FROM KSTATESPORTS.COM - Senior Keyontae Johnson continued his impressive play in his return to the court, as he led three Wildcats in double figures with 19 points in helping Kansas State to a 69-53 win over Kansas City on Thursday night before 7,376 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
 
The win gave K-State its first 3-0 start to a season since 2019-20.
 
Johnson, who scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, enjoyed a stellar all-around night, adding a team-tying 7 rebounds, a career-tying 6 assists and 2 steals to his 19-point effort in 35 minutes. He was joined in double figures by sophomore Cam Carter, who finished with a career-high 16 points on 5-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and senior Desi Sills, who added 11 points from the bench.
 
The Wildcats once again used their defense to generate offense, forcing the Roos (1-4) into 22 turnovers and converting those into 26 points. The team has forced 20 or more turnovers in each of the first 3 games, totaling 76 points off those miscues, an average of 25.3 points per game.
 
K-State took control of the game in the first half on eight straight points from Johnson, which was capped by the game's first 3-pointer with 15:21 to play. From there, Carter took control of the the game, hitting his first 3-pointer with 11:23 to play. He followed 3 more treys, as his fourth of the first half gave the Wildcats a 34-20 advantage with 2:24 remaining. Johnson and Carter combined for 25 of the team's 41 first-half points.
 
For the second straight game, K-State built a 20-point advantage in the early moments of the second half only to see its opponent chip away at the deficit. Behind the play of senior Shemarri Allen, who finished the night with a game-high 21 points, Kansas City closed to within 57-47 with just under 7 minutes to play.
 
However, it was another veteran who stepped up for the Wildcats when they most needed it. Just like senior Markquis Nowell who came through in the clutch with his 4-point play in the win at Cal on Nov. 11, it was the veteran Sills who did it against Kansas City, as he scored the next 6 points and finished with 10 of the team's last 12 points to push the lead back up to 18 points in the waning minutes.
 
For the game, K-State connected on 41.4 percent (24-of-58), including 35 percent (7-of-20) from 3-point range, and hit on 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the free throw line. The team once again struggled offensively in the second half, hitting on 35.5 percent (11-of-31) from the field and missing all four 3-point attempts.
 
Kansas City shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the field, including 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from 3-point range, and hit on 9-of-15 free throws. In addition to his game-high 21 points, Allen finished with 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists in nearly 40 minutes. He was joined in double figures by fellow senior Anderson Kopp, who had 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, and team-high 5 assists.
 
K-State now leads the all-time series with Kansas City, 20-1, including 14-0 at home and 13-0 at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won the last 6 meetings.