MANHATTAN, Kan. – One of the most dynamic return men in the country, Kansas State junior D.J. Reed has been named a Second Team All-American, the Walter Camp Football Foundation announced Thursday night.

Reed is the third Wildcat kick returner in the last four seasons to be named an All-American, following Morgan Burns (2015) and Tyler Lockett (2014). It is the 13th time a Wildcat has been named a Walter Camp All-American, the oldest All-America team that released its 128th edition on Thursday.

Reed ranks second nationally in both kickoff- (35.3) and punt-return (17.1) average, while he has a touchdown of each variety this year. A 2017 First Team All-Big 12 kick returner, Reed is the first Wildcat since Terence Newman in 2002 to return have a kickoff-return touchdown and a non-blocked punt-return touchdown in the same season.

A product of Bakersfield, California, Reed currently holds the top mark in Big 12 history in single-season kickoff-return average, while his 32.7-yard career average rank second in school history. His punt-return average this year ranks sixth in K-State history.

Reed earned a pair of Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors this year after combining for 181 yards and a punt-return touchdown in the season opener against Central Arkansas before topping that mark with 189 combined yards and a kickoff-return touchdown against Kansas. His two combined return yardage marks rank first and second in the Big 12 this year.

Also a First Team All-Big 12 performer at defensive back, Reed enters the bowl season ranking second in the Big 12 and 21st nationally in both interceptions and passes defended. He has 32 career passes defended to sit just two away from entering the school’s career top-10 list.

Kansas State faces UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl inside Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, December 26. The game, which will kick off at 8 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State women’s basketball started a five-game home stand on Wednesday night with a tough start against UT-Arlington. The Wildcats overcame first quarter offensive struggles and came back to win, 70-56. K-State improved to 4-0 in Bramlage Coliseum this season.

K-State (6-2) had three players reach double figures for the eighth straight game this season, led by junior guard Kayla Goth with a career-high tying 25 points connecting on 9 of 15 shots. This is Goth’s eighth straight game scoring in double figures. Goth set the school record for points in a quarter with 18 in the third quarter to spark the Wildcats in the second half.

Junior forward Kaylee Page joined Goth in double figures with 12 points, scoring eight in the first half. Freshman guard Cymone Goodrich had a total of 10 points off the bench.

UT-Arlington (5-3) was led by Rebekah VanDijk with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Crystal Allen recorded 14 points and four assists.

Despite shooting 14 percent from the floor in the first quarter, K-State stayed close by shooting 7-of-11 from the free throw line in the opening quarter. The Mavericks would hold a 14-12 lead after the first stanza.

The Wildcats used a 14-0 run over a six-minute span to hold a 28-21 lead after the first half. After a steal by Goth in the second quarter, the Wildcats took its first lead of the night, 19-18, with a layup by freshman guard Rachel Ranke which forced a Mavericks timeout with 4:54 left in the opening half. Ranke started the run with a 3-pointer and finished the night with eight points, four assists and five steals.

K-State allowed UTA to score just seven points in the second quarter which is the fewest K-State has allowed to a foe in a second quarter this season. K-State also held the Lady Mavericks to 21 points in the first half which is the fewest points K-State has allowed this season in a first half.

In the third quarter, Goth took over the Wildcats attack. The product of DeForest, Wisconsin, scored 10 straight points, which included four straight layups and push K-State into a 42-26 lead with 5:38 remaining in the quarter.

The Wildcats would score a season-high 27 points in the third quarter, shooting 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the field in the third frame. UT Arlington managed 21 points in the third quarter on 8-of-13 shooting to keep the game close entering the fourth frame, 55-42.

K-State’s Goodrich notched five points in the fourth quarter, while Page added four to keep the Mavericks at arm’s length in the final frame to send K-State to its sixth win of the season.

Kansas State shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the field, but were 5-of-17 (.294) from beyond the arc. UT-Arlington shot 32.1 percent (18-of-56) from the floor, but recorded 19 turnovers to K-State’s 10. K-State capitalized with a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers, which is the eighth straight game K-State has outscored its opponent in points off turnovers.

