K- State Advances To The First Round
The month of March is all about survive and advance and it got started with the first four as number eleven seed Kansas State out of the big twelve beat number eleven seed Wake Forest out of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tuesday as K-State took down Wake Forest by a score of 95-88.
Point Kamau Stokes played through pain Tuesday on his side but that didn't stop him from making a three-pointer with three seconds left on the clock. "according to http://www.kstatesports.com/news/se-wildcats-find-big-time-plays-in-95-88-win-over-wake-forest-in-first-four-of-ncaa-tournament-03-15-2017
Kamau Stokes had 22 points while he was 5-8 from three-point range. However, his first half didn't start as planned as he had four turnovers and just three points. "according to http://www.kstatesports.com/news/se-wildcats-find-big-time-plays-in-95-88-win-over-wake-forest-in-first-four-of-ncaa-tournament-03-15-2017
Iwundu, one of five seniors on the team, continued to bring his best to the floor. The 6-foot-7 product of Houston, Texas, converted 6-of-9 from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe for a for a career-high 24 points. Not to be forgotten, Iwundu collected a team-high seven assists and six rebounds in K-State’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 2012. He continued to be a force for K-State scoring 10 points in the first to go along with 14 in the second. "according to http://www.kstatesports.com/news/se-wildcats-find-big-time-plays-in-95-88-win-over-wake-forest-in-first-four-of-ncaa-tournament-03-15-2017
“We all contributed to this win. Good players step up and make plays,” Iwundu said. “That was the difference.” "according to http://www.kstatesports.com/news/se-wildcats-find-big-time-plays-in-95-88-win-over-wake-forest-in-first-four-of-ncaa-tournament-03-15-2017
Ervin and D.J. Johnson, both seniors, played integral roles in the win as well. "according to http://www.kstatesports.com/news/se-wildcats-find-big-time-plays-in-95-88-win-over-wake-forest-in-first-four-of-ncaa-tournament-03-15-2017
Johnson not only guarded an NBA talent in Wake Forest’s John Collins but also went 8-of-9 from the field for 18 points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots. Off the bench, Ervin made all three of his field goal attempts to add seven points. He also contributed four rebounds in 17 minutes of action. "according to http://www.kstatesports.com/news/se-wildcats-find-big-time-plays-in-95-88-win-over-wake-forest-in-first-four-of-ncaa-tournament-03-15-2017
“They know this is it for them,” Stokes said of the seniors. “They want to make a run in this thing because after this they have their future ahead of them and no more college basketball. I feel like they played like it was their last game.”"according to http://www.kstatesports.com/news/se-wildcats-find-big-time-plays-in-95-88-win-over-wake-forest-in-first-four-of-ncaa-tournament-03-15-2017
K -State had to survive some foul trouble though as five players were assessed two fouls in the first sixteen minutes of play and by the end of the game they had piled up 29. K-State overcame foul trouble though as they shot 63% from the floor while they were 14-17 in the arc while they were 9-11 from the free throw line in the first half. K -State didn't surrender the lead as they shot 69.6 % in the second half while they finished the game at 66%. which is a program record and a season-high for K- State. "according to http://www.kstatesports.com/news/se-wildcats-find-big-time-plays-in-95-88-win-over-wake-forest-in-first-four-of-ncaa-tournament-03-15-2017 K -State now will advance to play Cincinnati Friday in the first round in Sacramento California .
Wake Forest meanwhile was led by John Collins who scored 26 points while Bryant Crawford
finished with 20 points, his 30th double-figure game of the season and 11th 20-point game. Crawford also added 10 assists, a program record for most assists in a NCAA Tournament game. The 20 point, 10 assist performance marks his second double-double of the season. "according to http://www.wakeforestsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031517aaa.html
The Deacs also finished the contest 29-for-32 from the free throw line. Their 29 free throws are a program record for the most in a NCAA Tournament game, replacing the 28 scored in 1962 against St. Joseph's, while the 90.6 percent rate is also the highest in program tournament history, replacing an 18-for-20 effort in 1991 against Charleston. "according to http://www.wakeforestsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031517aaa.html
Despite an early four-point deficit, a triple from Mitchell Wilbekin tied the score 11-all while a pair of free throws from Childress gave the Demon Deacons (19-14) their first lead of the night with just under 13 minutes remaining in the first half. From there, the teams traded baskets until Kansas State (21-13) managed to gain its largest lead of the half at six. Trailing the Wildcats with just over six minutes to go, a combination of a triple and a three-point play from Crawford brought the Deacs within one. However, the Wildcats used a 4-0 run to extended their advantage to five, forcing the Deacs to burn a timeout with 3:38 left in the half. Kansas State extended its lead to seven but Wake Forest cut the score down to 40-36 heading into the locker rooms at the half. "according to http://www.wakeforestsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031517aaa.html
The Demon Deacons began their strong showing from the free-throw line in the opening frame, going 17-for-18 from the line, including a perfect 12-for-12 to begin the contest. The Wildcats opened the second half on a 5-0 run to extend their lead to nine. The squads quickly traded baskets but the Wildcats built their first double-digit lead of the night at 10 with 15:32 remaining. The Deacs used the under-16 media timeout to reset and managed to narrow the Wildcats' lead down to one with eight minutes remaining. However, the Wildcats caught fire in the field and used a 7-0 run to take a nine-point lead with under four minutes to go. Despite a strong fight, the Demon Deacons fell 95-88. "according to http://www.wakeforestsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031517aaa.html
Wake Forest finishes the 2016-17 season with a 19-14 record, their best record since 2009-10. "according to http://www.wakeforestsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031517aaa.html