Kansas State eases past Robert Morris 61-40
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- The first few games of Dean Wade's sophomore season showed that he may have fallen into the "sophomore slump" but on Tuesday night, there were new signs of a slump.
Wade had a season-high 13 points and DJ Johnson and Barry Brown added 12 points each to help Kansas State beat Robert Morris 61-40 in a regional round matchup of the Barclays Center Classic.
"I felt like I was letting the team down by not playing aggressive," Wade said. "So tonight I wanted to come out and be as aggressive as I could and still be smart with the ball."
The Wildcats (4-0) never trailed and shot 47 percent on 23-of-49 shooting. Wade also grabbed nine rebounds and Johnson had eight.
Although Kansas State led the entire game, there were mental lapses for the Wildcats that led to sloppy play after Kansas State jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead.
"During shoot around, I said we can't leave for New York till tomorrow," Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber said.
"We have to take care of business today. Today we were very impatient with the ball, you had to keep moving the basketball with guys making different cuts. It's kind of hard to explain."
Robert Morris (0-5) shot 23 percent on 13 of 57 shooting and Kansas State was able to separate during the Colonials' scoring droughts. On top of their shooting woes, Robert Morris also committed 25 turnovers.
The 23 percent shooting was the lowest for a Kansas State opponent since Long Beach State shot 19 percent back in 2013.
Isaiah Still led the Colonials in scoring with 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting and Aaron Tate grabbed 11 rebounds.
BIG PICTURE
Robert Morris: The Colonials' 25 turnovers were a season high.
Kansas State: The Wildcats were the first team this season to hold Robert Morris under 50 points.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Despite losing, Robert Morris edged the Wildcats on the boards 40-38.
FRESHMAN STANDOUT
Kansas State freshman Isaiah Maurice came off the bench to grab a season high six rebounds.
QUICK COMPARE
Kansas State's DJ Johnson overpowered his Robert Morris counterpart Braden Burke. Johnson finished with 12 points and eight rebounds while Burke grabbed eight rebounds but could only muster two points on 1-of-9 shooting.
UP NEXT
Robert Morris: Robert Morris will finish out their portion of the Barclays Center Classic with Hampton on Friday and then face the winner of Stony Brook and Towson the following night.
Kansas State: Kansas State will travel to Brooklyn for two games in the Barclays Center Classic. They will take on Boston College on Friday night.