The Wildcats also registered a season-high 21-of-32 (.656) from the free throw line. This was the second time this season K-State has made 20 or more free throws in a game (vs. Stephen F. Austin; 20).

Following a 10-day break which includes finals week, Kansas State returns to action against Little Rock on Saturday, December 16, at 2 p.m., in Bramlage Coliseum.

— K-State Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — One of the most important things that Kansas State basketball coach Bruce Weber talks about is guys getting in the gym and working. Kama Stokes has heeded that advice and more this season, and it’s paying off.

Stokes scored 17 points with five 3-pointers and the Wildcats cruised past SC Upstate 86-49 on Tuesday night.

Stokes said looking at film in preparation for the game helped a lot.

“We watched video, knew where the open shots were going to be and took advantage of that opportunity.” Stokes said. “Everybody was making shots, and when you get good movement on offense, shots fall.”

Barry Brown scored 15 points with four assists, Dean Wade added 13 points with seven rebounds, and the Wildcats (8-1) made 12 3-pointers and shot 50.8 percent from the floor.

Stokes hit two 3s in Kansas State’s opening 24-2 run and the Wildcats at one point shot 88 percent from the field to the Spartans’ 14 percent.

“It was fun,” Brown said. “I feel like it’s more fun when we get the lead and at the end we can get the other guys in, and let them see what it’s like to get out the court.”

The slow start wasn’t new for the Spartans and it was a major talking point after the game.

“We had a lot of trouble guarding the 3-point line,” SC Upstate coach Kyle Perry said. “We have to improve in our matchup zone and not allow open shots. We did a better job over the second half. We made some adjustments and improved.”

Kansas State outrebounded SC Upstate 35-25 and used their length and strong defensive play to take the Spartans out of their rhythm. The Spartans managed to get their offense going late in the first half but they trailed 43-23 at halftime.

Perry said he was impressed by the Kansas State defense but at the same time found a way to be encouraged by the development of his young players despite the loss.

“They (Kansas State) switch everything and do a good job of that.” Perry said. “They are long, athletic and physical, so it is tough. We are still working two freshman posts. So we are trying to get them going and get the ball inside. I think if we continue to work we will be all right down the road.”

Malik Moore scored 16 points and Carson Smith had 11 for the Spartans (3-8), who shot 36.5 percent from the floor and made just three free throws

BIG PICTURE

In a game that easily could’ve been a trap game for Kansas State, coming off of a close win on the road at Vanderbilt, the Wildcats came out hot while Upstate struggled to get in gear. Kansas State continues to gather momentum despite the caliber of opponent. Games against Tulsa and Washington State will give the Wildcats a healthy test before they open up Big 12 play.

UP NEXT

USC Upstate: USC-Upstate travels to face Denver on Dec. 9.

Kansas State: Kansas State hosts Tulsa in Wichita Dec. 9.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following two dramatic wins to close out the regular season in a tie for the fourth place in the Big 12 standings, K-State Nation is heading to Phoenix as Kansas State officials announced today that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play UCLA in the 2017 Cactus Bowl on Tuesday, December 26.

The game, which will be K-State’s fourth appearance in the bowl formerly known as the Copper, Insight.com and Buffalo Wild Wings bowls, pits the Big 12 and the Pac-12 and will be played at Chase Field at 8 p.m. CT, with a nationwide television audience watching on ESPN.

“I am very proud of our team and coaches for ending the season with four wins in the final five games and earning a bowl invitation for the eighth straight season,” said Athletics Director Gene Taylor. “We look forward to showcasing our football program and Kansas State University in the Cactus Bowl, and I know our fans are excited to show their outstanding support in Phoenix while our football student-athletes, coaches and staff are provided a first-class experience.”

The Wildcats (7-5) will be playing in their 21st bowl game in school history and 19th under Bill Snyder as the Cats are 8-10 all-time in bowls under the legendary and hall of fame head coach. Following 11-straight bowls from 1993-2003 under Snyder, the Cats have now gone bowling in each of the last eight seasons.

