CANCUN, Mexico – With a 46-point second half, Kansas State ended an eight-game losing streak in the Cancun Challenge with an 80-61 win over Princeton on Saturday afternoon in the 2018 Cancun Challenge.
Kansas State (4-2) blitzed Princeton to begin the third quarter, using an 11-3 run to tie the game at 45 with 4:48 remaining and overcome an eight-point halftime deficit. The Wildcats would outscore the Tigers, 26-8, on 60.0 percent shooting in the quarter to go in front 60-50 at the end of the third stanza. Peyton Williams paced K-State with 11 points in the frame.
The Wildcats kept it rolling in the fourth quarter, as K-State started the quarter with a 9-0 run to hold a 69-50 lead with 7:21 remaining and force a Princeton timeout. Christianna Carr scored nine of K-State’s 20 points in the final frame to race to the finish line with the win.
In the second half, K-State locked up Princeton by holding the Tigers to 5-of-29 shooting (.172) including a 2-of-15 effort from beyond the arc.
K-State was led by a combined 45 points from Williams and Carr. Williams finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting. The Katrina McClain Award candidate added seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal on her way to earning Cancun Challenge- Mayan Division All-Tournament Team honors. This was her 10th straight game in double figures and marked her 33rd career game with 10 or more points and five or more rebounds.
One day after recording her first career double figure scoring game, Carr tallied her first career 20-point game with 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting including a career-high 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Also in double figures was sophomore guard Rachel Ranke with a season-high 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Princeton (1-6) was led by Carlie Littlefield with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Kansas State captured the first quarter, using a 13-1 run to end the frame to build a 21-15 lead. The run started with a Williams jumper with 4:21 remaining in the quarter to bring K-State to within four, 14-10. After a pair of Kayla Goth free throws, Williams finished a layup to tie the game. Goth ended the game with nine points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.
Carr then made an impact off the bench with her first 3-pointer of the day, followed by a driving layup with 1:28 to play. Ranke concluded the quarter with two more free throws to give K-State the six-point lead.
In the second quarter, Princeton poured in six 3-pointers and outscored the Wildcats 27-13 in the second frame to hold a 42-34 lead at the half. After shooting 25.0 percent from the field in the opening quarter, the Tigers shot 60.0 percent in the second 10 minutes to build an eight-point halftime lead.
Kansas State ended the game shooting 47.4 percent from the field (27-of-57) including a season-best 9-of-19 (.474) from the 3-point line. Princeton finished at 30.4 percent (17-of-56) which was bolstered by the strong second quarter. The Tigers made just two 3-point field goals in the second half to finish 10-of-31 (.323).
For the second straight game, K-State held the edge on the glass, 38-33, and tallied a 11-4 advantage in second chance points.
This was K-State’s fourth appearance in Cancun and the fifth in Mexico during the Thanksgiving holiday. K-State is now 2-8 all-time in the country and 1-8 in games played in Cancun following Saturday’s win.
Kansas State returns to Bramlage Coliseum for the 2018 SEC/Big 12 Challenge, as the Wildcats host Vanderbilt on Sunday, December 2, at 1 p.m. Fans can enjoy a pregame carnival on the Bramlage Coliseum concourse with halftime entertainment provided by Quick Change. For ticket information, contact the K-State Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.
– kstatesports.com –