MANHATTAN, Kan. — Xavier Sneed scored 23 points to lead Kansas State over Southeast Missouri 89-71 on Saturday night.
A week after Kansas State (9-2) had a cold-shooting night in its 61-54 loss against Tulsa, the Wildcats found comfort with the baskets at home shooting 63 percent (35 of 56) from the field and made 11 of 23 from long range.
Sneed shot 9 of 10 from the field and made four 3-pointers. Dean Wade added 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting for the Wildcats.
Denzel Mahoney led Southeast Missouri (6-5) with 23 points and made five 3s. Daniel Simmons chipped in 17 points.
The Redhawks couldn’t overcome scoring spurts from Kansas State, had frequent scoring droughts and couldn’t get within 10 points over the course of the second half.
With family and friends visiting from St. Louis, Sneed scored a thundering alley-oop and two 3-pointers, one of which turned into a 4-point play during a 9-0 spurt. Early in the second half, Sneed scored six straight points and capped a 15-6 surge with a layup and the Wildcats had a 21-point lead with 14:20 to play.
BIG PICTURE
After shooting 32 percent from the field against Tulsa last Saturday, the first-half shooting explosion and a 53-39 halftime lead were a welcome sight. Seeing Xavier Sneed continue to emerge as a scoring threat bodes well once the Wildcats enter Big 12 play. Kansas State has their final non-conference road test against Washington State before traveling to Iowa State on Dec. 29 and No. 11 West Virginia on New Year’s Day.
UP NEXT
Southeast Missouri: The Redhawks host Bradley on Wednesday.
Kansas State: The Wildcats travel to Spokane and face Washington State on Wednesday.