K-State heads into bowl season as one of the hottest teams in the Big 12, winning its final two games over No. 10 Oklahoma State and Iowa State. The Wildcats’ road to the Cactus Bowl began with three wins in their first four games. Three straight close losses dropped the Cats to 3-4 on the year before a Sunflower Showdown win over KU and a thrilling road win at Texas Tech moved the team to 5-4. Following a heartbreaking loss to West Virginia, K-State went on the road to No. 10 Oklahoma State and became the first unranked Snyder team to defeat a Top 10 team on the road before closing the season with a walk-off win over Iowa State to move to 7-5.

“We are proud of the young men in our program for the way they improved throughout the season and very pleased to represent Kansas State University and the Big 12 Conference in the Cactus Bowl,” said head coach Bill Snyder. “The Cactus Bowl is a first-class bowl organization with a rich history, and we appreciate the entire bowl staff for their efforts and support of our program.

“We have a wonderful fan base, and so many people that save throughout the course of the year, and the only vacation they take is the one after our (regular) season is over. They love to attend bowls and it’s why we have such great attendance year in and year out at bowl games. They are fully invested in our program and this means a great deal to them.”

UCLA, K-State’s 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl opponent, enters the game with a 6-6 record. The Bruins hold a 2-1 advantage all-time in the series with the two teams splitting home games in 2009 and 2010 before UCLA edging out a 40-35 win in the 2015 Alamo Bowl.

— K-State Athletics —

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kansas State isn’t known for its foul shooting, but it was hard to tell Sunday.

The Wildcats shot 91.7 percent from the free-throw line to pass their first road test of the season with an 84-79 win at Vanderbilt.

KSU’s 22-of-24 performance was the third-best in school history with a minimum of 20 attempts.

“Ironically, we haven’t shot very well at home — free throws,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “When we were in Vegas, we shot the ball very well from the free-throw line, but those are all big plays down the stretch.”

The Wildcats (7-1) entered the game with a 70.5 percent mark at the foul line, including a combined 23 of 27 (85.2 percent) at the Las Vegas Invitational.

Xavier Sneed scored a career-high 21 points by hitting 8 of 11 from the floor and all four foul shots.

“I’ve told people he might be one of the most improved players not only in our league, but the country,” Weber said. “He’s an elite-level athlete. He has a lot of emotion, sometimes too much.”

Kamau Stokes added 20 points and Barry Brown had 18 for KSU.

“Any road win will mean a lot later on this season,” Stokes said. “(Xavier) is playing with a lot of confidence on both ends of the floor. I feel like he needs to continue that for us to be good.”

Vanderbilt (3-5) rallied from a 16-point deficit to tie it at 71 with 3:33 remaining on Matthew Fisher-Davis’ 3-pointer, but was outscored 13-8 the rest of the way.

“First 15 minutes, they pretty much had their way with us and in the last 25 minutes we played at a much higher level,” Commodores coach Bryce Drew said. “We gave ourselves a great opportunity to win this game down the stretch.”

Vanderbilt’s Jeff Roberson added to his Southeastern Conference lead with his fifth double-double by scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Freshman Saben Lee added 19 points, including 12 at the free-throw line, and Joe Toye scored 11.

After trailing by as many as 16 in the first half, Vanderbilt went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 58-57 on LaChance’s 3-pointer with 9:15 remaining in the game.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats got their first signature win over a team that made it to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores made an impressive rally in the second half, but couldn’t get important foul shots to fall during the final two minutes.

REMEMBERING PERRY

Vanderbilt held a moment of silence before the game to honor former Commodore star Perry Wallace, who died Friday. Wallace, 69, became the first black varsity basketball player in the SEC 50 years ago.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Wallace family,” Drew said. “You definitely feel the impact that he made, not only at Vanderbilt but across the country and we’re definitely going to miss him and hopefully our program can represent him in a good way moving forward.”

SHORTHANDED RALLY

Vanderbilt’s second-half comeback was impressive, considering LaChance and Djery Baptiste both fouled out. “We have a deep team,” Drew said. “We feel like a lot of guys can go out there and help our team win and if they’re given the opportunity they take advantage of it. Obviously, we missed the guys that fouled out.” Vanderbilt has lost four of its last five games.

COACH’S TAKE

Weber saw a lot of positives in the Wildcats’ seventh win of the season. “You shoot 58 percent on the road, only seven turnovers, a lot of good decisions,” he said. “Xavier has a career high, Kam 20 (points) and even better: six assists, no turnovers.”

