Sophomore Xavier Sneed’s game-high 18 points paced four Wildcats in double figures, as the Wildcats eased past Fort Hays State, 79-56, in exhibition action on Sunday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum. According to a release from K-State Athletics.
The Wildcats’ starting five accounted for 64 of the team’s 79 points scored on 58.5 percent shooting (24-of-41), including 50 percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range. Sneed was joined in double figures by juniors Dean Wade (15) and Barry Brown (14) and redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra (11).
The Wildcats jumped out to an early advantage behind the strength of their shooting, including a 10-2 run out of the gate, spurred by back-to-back three-pointers from Sneed and Diarra on the opening possessions. Wade added a team-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the first half, as the team shot just over 50 percent in the first half.
Much of the K-State scoring in the first half came in the paint, as the Wildcats scored 22 of their 37 first-half points in the paint, including two dunks from Sneed that came in the result of forced turnovers. The Wildcats forced 10 turnovers in the first half, and entered the half with a 37-30 lead.
In the second half, the Wildcats continued their successful day shooting, adding back-to-back threes from Sneed and Brown, as the team shot 6-of-14 from beyond the arc in the game. Junior Amaad Wainright added to the team’s dunk totals in the second half, as he collected a miss shot and threw it down. K-State outscored Fort Hays State 15-5 in second-chance points in the game.
Defensively, the Wildcats allowed only 12 points in the paint in the game, and forced 20 turnovers throughout the game. Brown and Mike McGuirl led K-State in steals, pick-pocketing the Tigers three times each in the game. The Wildcats added five blocks in the game, two of which came from Wade.
The smothering Wildcat defense held the Tigers to just 36 percent shooting (18-of-50), including 32.1 percent (9-of-28) from 3-point range. K-State also converted 20 FHSU turnovers into 27 points.
