MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown had 15 points, Justin Edwards scored all eight of his points in the second half, and Kansas State beat North Dakota 63-49 on Tuesday night.

Wesley Iwundu added 11 points with five rebounds and three assists for Kansas State (9-2). Five players scored eight points or more for the Wildcats.

Drick Bernstine had 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead North Dakota(5-6), which was without leading scorer Quinton Hooker due to a foot injury.

Poor shooting plagued both Kansas State and North Dakota in the first half as the two teams combined to shoot 18 of 50 from the field to go along with 19 turnovers. The start echoed Kansas State’s cold shooting in its last win over Colorado State. The Wildcats trailed 8-4 before striking an 11-0 run.

North Dakota had five consecutive scores to take a 19-15 lead with 5:13 left in the first half. Kansas State closed the first half on a 9-2 run to take a 24-21 halftime lead.

A trio of 3-pointers early in the second half from Kamau Stokes and Edwards sparked an 11-0 run to stretch the Wildcats’ lead to 38-27 with 15:12 left. North Dakota pulled to 51-46 with less than five minutes to play.

An Iwundu offensive rebound, one of 20 for Kansas State, led to a put-back to give the Wildcats a 10-point lead with 1:18 left.

TIP-INS

Kansas State: The first meeting between the two teams came in Bruce Weber’s first game as coach of the Wildcats, an 85-52 win at home on Nov. 9, 2012. . D.J. Johnson scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds after missing the second half against Colorado State on Dec. 19 due to aggravating a foot injury that caused him to miss all of last season.

North Dakota: Returns two starters from a team that posted an 8-22 record last season. . Quinton Hooker was averaging 17 points per game before injuring his foot, and had scored in double figures in 16 straight games dating back to last season.

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts Saint Louis on Dec. 29.

North Dakota hosts Idaho on Dec. 31.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State ended its non-conference schedule on Monday night in fine fashion, as the Wildcats defeated Western Illinois, 84-45, extending K-State’s win streak to seven games.

Junior center Breanna Lewis became the program’s 22nd player to score 30 or more points in a game, as she tallied a career-high 30 points on a career-high 14-of-19 shooting.

Joining Lewis in double figures were senior guard Bri Craig with 11 points and junior guard Kindred Wesemann with 10 points.

Kansas State jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, as Lewis tallied four points during the run. Western Illinois would use a 7-2 burst late in the first quarter to pull within four, 15-11, with 1:37 to play.

A pair of Wesemann free throws and a layup from Lewis pushed K-State into a 19-13 lead at the end of the first.

K-State stepped on the accelerator for the entire second quarter, as the Wildcats outscored the Leathernecks, 31-4, in the frame to build a 50-17 lead at the half. The four points by Western Illinois in the second quarter were the fewest points K-State has allowed in any quarter this season. K-State shot 60.0 percent from the field in the second quarter, while holding the Leathernecks to 13.3 percent.

The Wildcats opened the second stanza with a 10-0 run to increase its lead to 29-13 with 6:33 to play.

After the teams exchanged four points, the Wildcats closed out the final 4:10 of the second quarter on a 17-0 run to build its 33-point halftime lead.

K-State fed Lewis early and often in the third quarter, as she racked up 12 points in the frame.

The Wildcats would score 21 points in the quarter to build a 71-27 advantage after three.

Western Illinois ended the night by outscoring K-State in the fourth quarter, 18-13.

K-State finished the night shooting 50.8 percent from the field (33-of-65).  The K-State defense held the nation’s number one team in 3-point field goals made to five connections on 36 attempts.

The Wildcats dished out 23 assists on the night, marking the third straight game K-State has handed out 20 or more assists. Over the last 11 seasons, K-State is 46-0 when handing out 20 or more assists.

Kansas State begins Big 12 play on Wednesday, Dec. 30, against Iowa State. Game time is 7 p.m.

— KSU Athletics —

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — As he replayed the shots in his mind, Kansas State guard Justin Edwards was still a little befuddled.

The Wildcats missed nine straight 3-point shots during one stretch of Saturday’s 61-56 victory over Colorado State.

“We were taking good 3s,” Edwards said. “I mean, they were wide open. We have to knock them down.

“Fortunately, we played defense and kept them from making their 3s, too.”

Edwards and Wesley Iwundu combined to score 19 second-half points to give Kansas State (8-2) just enough offense for the victory. Dean Wade scored all 13 of his points in the first half. Edwards finished with 12 points while Iwundu added 11.

Emmanuel Omogbo had 13 points and 14 rebounds for Colorado State (6-5). Prentiss Nixon scored 11 for the Rams, and Tiel Daniels had 10.

