p.m. Students brought energy to the game as the Wildcats and Jayhawks opened the game with high intensity.

Starting for K-State was senior forward Jamar Samuels, sophomore guard Will Spradling, junior forward Jordan Henriquez, junior guard Rodney McGruder and freshman guard Angel Rodriguez.

Starting for Kansas was second leading scorer in the Big 12, junior forward Thomas Robinson, junior center Jeff Withey, senior guard Tyshawn Taylor, and junior guard Travis Releford.

A foul on McGruder against Robinson opened the game with Robinson taking two free throws, of which he only made one. The solo free throw from Robinson put the first point of the game on the board for Kansas.

Samuels was quick to take lead of K-State as in the opening minutes he put away 7 points for the Wildcats in the opening five minutes.

While Kansas had all five starting players putting points on the board in the first fifteen minutes, the only two Wildcats able to connect with the basket were Samuels, finishing with 9 and McGruder with 5.

In the remaining three minutes Gipson scored a two-point jumper, the third Wildcat to score.

With the Jayhawks stealing the lead early, and while K-State was able to keep it a close game late into the half, in the final five minutes Kansas grew their lead to as many as 12 points and K-State's shooting percentage from the field dropped to 22.6 percent.

At the close of the half, Samuels held a game-high 11 points followed by the Jayhawk's Withey and Taylor, both with 8 points.

While Kansas shot only 2-7 from behind the arc, K-State shot a sorry 1-8, only 12.5 percent in three-point shooting.

As the Wildcats leave the court for the half they will look to face a 10-point deficit to Kansas when returning for the second half.

5-year-old Emma Burton, of Olathe, Kansas, was named Fan of the Game. Burton refused to color a picture of a red and blue bird on Kansas Day and insisted to her teacher that she could color a purple Wildcat instead. The picture was shown on Bramlage Coliseum's big screen and K-State fans cheered and chanted her name. As Burton exited the court she was given numerous high-5's from K-State students.