UP NEXT

Kanas State hosts South Carolina Upstate (3-7) on Tuesday. USC Upstate has lost three straight by double-digit margins.

Vanderbilt hosts Middle Tennessee (5-1) on Wednesday. MTSU’s Nick King posted career highs in points (32) and rebounds (11) in Saturday’s 81-76 win at Florida Gulf Coast.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) — Inconsistent, sluggish and lethargic.

Those are words that come to mind to describe the performance of the Kansas State Wildcats on Wednesday night — at least all the Wildcats except Dean Wade.

Wade scored 25 points and grabs 11 rebounds as Kansas State defeated Oral Roberts 77-68 at Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday night.

This was the first game for the Wildcats (6-1) since returning from the Las Vegas Invitational and they came out of the gate rather sluggishly after going on an early 13-2 run.

“On the board, I said `special effort.” Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber said following the contest.

“Dean (Wade) had 25 points, 11 rebounds — almost a career high and 14 on the play hard chart. He gave us that special effort and made a lot of big plays when we needed him.”

Although the Wildcats led for a majority of the game, the contest was closer than expected given the turnovers, missed shots and second opportunities allowed by Weber’s club. Wade was the only consistent player on an inconsistent night as he shot 9 of 14 from the field and converted six of eight at the foul line.

The next highest scorer was Kamau Stokes who scored 12 points on the night but did not find favor with the rim as he shot 3 of 11 in the contest.

Even though Kansas State walked out with the victory, the immediate aftermath still stings with Stokes as the team looks forward to their showdown with Vanderbilt.

“A win is a win, we definitely are not happy. We have to move on and get ready for Vanderbilt,” Stokes said.

Oral Roberts (1-7) rebounded from a lackluster start in the first half to get within five points midway through the second half but could not overcome their own struggles shooting the basketball.

Things did change midway through the first half when the Golden Eagles went to various zone defenses to slow down the Wildcats offense and they found great success with it.

“You have to have players that do things that do not show up on the stat sheet.” Oral Roberts head coach Paul Mills said.

“You have to be tough, resilient and go after loose balls. Basketball is not a solo game. It is meant to be played together. I thought they did a good job of picking each other up,” Mills said.

Sam Kearns led Oral Roberts with 21 points on 6 of 12 shooting while Javen White and Albert Owens added 14 and 13, respectively, in the losing effort.

BIG PICTURE

Coming off of the Thanksgiving weekend break, Kansas State came out flat as did Oral Roberts but the Golden Eagles did a good job of weathering the early struggles. Although their six-game losing streak is now seven, you’ve got to give ORU head coach Paul Mills credit for keeping his squad in the ballgame and not rolling over for the Wildcats

UP NEXT

Oral Roberts: Oral Roberts travels to Little Rock on Dec. 2.

Kansas State: Kansas State travels to Vanderbilt on Dec. 3.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Skylar Thompson wanted to hit Isaiah Zuber on the final play of the game, only the Kansas State wide receiver was so tightly covered that the young quarterback had to scramble to his left.

Then, he turned around and scrambled to his right.

Thompson was just about ready to put his head down and dive for the goal line when Zuber, the guy he wanted all along, popped open in the end zone. And with a deft flick of his wrist, Thompson’s pass found its target and gave the Wildcats a stunning 20-19 victory over Iowa State on Saturday night.

“I don’t remember much. It happened so quick,” said Thompson, who threw for 152 yards, none of them bigger than the one yard he needed at the end. “I just wasn’t afraid of the moment.”

Even as a freshman, Thompson has already proven that much. He rallied the Wildcats (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) past Texas Tech, led them to an upset of Oklahoma State, then showed his immense potential in engineering a 10-play, 87-yard drive that took every second of the 1 minute, 55 seconds left in the game.

“He’s a very poised young man,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. “He has a confidence level that I think is appropriate for the position he plays. He expects it to happen and I like guys like that.”

Kyle Kempt threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns for Iowa State (7-5, 5-4), who blew a 19-7 fourth-quarter lead to lose its 10th straight to the Wildcats. The Cyclones had a chance to put things away, but Kempt misfired on third-and-6 at the Kansas State 49 in the final minutes.

