Mark Smith's big half not enough for Kansas State basketball at Ole Miss: Three takeaways
Kansas State ventured outside the Big 12 for the first time in the new year, but with no better results Saturday, trailing almost the entire way in a 67-56 Big 12/SEC Challenge loss to Ole Miss at the Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Wildcats shot just 30.2% from the floor in the game and were 11 of 36 from 3-point range. Ole Miss (11-10), which led 30-24 at halftime, shot 50% after the break to keep K-State at arm's length.
The loss spoiled a big second half by K-State guard Mark Smith, who kept the Wildcats within striking distance with a game-high 20 points and 16 rebounds. Nijel Pack added 18 points with six 3-pointers and also had seven assists.
Ole Miss was led by guard Daeshon Ruffin with 17 points, while Luis Rodriguez added 10 off the bench. Center Nysier Brooks led the Rebels to a 43-33 rebounding advantage with nine.
The return of Mark Smith
Kansas State guard Mark Smith, a key player in K-State's upsets of Texas Tech and Texas but a nonfactor in back-to-back losses to Kansas and Baylor, came back with a vengeance in the second half to keep the Wildcats within striking distance against Ole Miss.
Smith scored 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second period and also finished with 16 rebounds — 10 of them after intermission.
After a 25-point, eight-rebound performance at Texas, he had just eight points and 10 rebounds total in the two losses. And with the Wildcats trailing Ole Miss 30-24 at halftime, he was 1 of 4 shooting with two points and six rebounds.
At one point in the second half, after Nijel Pack hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring, Smith had 15 straight for the Wildcats.
Trigger-happy Cats
Kansas turned the ball over just one time in the first half, but 19 of the Wildcats' 33 shots were 3-pointers, suggesting that they might have been too willing to settle for the perimeter jumper.
The fact that Ole Miss blocked four shots in the period, primarily on drives to the basket by the guards, might have made the Wildcats even more hesitant to venture into the paint.
When Smith went on the attack in the second half, the Wildcats had more success, but still finished with just 14 points in the pant to 32 for Ole Miss. Eleven of their 19 baskets were 3-pointers.
The Wildcats still had just five turnovers in the game to nine for Ole Miss, but points off turnovers favored the Rebels, 4-2.
Rebounding woes continue
Going with four guards and Carlton Linguard again put K-State at a disadvantage on the boards, especially with solid rebounding guard Selton Miguel sidelined. Miguel was second on the team in rebounding while Linguard, playing in place of injured center Davion Bradford, came in averaging 1.9.
The Wildcats did hold their own in the second half, mostly thanks to Mark Smith, but still were outrebounded for the game, 43-33. Smith finished with 16 rebounds, but nobody else has more than five.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball drops Big 12/SEC Challenge game to Ole Miss