Colorado State played without senior guard, Gian Clavell, who averages 20.8 points. Clavell has an injured left hand.

It was one reason the Rams had an even longer streak of missed 3-point attempts, 12 in a 23-minute span.

“We lost our best player yesterday,” Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy said of Clavell. “He’s a leader, too. Every guy out there was playing a new role.”

Clavell’s absence was most felt during the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Down just four at halftime, Colorado State scored only four points during those 10 minutes. There were airballs. There was a shot-clock violation. There was an air-balled 15-foot shot to create a shot-clock violation.

“We got into them,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “Our hedges were good on ball screens. Our weakside help was good, too.”

Colorado State made just one of its first 13 shots in the second half. It was surprising from a team that entered the game averaging 86.5 points.

“We missed shots we normally make,” Eustachy said. “It could be the environment, could be the team we played. We just normally shoot it better than that.”

Kansas State used the drought to build its lead. A methodical 10-1 run over nearly eight minutes gave the Wildcats a 43-30 lead, concluding with Carlbe Ervin’s three-point play with 9:52 remaining in the game.

But the Wildcats then went on a long dry spell of their own, not making a field goal for more than five minutes. Six free throws in that span helped the Rams cut the Kansas State lead to two, 48-46, on a Nixon 3-pointer with 4:15 remaining.

“I thought we got tentative,” Weber said. “I kept telling them to be players and make plays.”

The Wildcats responded with seven points in 62 seconds: a Stephen Hurt 3-pointer, Edwards’ running jumper and an Iwundu baseline drive.

That gave the Wildcats a 55-48 lead with 2:40 to play. Kansas State did not lead by less than four the rest of the way.

“I think Stephen’s 3 loosened us up,” Edwards said. “Then we could just make plays.”

The Rams did make some 3-point shots, four in a row in the first half to stay in the game. Two 3-pointers from Joe Di Ciman were followed by two 3-pointers by Nixon, the last one giving Colorado State a 12-11 lead with 11:19 remaining in the half.

But Wade, who had numerous fans from his hometown of St. John, Kansas, in attendance, scored nine of his 13 first-half points after that, helping the Wildcats to a 29-25 halftime lead.

“A lot of effort plays, really,” Wade said. “I was just trying to be aggressive and got some shots to fall.”

WOEFUL START

The bad news for Colorado State was the Rams did not score in the game’s first five minutes.

The good news was when Colorado State finally hit a shot, De Ciman’s 3-pointer, the Rams were only down 4-3.

The teams went a combined 1 of 13 to start the game. The score was 2-0 at the first media timeout.

TIP-INS

Colorado State: The Rams scored at least 90 points in five of their previous eight games. . The visitor has lost all 13 games in this series. . The Rams fell to 44-11 under Eustachy when hitting a better 3-point percentage than their opponent.

Kansas State: The Wildcats are now 7-2 in games played at Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena or Kansas City’s Sprint Center. . The Wildcats have had the same starting five in all 10 games.

UP NEXT

Colorado State hosts South Carolina Upstate on Monday.

Kansas State hosts North Dakota on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Paced by sophomore defensive tackle Will Geary on the first team, Kansas State had four football players named to the Associated Press All-Big 12 teams, the organization announced Wednesday.

Geary was named a first team defensive tackle by the AP after earning honorable mention accolades from the league’s coaches. Junior fullback Glenn Gronkowski (listed as a tight end), senior offensive lineman Cody Whitehair and senior kick returner Morgan Burns (listed as an all-purpose player) were each named to the second team. It was Gronkowski’s first All-Big 12 honor this postseason, while Whitehair and Burns were each on the coaches’ first team.

A former walk-on from Topeka, Kansas, Geary registered 45 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He started every game for the Wildcats, including the Oklahoma game when he recorded a career-best eight tackles, three TFLs and two sacks.

He also forced and recovered a fumble at Texas Tech, but his biggest contribution this season may have been a strip against Iowa State. With the Wildcats trailing by seven with less than two minutes remaining, Geary stripped a Cyclone running back and K-State tied the game on the ensuing drive. K-State went on to win the game, the first of three-straight victories to close out the season and obtain bowl eligibility for a sixth-straight season.

Gronkowski started all 12 games, recording five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown while rushing 11 times for 45 yards and another score. He recorded a 31-yard reception and scored his first-career rushing touchdown at Kansas a week after throwing a touchdown pass to fellow fullback Winston Dimel in K-State’s win over Iowa State.