“I was really proud of the effort of our kids,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said, “but in reality it comes down to a little bit of detail and unfortunately when we had our opportunity to put the game away in some instances we didn’t do it. Credit to their kids for preventing that.”

The game lived up to its “Farmageddon” nickname: Two old-school, ground-and-pound teams going at it, a slobber-knocker reminiscent of when these teams met in the old Big Eight days.

The Cyclones struck first with a field goal, but it came at a cost when top rusher David Montgomery left with an injury on the game’s first series. Kansas State answered with a touchdown drive that Thompson capped with a short run, albeit one that was set up by a short field.

That was the only offense the Wildcats managed until the fourth quarter. They only had 53 yards at halftime, even though they took a 7-6 lead into the break.

“We just had a tough time getting things going,” Thompson said.

The Cyclones had no such problem in the second half, taking the lead on Marchie Murdock’s touchdown catch midway through the third quarter. Then, they pushed their advantage to 19-7 on Hakeem Butler’s grab in the corner of the end zone with 13:46 left in the game.

Kansas State finally resorted to using the Wildcat formation to march downfield, and still needed a trick play to score — running back Alex Barnes’ pop-pass to Winston Dimel on third-and-goal at 3. But the play seemed to energize the home sideline, and the defense channeled that energy on the field.

They gave up a long first-down play, then stopped Iowa State’s next conversion attempt, when a flag for pass interference on third down was picked up and the Cyclones were forced to punt.

It was one of several flags picked up during the game, most going against the Cyclones.

“I said this after our game against Oklahoma State, officiating is hard,” Campbell said. “It is a tough business, a tough possession. … They did the best job they could, just like our kids.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Iowa State wrapped up the season losing three of its last four games, though the seven wins was a big step in the right direction. Sheldon Croney ran for 63 yards in place of Montgomery, but it was clear the Cyclones’ offense suffered without their top rusher.

Kansas State never got its offense on track until the fourth quarter. Making things even tougher was a crucial personal foul penalty on special teams coach Sean Snyder late in the game. Still, the Wildcats made it a memorable Senior Day with their spirited finish.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

When asked about the pass interference flag he picked up late in the game, referee Reggie Smith told a pool reporter: “Per Big 12 policy, officials cannot discuss a judgment call.”

UP NEXT

Iowa State awaits its first bowl bid since the 2012 Liberty Bowl.

Kansas State prepares for its eighth straight bowl game.

— Associated Press —

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Don’t label Arizona State guard Kodi Justice a long-range threat, only.

He’ll prove you wrong, and make you pay.

Displaying his offensive skills from every angle, Justice scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half to lead Arizona State to a 92-90 victory over Kansas State on Thursday in the Las Vegas Invitational.

“I’m a basketball player, I’m not just a shooter,” Justice said. “If people want to pigeonhole me as one thing, like I said, I’m a basketball player. I can do anything you ask me to do. If I need to guard somebody, if I need to dive on the ball, attack the basket. I was just trying to do anything in my power to help our team win.”

That he did, as he led a second-half rally to keep the Sun Devils (5-0) undefeated and launch them into the championship game, where they’ll face No. 15 Xavier (5-0) on Friday.

Clinging to a two-point lead, the Wildcats (4-1) opened the second half on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to nine, 51-42. But Arizona State quickly clawed its way back into the game, using a 12-2 run to take a 54-53 lead with 13:51 left in the contest.

From that point there were six lead changes and five ties, before Arizona State went on a 13-5 run to distance itself.

For awhile.

Trailing 77-69, Kansas State used a barrage of 3-pointers to get within one, 83-82, with less than four minutes to play. Justice hit a 3-pointer and 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to extend ASU’s lead back to five.

“I didn’t want to lose this game, it was a big one for us,” Justice said. “I know it’s early, and you say, `if you lose this it’s not that big of a deal,’ but we’re trying to build a resume for the future, to build this program up, to just be a winning program.”

