K-State beats WIU 82-50
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- After spending all of last season at power forward, Jamar Samuels was asked to learn the small forward position to make room for Curtis Kelly, a transfer from UConn who sat out last year due to NCAA transfer rules.
Samuels had little trouble at his new position on Sunday, scoring 19 points to lead Kansas State past Western Illinois 82-50. Despite leading his team in scoring, Samuels' primary concern after the game was getting the team ready for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tipoff, a four-day tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico that starts Thursday.
"We have a day off tomorrow and then practice on Tuesday. We have to pick it up before we go to Puerto Rico because the competition is going to be a lot better than this weekend," Samuels said.
Samuels was one of five Kansas State players to reach double figures in scoring. Denis Clemente added 13 points, Rodney McGruder and Wally Judge, former high school teammates, each had 11 and Jacob Pullen added 10 for the Wildcats (2-0).
The Leathernecks (0-2) were led by Matt Lander with a game-high 20 points. He was the only Western Illinois player to reach double figures.
Both teams stumbled out of the gates and neither squad could seem to gain an advantage until a 7-0 run by Western Illinois gave the Leathernecks a slim 10-7 lead. But the lead would be short-lived as a layup by Judge sparked a 14-2 Kansas State run that put the Wildcats on top for good.
Kansas State held the Leathernecks to just four points in the final seven minutes of the first half en route to a 31-20 halftime lead. Western Illinois couldn't capitalize on scoring opportunities, hitting just nine of 33 field goal attempts before the break.
After struggling offensively in the first half, Kansas State's shooting improved after intermission. The Wildcats opened the second period on an 11-2 run to put the game well out of reach. They remained hot from the field, connecting on 60 percent of their shots compared to 41.9 percent in the opening period.
"I think in the first half, we were lackadaisical," said Kansas State coach Frank Martin. "We had some turnovers where we were trying to dribble the ball early in the shot clock in the paint. That's not going to work because of how (Western Illinois) plays."
While Kansas State's offense flourished down the stretch, the Leathernecks' offense remained stagnant in the second half. Lander exploded for 14 points after being held to six before the break, but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback, as Western Illinois managed just three field goals after a two-point bucket by Davud Gebru with 13:07 left in the contest.
"When you look at it, they just overpowered us inside," said Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari. "We competed better than we did last game, but they just wore us down in the last 10 minutes."
After being outrebounded in their first game, the Wildcats won the battle against Western Illinois, grabbing 48 boards to the Leathernecks' 31. But Martin still wasn't pleased with the rebounding effort.
"You can't win games giving up 13 offensive rebounds," said the third-year head coach. "One of the reasons that we've had the chance to win games the last couple years is because we offensive rebound. We're allowing other people to do that to us. You're not going to beat certain teams if you continue to do that."
The game wrapped up a two-game road trip for the Leathernecks, in which Molinari said his team learned a lot about its identity.
"We figured out how hard you have to work, how emotional you have to play," Molinari said. "We also figured out that we have some guys on our team that can play. This weekend I put my team in a very difficult position, but we will work harder and get better."
The contest also marked the end of a two-game homestand for Kansas State, and Martin said there is plenty to improve on before the team leaves for Puerto Rico later this week.
"I can promise you that our whole demeanor is going to change on Tuesday in practice," Martin said. "I don't know what we're going to do in the games down there, but the laid back, casual approach that we've had back here, well that is going to change or we'll have different people in uniform when we take the court in Puerto Rico."