Xavier Sneed sparks K-State offense in 89-71 victory over SE Missouri State

Xavier Sneed has been one of Kansas State’s hottest basketball players this season, but he has never been hotter than he was during stretches of a 89-71 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

At one point, he brought the crowd to its feet on three straight possessions by throwing down a nasty one-handed slam in transition, draining a three-pointer and then converting a four-point play.

A week after playing flat and shooting cold throughout a 61-54 loss to Tulsa, the Wildcats bounced back and torched the Redhawks. They scored 53 points in the first half and never let up. Unlike their last outing, when the made just 4 of 31 three-pointers, they were sharp from the outside and made 11 of 23.

Sneed was the main catalyst.

His solo run came early in the game and gave K-State a 17-6 lead. Then he found his groove in the second half and made three quick shots to give the Wildcats a 21-point lead. Then he connected on another alley-oop dunk. He finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Watching him deliver highlight after highlight lit a fire under his teammates, and they played with more intensity than they have in most games.

Barry Brown had a reverse dunk, Amaad Wainright attacked the glass for seven points and nine rebounds and Dean Wade got busy for 19 points and three rebounds.

But improvement was most noticeable from Makol Mawien. The sophomore forward has been K-State’s least productive starter this season, averaging 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds, but he was a difference-maker in this game.

He scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and looked more comfortable in the pain than he previously has in a K-State uniform. In the first half, he drained a trailer three from the top of the key. In the second half, he threw down a driving dunk.

This was a game he can build on.

The Wildcats could have been better on defense, as they allowed Denzel Mahoney to score 20 of his 23 points in the first half, but this was a step in the right direction as they wrap up the nonconference portion of their schedule.

This story was originally published December 16, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Xavier Sneed sparks K-State offense in 89-71 victory over SE Missouri State."