A native of Abilene, Kansas, Whitehair played in all 51 games over the last four years with 50 starts. Regarded as one of the most versatile offensive linemen in the league, Whitehair has started at both guard and tackle, including the last two years at left tackle.

Burns tied the school and Big 12 single-season records for kickoff-return touchdowns with four, including three over the final four weeks of the regular season. The 2015 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, Burns enters the bowl season ranked second nationally with a 33.8-yard kickoff return average, while he has 1,047 total kickoff-return yards this season to sit just 81 yards shy of breaking the single-season mark.

A product of Wichita, Kansas, Burns has been named a First Team All-American kick returner by USA TODAY Sports, CBS Sports and FOX Sports, while he was a second-team pick by Sporting News and the Associated Press in addition to earning honorable mention accolades by Sports Illustrated.

Kansas State will ride a three-game winning streak into the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas on January 2, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. It is the 19th bowl game in school history and 17th time under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Snyder. The game kicks off at 2:20 p.m.

— KSU Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State’s offense stepped on the accelerator early in the game against Florida Atlantic on Sunday at Bramlage Coliseum and didn’t let off until the final buzzer, defeating the Owls 102-53.

K-State surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time since Nov. 26, 2005 at Santa Clara (100-71) and scored over 100 points for the first time in Bramlage Coliseum since Jan. 5, 2003 against Iowa (103-60).

The Wildcats had all 14 players score at least one point for the first time this season, with four player reaching double figures. Junior guard Kindred Wesemann tallied 19 points which included a 5-of-6 effort from beyond the arc. Junior center Breanna Lewis tallied 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and seven reounds. Senior guard Antoinette Taylor came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points and senior guard Megan Deines finished with 11 points.

The Wildcats shot a season-high 54.9 percent (39-of-71) from the field. Florida Atlantic turned in a 20-of-66 (30.3%) performance.  K-State outrebounded its fifth straight opponent with a 48-30 advantage on the glass.

K-State knocked down a season-high 14 three-pointers, shooting 58.3 percent from beyond the arc. This marked the most 3-pointers made since making 15 at Baylor on March 4, 2013.

Kansas State continues its five-game home stand on Saturday, Dec. 19, against Sam Houston State. Game time is 7 p.m.

— KSU Sports —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior kick returner Morgan Burns picked up his fourth All-America designation of the postseason as he was named a Second Team All-American as an all-purpose player by the Associated Press, the organization announced Sunday. It marks the fifth-straight season a Wildcat has been named an All-American by the AP.

Burns has also been named a First Team All-American by USA TODAY Sports and CBSSports.com in the past week, while he was an honorable mention pick by Sports Illustrated.

Burns is the national leader in kickoff-return touchdowns with four – including three in over the final four games – to tie the school and Big 12 records. His current 33.8-yard average ranks second nationally and third in K-State history.

The 2015 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, Burns set a school record with 221 kickoff-return yards this season at Texas Tech – a game that featured a 93-yard touchdown – and he also occupies the second spot on the list with 201 yards on only three returns the win over West Virginia.

Kansas State won its final three games to become bowl eligible for the 19th time in school history and 17th time under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Snyder as the Wildcats will face Arkansas in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game will kick off at 2:20 p.m.

— KSU Sports —

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M senior guard Jalen Jones overcame strep throat this week just in time to turn in his best game of the season.

“I got some rest, and I was able to chill in bed a little bit more,” a smiling Jones said following the Aggies’ 78-68 victory over Kansas State on Saturday.

Jones scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds, both game highs. After being bedridden most of the week, he returned to practice on Friday.

The Aggies (8-2) led 43-42 with 13:47 remaining before outscoring the Wildcats (7-2) 23-6 over the next eight minutes. In that span, Jones scored 10 points, including a long 3-pointer above the key to lift A&M to a 64-45 lead with 6:02 remaining.

“We didn’t have any answers for him,” KSU coach Bruce Weber said.

Wesley Iwundu led the Wildcats with 23 points, while D.J. Johnson followed with 14.

Alex Caruso added 13 points for the Aggies. Caruso owns 224 career steals, after snagging six on Saturday, and is five shy of breaking the school record of 228 set by guard David Edwards from 1991-94.

KSU climbed back into the game late, primarily thanks to Iwundu coming alive with 18 second-half points, and trailed 71-66 with a little more than a minute remaining. But Caruso spun in the lane and knocked down a short jumper, and on the ensuing inbound stuck his hand out while running up court and deflected the ball for a steal.

“Caruso makes such a difference for them,” Weber said. “He does all of the little things.”

