A competitive first half turned into a nightmarish second half as things got away from the Kansas State Wildcats during the 10th annual Battle in Seattle. Kelly Olynyk led three Gonzaga players in double figures as the 14th-ranked Bulldogs used an 8-0 run to begin the second half while pulling away from K-State 68-52 Saturday night at Key Arena.
Gonzaga used a late run in the first half to take a 27-23 lead but Angel Rodriguez’ four-point play just before halftime pulled the Wildcats to within 27-26. However much like what happened in the Preseason NIT Championship Game against Michigan, K-State was unable to stop another surge in the early part of the second half as they went four minutes and 18 seconds without a point to start the stanza.
Joining Olynyk as the leading scorers for Gonzaga were Gary Bell Jr. with 11 points and Elias Harris with 10. Rodriguez was the only Wildcat in double figures with 14 points while Will Spradling added eight. Rodney McGruder had a rough game as he was held to four points and made just one of nine shot attempts from the floor.
Kansas State (7-2) returns to Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday night to face Texas Southern as a tune-up to their meeting with Florida next Saturday in the HyVee Wildcat Classic at Kansas City’s Sprint Center. Tipoff on Tuesday is at 7 p.m.
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