In their final tune-up before Big 12 play, K-State had little trouble with Gardner-Webb (7-6) as the Wildcats beat the Bulldogs 67-54 to boost their record to 11-1.
The Game
It was slow-sledding for the Wildcat offense out of the gate in the first half as senior forward D.J. Johnson and sophomore guard Kamau Stokes were the only two K-State players to hit anything from the field until sophomore forward Dean Wade hit a jumper with a little over five minutes to play in the first half.
Johnson and Stokes were also the only Wildcats to score in double figures — with 16 and 18 points, respectively — in a game where K-State shot 43.4 percent from the field and hit only four threes.
The Wildcats closed out the last six and a half minutes of the first half on a 19-1 run.
In the second half, the Bulldogs popped out with a 10-4 run but K-State responded with steady scoring, including an 8-1 run early in the half that preceded the Wildcats’ largest lead of the night of 19 points.
K-State took care of the ball down the stretch as well, only turning the ball over seven times.
Player of the Game
D.J. Johnson
The senior forward started off the night for the Wildcats strong, hitting four of the Wildcats’ first five shots on his way to a perfect 8-8 night with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Johnson is the 10th player in K-State history to go 8-8 or better from the field and the first to do it since Louis Colon went 9-9 in 2008.
Quote of the Game
“This is my buddy. He passes me the ball and I screen for him. I make sure he does not get his head knocked off on screens. We are best friends on the court. He is going to help us in conference play.”
-D.J. Johnson on his on-court chemistry with Kamau Stokes
Up Next
The Wildcats welcome Texas (6-5) into Bramlage to kick off Big 12 play at home on Dec. 30.
