Cat fight in Maui pits Kansas State against Arizona

Nov 25, 2014 - 5:04 PM Maui, HI (SportsNetwork.com) - With a spot in the championship game on the line, the Kansas State Wildcats and the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats will meet in the semifinal round of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday night at the Lahaina Civic Center.

The winner will play either Pittsburgh or San Diego State in the championship game on Wednesday, while the losers will try to redeem themselves in the third-place game.

Kansas State began its stay in this tournament with a first-round victory over Purdue on Monday, 88-79. The triumph allowed the K-State to successfully avenge a 69-60 road setback in its latest bout at Long Beach State, and it is now 3-1 on the season.

Arizona, the odds-on favorite to win this event, did what was expected of it in the first round with a convincing 72-53 victory over Missouri to advance. It has now won four straight to open the campaign, with each win coming back at least 17 points.

Kansas State has an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series with Arizona, although the teams haven't met since 1999.

Kansas State built a lead as large as 20 early in the second half in the first round, and while it allowed Purdue to climb all the way back to make it a five-point game inside of four minutes remaining, it held on for the nine- point victory. Although both teams shot greater than 53 percent from the field, Kansas State earned extra possessions by winning both the rebounding (33-27) and the turnover (13-9) battles. Marcus Foster was the catalyst in the victory with 24 points, draining 5-of-8 from 3-point range in the process. Stephen Hurt provided a spark off the bench with 11 points, while Nino Williams and Wesley Iwundu netted 10 apiece.

K-State is off to a fast start offensively this season, as it drains just shy of 50 percent of its field goal tries for 82.2 ppg, which has helped shield an inconsistent showing on the defensive end of the floor (.467 FG percentage defense, 72.2 ppg) .Thomas Gipson leads the team with 15.0 ppg on a scorching 73.9 percent from the floor. Foster (14.5 ppg) has been active and effective from beyond the arc (11-of-23). Williams (11.0 ppg) and Nigel Johnson (10.3 ppg) round out the double-digit scorers.

After holding a modest seven-point advantage heading into intermission Monday afternoon against Missouri, Arizona pulled away in the second half to capture the 19-point victory. Although it didn't wow anyone with its field goal percentage (.453) and it struggled from 3-point range (5-of-16), it played outstanding defense in forcing Missouri into more turnovers (17) than field goals (16). Leading the way with 15 points apiece were Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Stanley Johnson chipped in with 14 points and T.J. McConnell got the playmakers involved with nine assists.

On the season, Arizona has shined on both ends of the floor by shooting 49.3 percent from the field for 76.8 ppg while allowing a mere 57.5 ppg on 38.6 percent shooting. It also dominates with great rebounding (+6.0) and turnover (+4.8) margins. Hollis-Jefferson (15.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Ashley (15.0 ppg) both shoot 60 percent or greater from the field. Johnson brings 12.3 ppg to the table, while McConnell (7.8 ppg) has dished out 28 assists (7.0 per game) while committing just six turnovers.