The WSU men’s basketball team suffered another loss over the weekend at the hands of Kansas State by a score of 70-56 after relinquishing a first-half lead in the final minutes before halftime.

“I think the thing that bothered us in the game was their ability to drive the ball,” WSU Head Coach Ernie Kent said. “They certainly did a better job of putting the ball on the floor and getting by us, forcing rotations and then making that extra pass and stepping up and shooting the ball extremely well.”

The 9-1 Wildcats are off to their best start under fourth-year Head Coach Bruce Weber, who said after the game that his players have been the key to his success at KSU.

“They play hard and share the basketball,” Weber said. “They are very coachable and that makes a world of a difference.”

Kent said the Cougars (5-5) played some of their better basketball of the season on Saturday and also said he felt that the Wildcats benefitted from the home crowd energy inside the Sprint Center.

The Cougars dealt with a further-depleted roster on Saturday, dressing eight players after forward Derrien King announced his intentions to transfer at the end of the semester.

WSU led for almost the entire first half before entering the locker room down 28-26, creating a domino effect in the second half.

”I think, offensively, we just came out slow,” KSU sophomore guard Barry Brown said. “Everybody was trying to probably put up the ball to see how it was going to go. In the second half, we just made the right play, made the simple passes and we were able to make some shots.”

In the second half, the Wildcats built a double-digit lead that nearly reached 20 points on 16-of-31 shooting and 7-of-13 from behind the arc.

“Everybody has asked me how we are so much better at three-point shooting,” Weber said. “They are a year older and they work at it. The biggest thing is we have learned to work the ball and move the ball.”

WSU senior forward Josh Hawkinson recorded his eighth double-double of the season and 48th of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Redshirt sophomore guard KJ Langston surpassed his career-high of three points scored just eight minutes into the game after rattling off nine to open the contest.

The Cougars stole the ball eight times as a team to improve on their previous season-high of seven against the University of New Orleans on Dec. 3.

WSU returns to the hardwood on Dec. 17 against Santa Clara University in Pullman.