A&M, in displaying the depth fifth-year coach Billy Kennedy has championed this season, outscored KSU 39-20 off the bench. Jones didn’t start the game because of his sickness, but still played 30 minutes off the bench.

The Aggies rebounded from a 67-54 loss at Arizona State on Dec. 5, while snapping a three-game winning streak for KSU in the battle of former Big 12 foes.

“Kansas State never gave up, and we could never really put them away,” Kennedy said. “Alex Caruso and Jalen Jones really stepped up for us. It was good to see a couple of seniors step up when a couple of other seniors were struggling. That’s the mark of a good team.”

Senior All-American candidate Danuel House finished 2 of 11 from the field, including missing all three of his 3-point attempts.

The Aggies exited the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference in the summer of 2012, and the teams have played twice since then, including a 71-64 Wildcats victory in Kansas City on Dec. 20 of last year.

“We’ll bounce back, and take care of business next game,” Iwundu said.

—

TIP-INS

Alex Caruso tallied season-highs in assists (nine) and steals (six). . Kennedy said freshman forward Elijah Thomas wasn’t on the bench because of “personal issues” and Kennedy said he hoped Thomas would return soon.

STAT LINES

Despite the double-digit loss, KSU doubled up A&M in offensive rebounds (16 to 8). In doing so, the Wildcats nearly doubled up the Aggies on second-chance points (19 to 10). The Wildcats also won the overall rebounding battle (35 to 31) . A&M starting point guard Anthony Collins played 14 minutes after he got in early foul trouble, and only attempted one shot from the field (a made 3-pointer) and two free throws (both makes) to finish with an efficient five points.

QUOTABLE

“It was a game of runs. And they just had too many runs.”

KSU coach Bruce Weber on A&M stretching a lead multiple times.

UP NEXT

Texas A&M hosts Baylor on Saturday.

Kansas State plays at Colorado State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Sandwiched between two road games against Power Five teams, Kansas State players recognized there was potential for a letdown against Coppin State.

The Wildcats ran away with the game in convincing fashion, as they continue to make a statement early in the 2015-16 season.

Justin Edwards and Wesley Iwundu scored 14 points each, and Kansas State cruised past Coppin State 83-58 on Wednesday night.

“You have to be mature and prepare for it the same as you do any other game,” Iwundu said. “We did a good job of that today. We got off to a great start, but we slowed down. But you just have to be consistent with it.”

Dean Wade and Stephen Hurt scored 12 points apiece and Austin Budke added 11 to round out a balanced effort for the Wildcats (7-1), who are off to their best start since the 2012-13 season.

“Our older guys have been very, very consistent,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “The young guys have kind of tagged along with them and done their thing.”

Kansas State never trailed, building a 13-point halftime lead that grew to 66-44 on an emphatic, one-handed dunk by Iwundu in transition with 8:01 left in the game.

Terry Harris Jr. scored nine of his 14 points in the first half to lead Coppin State (2-7). James Sylvester added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Christian Kessee had 11 points.

Coppin State was 8 of 34 from the field in the second half and shot 29 percent overall, including 2 of 21 from 3-point range.

“For us to go into a ballgame and shoot less than 30 percent and less than 10 percent from 3, we are not going to win a lot of ballgames that way,” Eagles coach Michael Grant said.

Kansas State rattled off eight straight points to take a 29-17 lead early in the game. Edwards nailed back-to-back 3-pointers during the run and later assisted on an alley-oop to Iwundu.

The Eagles kept it close and pulled within single digits twice in the first half but hit just one field goal in the final 3:37. Kansas State went on a 9-2 run during that span to take a 42-29 lead into the locker room.

Coppin State started the second half by making just four of its first 23 shots as Kansas State broke it open. Kansas State went to its bench to finish off the final five minutes of the game, closing the game with 22 assists on 28-made field goals.

“We’ve been a team,” Weber said. “We had five guys in double figures. That’s been our strength, and if we’re going to continue to make progress that’s got to continue to be the thing that carries us.”

—

AMONG THE BEST

Edwards is one of only nine players nationally to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes played this season. Through eight games, Edwards is averaging 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game.

TIP-INS

Kansas State: The Wildcats have won their last seven meetings against Coppin State by an average of 20 points. . Wade was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday after scoring 17 points, including the game-winning jumper, in a road win against Georgia.

Coppin State: The Eagles feature nine newcomers after finishing 8-23 last season. . Including Wednesday, the Eagles will play six of their next seven games on the road.

UP NEXT

Kansas State travels to Texas A&M on Saturday.

