Field Level Media
Nov 9, 2019
Xavier Sneed scored four of his team-high 19 points in overtime and Cartier Diarra had 12 points and six assists as Kansas State rallied for a 60-56 victory over UNLV on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Mike McGuirl added nine points for the Wildcats (2-0), including two free throws with 13.7 seconds left in overtime that gave Kansas State a 58-54 lead and proved to be the game-winning points.
Amauri Hardy scored a game-high 27 points, including 5 of 10 3-pointers, Texas transfer Elijah Mitrou-Long added 10 points and Cheikh Mbacke Diong had 11 rebounds for the Runnin' Rebels (1-1) who finished with 25 turnovers.
Kansas State jumped out to a 4-0 lead on back-to-back baskets by Sneed but then missed its next 11 shots over an eight-minute span as UNLV answered with a 14-0 run. Hardy, who had 15 points in the first half, scored the first 10 points for the Rebels, including two 3-pointers.
The Wildcats, who forced 13 turnovers before intermission, cut it to 18-16 on a rebound basket by McGuirl with 3:26 to go. But UNLV closed the half on a 5-0 run capped by another 3-pointer by Hardy to lead 23-16 at halftime.
Kansas State, which missed its first 13 3-point attempts, tied it at 28-28 on back-to-back treys by Sneed. The Wildcats used a 7-0 run capped by freshman guard DaJuan Gordon's layup to take a 35-33 lead with 10:21 to go.
The game seesawed back and forth with Kansas State taking a 48-46 lead on a pair of free throws by Diarra with 1:13 remaining but Mitrou-Long answered with a pair of free throws six seconds later to tie it.
Kansas State took a 54-52 lead with 1:10 left in OT on a three-point play by freshman Montavious Murphy, but Hardy tied it 15 seconds later with a baseline floater. Sneed answered with a baseline jumper to put the Wildcats ahead 56-54 with 28 seconds left.
Hardy then missed a drive to the basket and the rebound went out of bounds off a Rebel player. McGuirl then sank his clutch free throws. After UNLV guard Jonah Antonio then missed a 3-pointer, Sneed sank two more free throws with 4.9 seconds left to seal the win.
--Field Level Media