Kansas State scored over half of their points in the paint and shot 89 percent (16-of-18) from the free-throw line to fight off George Washington 67-59 to earn a third-place finish at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Friday.
Junior forward Dean Wade nearly tallied a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 9 rebounds, while junior guard Kamau Stokes added a team-high 19 points, in what was an efficient outing for the Wildcats as the close out tournament play.
Coming off their first defeat of the season just 24 hours earlier, the Wildcats recouped early against George Washington, connecting on their first 4-of-7 shots in the game to jump out to an early 13-7 lead.
The scoring success for the Wildcats was due in part to their inside presence, as they totaled 18 points in the paint in the first half, as Wade put together 9 points and 4 rebounds in the first half, while sophomore forward Makol Mawien added 8 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first half. K-State was able to gather a 32-18 lead at the 7-minute mark in the first half.
Paired with K-State big men, Stokes led the Wildcats in scoring the half, as he put together a 10-points on 3-of-5 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. As a team, K-State shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field and 90 percent (9-of-10) from the free-throw line in the first half.
Despite the early success in the paint, George Washington was able to capitalize on a 8-2 run to tighten the game before halftime. Sophomore forward Arnaldo Toro led the Colonels with 10 points at the half, as they shot 43 percent (12-of-28) as a team from the field. K-State led 38-29 at the half.
After the intermission, the Wildcats continued their efficiency in the paint, as the team scored over half their points in the paint, totaling 34 to the Colonels’ 18 in the game. The easy buckets were a result of efficient passing, as K-State gave up only 5 turnovers in the game, junior guard Barry Brown dished out 3 assists to lead the Wildcats.
K-State possessed a game-high 15-point lead at the 10:38 mark in the second half, but much like the first half, George Washington was able to put together another run to bring the game to a slim margin. Over the span of 3 minutes and 50 seconds, the Colonels were able to put together a 15-2 run to bring the score to just a 56-54 K-State lead with 5:05 remaining.
With the George Washington lingering, K-State was able to fight off Colonels in the final minutes. Wade put together 4 straight points for the Wildcats, including a layup in the paint and a pair of free throws to bring the Wildcat lead to 62-56 with 2:25 remaining. Wade would also come up with a decisive rebound in the final minute to cap off the Continental Tire Las Vegas Tournament with a 67-59 win.
The Wildcats were led by Stokes who tallied 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the game and Wade who added an impressive effort of his own with 17 points and 9 rebounds. K-State shot 47 percent (23-of-49) from the field and 16-of-18 from the free-throw strike in the game to down the Colonels.
George Washington shot 41 percent (22-of-54) from the floor, and were led by Toro who led the game in scoring with 21 points.
K-State returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 29 when the Wildcats play host to Oral Roberts (1-4) at 7 p.m., at Bramlage Coliseum.
