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Apologies for the extreme tardiness of the K-State Slate. To paraphrase Mack Brown, it is what it is.
Kansas State lost to #17 Iowa State 80-61 in Ames last night. The Cyclones broke open the game with a 13-0 run in the second half and never looked back on their way to victory.
The game crystallized the Wildcats' various defensive woes, including an inability to stop the corner three-point shot. In the process, Kansas State made Iowa State's Matt Thomas look like a superstar. Thomas had 20 points, including five three-pointers that compounded Bruce Weber's frustration with the squad (Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle).
Ken Corbitt, who used nearly the same headline as Robinett for the Eagle, also focused on the corner three and the havoc the shot wreaked on Kansas State. But he noted the tough comeback too, as the Wildcats closed to within six points with just over four minutes left in the game. Unfortunately, Iowa State's corner three struck again to put the game out of reach (Topeka Capital-Journal).
If there was a bright spot for Kansas State in the game, it was the play of D.J. Johnson. Despite the loss, Johnson tallied 22 points and has grown into the team's most reliable scorer (Corbitt, Capital-Journal).
The official BotC recap of the game will be up later, but in the meantime, here's Jeff P with the visual box score.
Kansas State could not hold off #4 Baylor for the entire game, and ended up losing a hard-fought contest 63-52 in Manhattan yesterday. The Wildcats ran off a 12-2 lead to start the game, thanks to an unusual defensive set up, and with Breanna Lewis and Kindred Wesemann both getting six points (Emilio Rivera, Capital-Journal). By the end of the first quarter, the Bears had narrowed the gap to just five, and ultimately went on a run that led to a 30-27 halftime lead. In the second half, Megan Deines helped the Wildcats to close to within a point, but a 9-0 run from Baylor helped the Bears cement the victory.
Lewis led all players with 20 points, six rebounds, and four steals. In the process, she became the 39th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark. Wesemann had 17 points, while Deines managed 12 on the day.Kansas State will end the regular season against Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Monday night.
The BatCats returned to the winner's circle yesterday after a three-game losing streak, beating Utah 9-2. Jake Scudder cleared the bases with two-out double in the third inning to break a scoreless tie. It was Scudder's seventh RBI of the season and Kansas State's first score in thirteen innings. Also in the third, Tyler Wolfe drove in a run to put the Wildcats up 4-0, and Clayton Dalrymple went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Levi MaVorhis pitched the first five frames without allowing a score and struck out five, picking up his second win of the season. Left-handed pitcher Jacob Ruder was perfect in relief, retiring five batters, three with strikeouts.
The Wildcats are taking on Utah again today. The game is already underway with the BatCats leading 13-3.
The Big 12 Championships are in the books, and Kansas State finished in third place in the men's and women's events.
Although Kansas State led the women's team standings at one point on the second day, the women managed 107.42 points, while the men had 98.50 points total.
The Wildcats also won seven individual Big 12 titles for 2015. Winners from Day 2 include: Akela Jones (high jump (new meet/venue/school record, top mark in Division I for 2015), 60m hurdles (new school record), high scorer of the meet); Sonia Gaskin (600 yds); and Christoff Bryan (high jump).
Video highlights of Day 2 action are available here.