Field Level Media
Feb 17, 2021
Marcus Garrett scored a game-high 14 points to lead No. 23 Kansas to a 59-41 win over the host Kansas State Wildcats in a Big 12 Conference game on Wednesday night in Manhattan, Kan.
It was the fifth straight win in the series for Kansas (16-7, 10-5 Big 12), and 13th in the last 14 meetings. It was the lowest-scoring game in the series since Feb. 18, 1981, when Kansas won 51-49.
Jalen Wilson had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Jayhawks, who extended their winning streak to four games.
The Wildcats (5-18, 1-13 Big 12) lost their 13th straight game, extending the longest one-season skid in school history. DaJuan Gordon led the Wildcats with 12 points but none of his teammates had more than six points.
The Wildcats never found a rhythm. They shot 31 percent from the field and committed 18 turnovers.
Meantime, Kansas went 22-for-48 (45.8 percent) from the floor, but just 4-for-16 (25 percent) from beyond the arc.
Kansas, which led 26-17 at intermission, pushed its lead to 44-29 with under 9:30 left in the game.
K-State finished the game just 3-of-24 from 3-point range. They didn't hit their first 3-pointer until the 11:33 mark of the second half, when Luke Kasubke hit the Cats' first in 17 attempts.
Both teams struggled in the first half. The Wildcats had 11 straight empty possessions after tying the game at 2-2. Fortunately for their hopes, the Jayhawks only managed to pull out to a 10-2 lead before Antonio Gordon hit the Cats' second basket. The under-12 timeout saw Kansas up just 10-4.
Wilson hit a 3-pointer at the 1:23 mark, the first long-range make by either team in the first half. The Jayhawks finished 1-for-7 on 3-point tries in the opening half, while the Wildcats were 0-for-12, as Kansas took a nine-point lead into halftime. Even in this offensively challenged season, the 17 points at halftime were the fewest of the season for K-State.
Kansas was led by Wilson's 11 points and six rebounds in the first half. Gordon led the Wildcats with 10 points. The Cats hit just 28.6 percent of their shots (8-for-28) in the half.
--Field Level Media