K-State forward Stephen Hurt regains shooting touch in loss to KU

If Stephen Hurt continues to play the way he did Saturday, Kansas State will take its chances in its final four games of the regular season.

Hurt, a senior forward, gave the Wildcats a big lift off the bench during a 72-63 loss to Kansas, scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds. It wasn’t enough to help his team win, but he led a second-half charge that cut a 17-point deficit down to three. He did most of his damage from the three-point line, making all three of his attempts beyond the arc.

That spread out the Jayhawks’ defense and gave the Wildcats an extra dimension on offense they badly needed.

“I’m happy he came back and played with great energy, almost a double-double,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “His threes gave us a chance and got us back in the game.”

Hurt hadn’t scored more than five points in his last four games. He was a starter in K-State’s first 24 games, but his drop in production earned him a spot on the bench.

Perhaps a game like this will help build his confidence and improve his game.

“I had a good game,” Hurt said. “Definitely, anybody who makes a couple of shots in a row is going to get a confidence boost. But it is more about doing whatever the team needs from me. I will do whatever it takes to get the win. We are close. We just need to make that final step and close out a game.”

K-State appeared in good shape to win late in the first half Saturday, leading Kansas 25-21 with 6:16 remaining, but the Jayhawks pulled away with a flurry of shots and took a 39-29 halftime lead. They extended that lead to 52-35 with 15:03 remaining.

The Wildcats looked doomed, but Hurt led the comeback by making outside shots, grabbing rebounds and sending the ball to open teammates.

Junior forward D.J. Johnson was his tag-team partner. At one point, they combined to score 16 straight points for the Wildcats.

“With D.J. having his presence down low and me being able to shoot the ball it puts the other team in a bad situation,” Hurt said, “because if they double down on D.J., I am going to be wide open. If they close out hard on me, D.J. is going to be open. Pick or choose, either double D.J. and leave me open or play D.J. one-on-one. He is great down low.

“Like I said, it’s a bad situation for the other team.”

Kansas withstood K-State’s push led by Hurt and Johnson, but the Wildcats hope their big men will respond with similar play against Texas on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum.

Weber expects another strong game from Hurt, blaming his slump on a knee injury Hurt has moved past.

Hurt is now looking forward to the remainder of the season.

“The shots I made tonight were all regular shots,” Hurt said. “As long as I stick with my regular shooting form, I am confident they are going to keep falling.”

No. 2 KANSAS 72

KANSAS STATE 63

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .500, FT .600. Three-Point Goals: 6-18, .333 (Mykhailiuk 3-4, Ellis 1-2, Mason III 1-3, Selden Jr. 1-4, Greene 0-1, Graham 0-4). Blocked Shots: 2 (Lucas, Traylor). Turnovers: 15 (Graham 5, Traylor 2, Selden Jr. 2, Greene 2, Bragg Jr. 2, Lucas, Mason III). Steals: 5 (Mason III 2, Bragg Jr., Mykhailiuk, Ellis). Technical Fouls: Mason III.

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .377, FT .818. Three-Point Goals: 5-16, .313 (Hurt 3-3, Brown 2-8, Wade 0-1, Budke 0-1, Ervin II 0-1, Edwards 0-2). Blocked Shots: 1 (Wade). Turnovers: 13 (Iwundu 4, Hurt 3, Edwards 2, Johnson 2, Brown). Steals: 7 (Brown 2, Hurt 2, Budke, Edwards, Iwundu). Technical Fouls: Johnson.

Half: Kansas 39-29. Attendance: 12,528. Officials: Doug Sirmons, Kelly Self, Rick Crawford.

AP-WF-02-21-16 0134GMT

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 8:56 PM with the headline "K-State forward Stephen Hurt regains shooting touch in loss to KU."