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Kansas State dominates James Madison in opener

Nov 13, 2010 - 6:14 AM Manhattan, KS (Sports Network) - Jacob Pullen had 20 points and Nick Russell tallied 19, as third-ranked Kansas State began its season by topping James Madison, 75-61, in the first game of the Manhattan Regional Round of the CBE Classic.

Sporting their highest preseason ranking ever, the Wildcats earned a school- record 29 victories last season. The Wildcats (1-0) earned an invite to the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the regional finals for the first time since 1988.

Friday's game tipped off a busy slate for the Wildcats, who will play three games in a seven-day period. The team plays Virginia Tech on Tuesday, then two days later against Presbyterian. The Wildcats have won 16 of their last 19 season openers with all three losses coming on the road.

"We had our mental lapses and our mental breakdowns but that is expected," Pullen said. "It is not going to be perfection. Overall I feel we lacked a bit of energy but those things will come."

Rayshawn Goins had 17 points and 12 rebounds for James Madison (0-1), which raced to a 6-0 lead, but gave up 12 of the next 15 points. Martavious Irving's three-pointer put the Wildcats on top.

K-State started pulling away late in the half, widening the gap briefly to double digits before settling for a 38-30 lead at the break.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Rodney McGruder and Pullen pushed the difference to 55-35 with 14 minutes remaining. The Wildcats were never threatened down the stretch.

"It was basically poor rotation and not recognizing who was shooting," JMU's Devon Moore said. "When we looked over the scouting report, we did not expect them to shoot that well, but that is why they are a great team. That is why they are number three in the nation. They make shots so you have to give them all of the credit. We came out there and ran right at them and they still knocked down shots. That is why they are a great team."

Game Notes

The Wildcats are now 83-24 in season openers including a 69-9 mark when debuting in Manhattan. K-State has won 14 straight home openers dating back to 1994...Kansas State forced 26 turnovers by James Madison and turned it into 21 points off turnovers. The Dukes were only able to score nine points off 16 K- State turnovers...Julius Wells and Moore each had 13 points, while Denzel Bowles scored 11 for JMU.