The K-State Wildcats entered Tuesday afternoon’s game with George Washington with an opportunity to extend their winning streak to eight consecutive games. Despite allowing the Colonials to run out to a 15-6 lead, K-State responded with a 20-0 en route to a 72-55 win.
“We picked it up, I thought our bench did a great job, changed the momentum,” head coach Bruce Weber said. “Obviously our defense for that eight, nine, ten minutes, whatever it was when they didn’t score and we went on a 20-0 run kind of knocked their spirit out. After that we really never let them get close.”
With the win on Tuesday, K-State finished the month of December with a perfect 7-0 record.
For the second consecutive game, senior forward Shane Southwell led the Wildcats in scoring. The senior from New York set a new career high with 21 points. It was Southwell who ignited the 20-0 K-State run in the first half with eight straight points of his own.
Along with Southwell, who finished with five assists, freshman guard Jevon Thomas benefitted the Wildcats ball movement. Thomas finished with six assists on Tuesday in his first game inside of Bramlage Coliseum.
Through his first two games as a Wildcat, the freshman has 10 assists and zero turnovers. If there was one knock on Southwell’s game against George Washington, it would have to be his six turnovers. The Wildcats turned the ball over 13 times on Tuesday.
“I’m more of a patient type of decision maker and Jevon (Thomas) is quicker, faster and gets into the lane and penetrates and kicks,” Southwell said. “It was really good and exciting out there.”
The second half was a different story for the Wildcats. K-State out-gained the Colonials by four points in the second half, but were whistled for 16 fouls in the second half compared to nine in the first half.
It was freshman guard Marcus Foster who carried a majority of the scoring load for the Wildcats in the second half. Foster scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half which included the first five points of the second half for K-State.
“I don’t think we were very sharp in the second half,” Weber said. “A little bit erratic, but still you win by 17 against a team that is in the top-40 RPI and I think 27th or 30th in the polls. So it’s a good win, good team win.”
The Wildcats will open up their Big 12 schedule against the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Last season, the Wildcats went 2-1 against the Cowboys last season, which included a win in the Big 12 season opener in Bramlage Coliseum. Tip off is scheduled for 3:00 pm CT.
