Via K-State Athletics
BERKELEY, Calif. – Senior Markquis Nowell’s 4-point play with just over 5 minutes helped ignite an 8-0 run that lifted Kansas State to a 63-54 win over California on Friday evening before 3,607 fans at Haas Pavilion.
Nowell, who finished the night with 13 points to go along with a game-high 7 assists and 3 steals, followed his 4-point with a layup then had the steal and assist on the dunk by junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin that capped the 8-0 run and gave K-State (2-0) a 55-46 lead with 4:02 to play.
The clutch shot came with the momentum clearly on the side of the Golden Bears (0-2), who had used separate runs of 13-0 and 11-0 run to erase a 20-point deficit and cut the lead to 47-46 with 5:37 to play.
Nowell hit the 3-pointer from the corner right in front of the Wildcat bench before being knocked to the ground. He calmly hit the free throw to give K-State a 51-46 lead with 5:07 to play.
In addition to Nowell’s spectacular night, senior Keyontae Johnson had a near double-double with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-13 field goals with a game-high 9 rebounds and 2 steals. He was joined in double figures by Tomlin, who added 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting to go with 2 rebounds and 2 blocks.
