Field Level Media
Dec 21, 2020
Freshman Nijel Pack had a career-high 16 points as Kansas State trounced Jacksonville 70-46 Monday afternoon at Manhattan, Kan.
The Wildcats never trailed and led by as many as 30 points in the second half.
K-State's defense held the Dolphins to nearly 30 points below their season average (73.9 points per game). The Dolphins shot just 34.0 percent for the game.
DaJuan Gordon, who recorded his first career double-double two games ago, had 13 points and 12 rebounds for K-State (4-5). Mike McGuirl chipped in 12 points for the Wildcats. The Cats cooled a bit from the field in the second half, but they were able to coast. Jacksonville never got closer than the halftime margin of 19 points after intermission.
Jacksonville (6-4) was led by Bryce Workman with 10 points, all in the first half. Corey Romich added nine points off the bench. Leading scorer Dontarius James, who came in averaging 18.6 points per game, scored just two points.
The Wildcats also controlled the boards. They out-rebounded Jacksonville 45-22, including a 17-5 advantage on the offensive end. The Wildcats also had 23 assists on their 27 made field goals.
K-State had easily its best half of the season in the first half.
The Wildcats started quickly and built a 20-point lead on multiple occasions before taking a 42-23 lead into halftime. The Wildcats were hot from long range, hitting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from beyond the arc. At one stretch, the Wildcats hit five straight 3-point attempts.
Gordon nearly had a double-double in the first half, scoring eight points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Pack was the leading scorer with 12 points (on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range), but he was far from the only option. McGuirl had nine points at halftime.
Workman was the workhorse for Jacksonville, and he led the Dolphins with 10 points in the first half. James was held scoreless in the half.
--Field Level Media