From K-State Athletics
A big second-half push, including 14 points from senior Dean Wade, helped No. 12/12 Kansas State knock off Patriot League foe Lehigh, 77-58, on Saturday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum to give the Wildcats their best start to a season in 14 years.
K-State (6-0) is now 98-6 in non-conference play at home since the 2006-07 season with wins in 88 of its last 92 non-conference home games. The Wildcats have won 26 straight non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum.
After winning the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Monday, November 19, K-State have earned its best start to the season since 2004-05 when the Wildcats opened the season 8-0.
Wade scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the second half to pace four players in double figures, as he added 8 rebounds, a team-tying 5 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes of action. Fellow senior Barry Brown, Jr., scored 16 points, while senior Kamau Stokes and junior Makol Mawien chipped in 10 points each.
With his 16 points, Brown moved into ninth place all-time in scoring, while he added 4 steals, all in the first half, to become the second Wildcat to eclipse 200 career steals and move within 8 of Jacob Pullen’s all-time record.
The hot start to the season comes in part due to K-State’s strong defensive play, as the Wildcats have held four of six opponents under 60 points in the game. Entering Saturday’s contest, the defense ranked 11th nationally in scoring defense and 19th in turnover margin (+6.0), both categories the team improved upon on Saturday.
Lehigh was led by sophomore center James Karnik, who scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, as three Mountain Hawks scored in double-digits. The squad was held to 39.3 percent (22-of-56) shooting from the field as a team, including 28.1 percent (9-of-32) in the second half.
