K-State Hoops Recap - K-State 83, Coppin St 58

Justin Edwards and Welsey Iwundu each rang up 14 points as the Kansas State Wildcats get past the Coppin State Eagles in a game that was sloppier than the final score indicated.

The Wildcats came out early and hit eight of their first ten shots from the field, but some early turnovers kept the game close. At the 12-minute media timeout, the Cats only led 21-17 and some sloppy passing and missed plays showed that the Cats lacked early focus against the Eagles. At the end of the half, the Cats had managed to put up a comfortable, if not pretty, 42-29 lead.

The Cats came out of halftime and started to act like they needed to put Coppin St away and get off the court. The Eagles never got closer than 12 in the second half, and by the under-eight timeout the Cats led 66-45 and the bench started to clear. Walk-on Zach Winter notched a three-point shot at the :24 mark, followed by a made Coppin St free throw for the final 83-58 mark.

Stats, STAT:

22.

The Wildcats spread the ball around well, notching 22 assists on 28 made FGs.

70% (19-27).

K-State knocked down 19 of it's 27 free-throw attempts, led by Austin Budke's 7-8 mark from the charity stripe..

11.

All eleven Cats capable of playing saw the court tonight. It was exactly what was needed heading into a big match-up next saturday.

Player Of The Game: Justin Edwards

This could've have gone to a couple different guys, but Justin gets the nod here for stuffing the stat sheet...again. Justin co-led the team with 14 points, grabbed 6 boards, and dished out 3 assists.

Tigger Of The Game: Austin Budke

Note: Since HC Bruce Weber noted there are "a lot of Tiggers on this team," we're going to find that player that had an high-flying offensive play, stonewall defensive play, or a notable performance, and call them out here.

Austin scored 11 points, seven coming at the line, in 19 minutes of game action. He also snared a team lead-tying seven rebounds.

Other Notable Performances

Wesley Iwundu was the other Cat with 14 points. He also pulled down three rebounds and dished out five assists to zero turnovers.

Dean Wade quietly put up 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds and dished an assist.

Stephen Hurt notched 12 points, grabbed five boards, and blocked two shots on the evening.

Coppin State's terry Harris, Jr. led the Eagles with 14 points and four rebounds.

Big Thoughts:

1. Execute/Focus.

The Cats came out from the opening tip and looked sharp and fresh. But a quick lead led a very sloppy first half, and the Cats let the Eagles hang around enough that the Cats only led by six at the 5:00-mark before finally putting their foot down and pulling away.

2. Control the Boards.

The Wildcats barely led the rebound game, 43-41. The Cats were out-rebounded on the offensive glass 16-19, but picked it up on the defensive glass 27-22.

3. Get the subs some PT.

Brain Rohleder logged eight minutes, Ron Freeman logged four, and Zach Winter got two minutes in which he knocked down a three-pointer. Austin Budke played a bench-high 19 minutes, allowing DJ Johnson to only play eight minutes and keep that foot rested.

Next Up:

#EMAW hits the road before finals week in Manhattan, heading to College Station to take on the Aggies of Texas A&M on December 12th at 4:30pm CT.