Coppin State faces Fordham on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK – Bill Snyder, the architect of the “greatest turnaround in the history of college football,” became just the fourth person in the history of college football to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as an active coach as the legendary K-State coach was officially enshrined Tuesday as part of the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2015.

A five-time national coach of the year honoree and seven-time conference coach of the year recipient, Snyder joins Bobby Bowden (Florida State), Joe Paterno (Penn State) and John Gagliardi (St. John’s) as active coaches to be enshrined.

Other members of the 2015 class include Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts, Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth, Arizona State linebacker Bob Breunig, Millsaps (Miss.) defensive lineman Sean Brewer, Pittsburgh offensive tackle Ruben Brown, Florida split end Wes Chandler, Notre Dame split end Thom Gatewood, Yale running back Dick Jauron, Michigan State halfback Clinton Jones, Washington offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy, Michigan running back Rob Lytle, Marshall quarterback Michael Payton, Kentucky defensive end Art Still, Texas Tech linebacker Zach Thomas and Texas running back Ricky Williams.

Snyder has compiled an amazing 193-100-1 record in his 24 years as the helm of the Wildcat program. He ranks 29th all-time in victories among FBS coaches and continues to climb the ladder with each win.

“Obviously this is a very humbling honor, and I am certainly grateful to those who nominated me, those who voted for me and for Steve Hatchell and the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame for all they have done for our remarkable game of college football,” said Snyder. “It is, however, not a one-person honor but one for a large collection of wonderful people who have had a major impact on our program and any successes that I may have had. Recognition such as this would not have been possible for me if it wasn’t for my mother’s and grandfather’s guidance as a young boy, nor for my immediate family (wife Sharon, daughters Shannon, Meredith and Whitney and sons Sean and Ross) who have sacrificed so very much over the years.

“The opportunities given to us by our central athletic administration (past and present) have been a significant part of our successes here at Kansas State as has the fan (family) support we have had from our student bodies and the Kansas State people throughout the country. All inclusively they represent the passion, caring and love of the Wildcat Football Family.”

Called the “coach of the century” by hall of fame coach Barry Switzer, Snyder’s accomplishments at K-State are nearly unthinkable considering what he inherited during his first tour of duty beginning in 1989. The Wildcat program was in the midst of an 0-26-1 run when he was hired and had been just one bowl game in its first 93 seasons.

During a the span of 11-straight bowl seasons (1993-2003), Snyder’s Wildcats won nearly 80 percent of their games, chalking up 109 victories – a staggering 10 wins per season – and making K-State the nation’s second winningest program over that period. His first tenure included a Big 12 Championship in 2003 in a 35-7 win over No. 1 Oklahoma, while his 1998 team held a No. 1 ranking in the BCS Standings. Snyder retired from coaching prior to the last game of the 2005 season, and the Wildcats sent him out with a 36-28 come-from-behind home victory over Missouri in the first game of the newly renamed Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

“The entire K-State Nation joins President Schulz and me in congratulating Coach Snyder on being named a NFF College Football Hall of Fame member and being recognized as one of the top coaches in the history of the game,” Athletics Director John Currie said. “The impact he and Sharon and their family have had on Kansas State University and Manhattan since his arrival in 1989 is incalculable, and his leadership and mentoring are truly remarkable and inspirational. Coach Snyder’s legacy of integrity and commitment to excellence transcends not only football but perhaps all of intercollegiate athletics and higher education.”

Following a three-year hiatus, Snyder returned to the sidelines in 2009, and it has been more of the same as his teams have accumulated a 53-30 record through seven seasons and currently rank among the leaders in the Big 12 in conference wins since 2011 with 30.

The Wildcats are in the midst of six-straight bowl seasons, including a pair of 10-win campaigns in 2011 (10-3) and 2012 (11-2). The 2012 Wildcats captured the program’s second Big 12 Championship and held another No. 1 national ranking. After turning 75 years old on Oct. 7, 2014 – which qualified him to be included on this year’s hall of fame ballot – Snyder’s team promptly traveled to No. 11 Oklahoma and pulled out a 31-30 victory, a key component of the Wildcats’ nine-win season in 2014.

“This is such a fitting honor for a tremendous man who has represented Kansas State University, the state of Kansas and all of college athletics with the utmost class and integrity,” said K-State President Kirk Schulz. “Coach Snyder, in so many ways, epitomizes the core values central to our University’s founding and ongoing quest for excellence through a tireless work ethic, an unrelenting commitment to improvement and never giving up. We are so proud of him on behalf of the student-athletes, the entire K-State family and countless others who have benefitted from his positive leadership.”

— KSU Athletics —