Bulldogs fade late, lose at Kansas State

MANHATTAN, Kansas — Over the past week or so, Kansas State men’s basketball fans have taken to social media and used the hashtag #DeanWolf to support star forward Dean Wade as he led the charge during the Wildcats’ three-game winning streak.

In the final minutes of Saturday’s Big 12/SEC Challenge game against Georgia, the hashtag came alive — and so did the Wildcats.

Wade scored six of his 20 points as Kansas State outscored Georgia 12-2 in the final 6:11 for a 56-51 victory in Bramlage Coliseum.

In other games comparable to Saturday’s back-and-forth matchup, this season’s Wildcats eventually faded down the stretch. This time, they showed growth from their experience.

“I think we have matured a lot; at the end of games we do not panic like we used to,” Wade said. “We are playing strong and confident. Getting a little more experience just helps our confidence and maturity a lot.”

The Wildcats (16-5) won despite being held well below their season average of 77.1 points per game. Wade was 7-for17 from the field and made some clutch baskets down the stretch to help extend the Wildcats lead.

Georgia coach Mark Fox, who is a native of Kansas and was a Wildcats assistant from 1994 to 2000, was impressed with Wade.

“He is a player who can shoot the 3 and drive it. He can score mid-range off a fadeaway or a pull-up and is a very good passer,” Fox said. “Because he has good shooters around him it is usually one-on-one, so he is able to finish a lot of plays.”

Cartier Diarra added 12 points for Kansas State.

Georgia (12-8) was led in scoring by Yante Maten with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Juwan Parker added 11 points — though he was 1-for-6 from 3-point range — and Derek Ogbeide had 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Bulldogs took the lead early in the second half and used tough defense, tough shot making and solid rebounding as they trounced the Wildcats in that category with a 38-27 edge, including 12 on the offensive end alone.

With the Wildcats beginning their climb back into the ballgame, the Bulldogs stalled as they went 1-for-11 from the field over the final 6:11. Their only basket in that stretch came when Ogbeide scored on a layup with 34 seconds to play.

The Bulldogs, who have lost five of their past six games, return to Southeastern Conference competition when No. 20 Florida visits Tuesday.