But so are the Wildcats, who wouldn’t go away. They got within one after Barry Brown converted a 3-point play. And after Arizona State’s Remy Martin sank 1 of 2 free throws with 4.1 seconds left, Kansas State had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but Brown’s layup clanged off the rim.

“We just kept telling ourselves it wasn’t over, so credit to our guys,” Brown said. “It’s a new group so I wanted to see how we deal with adversity. So I’m glad to see with one minute left down (seven), we could still fight our way back.”

Romello White had 19 points and six rebounds for the Sun Devils, while Shannon Evans added 14.

“We kind of just battled,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “We showed a lot of determination with how we played and just pushing through different adversities at all different times of the game.”

The Wildcats were led by Brown, who had 27 points, while Kamau Stokes scored 23.

One glaring discrepancy in the game was Arizona State taking 44 free-throw attempts — 31 in the second half — while the Wildcats took just nine. In the process, Kansas State lost 6-foot-9 forward Makol Mawien and 6-foot-5 forward Xavier Sneed, as they both fouled out.

“Obviously the fouls became a factor, because now you don’t have your guys in there,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “But we gotta get better, we gotta learn from it. There were some calls I questioned, there’s no doubt about it. But we gotta take care of the ball.”

Kansas State hit 17 of 27 (63 percent) from the field in the first half, including 50 percent (8 of 16) from 3-point range, but led just 44-42 at halftime, as the Sun Devils kept things close with their hot shooting.

Arizona State hit 13 of 25 (52 percent) from the floor, including 5 of 10 (50 percent) from long range in the first half. They also drained 11 of 13 from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona State: Tra Holder was looking to bring his hot hand to Las Vegas, as he entered the game after earning Pac-12 Player of the Week honors after averaging 35.7 minutes, 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. On Nov. 19, against UC Irvine, the 6-foot-1 senior guard dropped a career-high 35 points on 13-of-15 shooting from the floor. But after scoring 11 points in the first half, Holder was shut out over the final 20 minutes.

Kansas State: The Wildcats opened the season with seven consecutive home games (three exhibition and four regular season), and are using their trip to Las Vegas as a litmus test against quality opponents. They’re also in the midst of playing six games in a 15-day span.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: Will play Xavier on Friday

Kansas State: Faces George Washington on Friday

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown had 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting and Kansas State took advantage of 31 Northern Arizona turnovers for an 80-58 win on Monday night.

The Wildcats (4-0) were relentless on the defensive end and scored 38 points off turnovers. Kansas State also tied a 41-year old school record with 19 steals, matching the mark that was last reached back on Jan. 10, 1976, against Tulane.

“This is what we have to do in order to put ourselves in position to win games,” Brown said. “The scouting reports so far have been excellent and I feel like our guys are in position to win games. We go through their plays and take away their tendencies and what they like to do. Credit to the coaches and our players.”

While it seemed like Kansas State was attacking the basketball with much ferocity, head coach Bruce Weber was not too happy with some portions of the Wildcats play on the night.

“We did not do a good job in the half court in the first half,” Weber said. We scored a lot on steals and in transition, but I thought in the second half we pushed it and got it over the top to Makol (Mawien) for the first time this year. But every time we got on a run, we just kind of put the breaks on.”

Northern Arizona’s turnover total has increased each game so far this season and the Lumberjacks (0-4) broke their season high in turnovers before the first media timeout of the second half.

“We played Arizona and had 14-15 turnovers and we had double that tonight,” Northern Arizona head coach Jack Murphy said. “So obviously, Kansas State and their defensive pressure really bothered us tonight. You can see impact that had on the game and you have to give coach Weber and his staff at lot of credit for the way that their guards get out there and defend.”

Although the Lumberjacks could not get going on offense, Torry Johnson scored a game high 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting with 10 coming from the foul line.

BIG PICTURE

This was the final game for the on-campus portion of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. Kansas State and Northern Arizona each came into this game going in opposite directions and it stayed that way once the game went final. The Wildcats are starting to hit their stride on the defensive end while Northern Arizona’s issues with ball control continue to be its downfall.

UP NEXT

Northern Arizona: The Lumberjacks will face Hampton in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Thursday.

Kansas State: The Wildcats will face Arizona State in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Thursday.

— Associated Press —