Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Kansas State
Deacs fall to Kansas State, 95-88, in NCAA First Four
3/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Final Stats (PDF) | Final Stats | USATSI Gallery 
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
DAYTON, Ohio - John Collins recorded a game-high 26 points as Wake Forest fell to Kansas State 95-88 in the NCAA First Four Tuesday night at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Collins recorded his 17th 20-point game of the season after going 9-for-13 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the line.
Bryant Crawford finished with 20 points, his 30th double figure game of the season and 11th 20-point game. Crawford also added 10 assists, a program record for most assists in an NCAA Tournament game. The 20 point, 10 assist performance marks his second double-double of the season.
Austin Arians matched a season high with 17 points with his 4-for-5 performance from beyond the arc.
The Demon Deacons made nine triples to land the single-season program record for 3-pointers with 268. The previous record of 260 was set in the 1994-95 season.
The Deacs also finished the contest 29-for-32 from the free throw line. Their 29 free throws are a program record for the most in an NCAA Tournament game, replacing the 28 scored in 1962 against St. Joseph's, while the 90.6 percent rate is also the highest in program tournament history, replacing an 18-for-20 effort in 1991 against Charleston.
Despite an early four-point deficit, a triple from Mitchell Wilbekin tied the score 11-all while a pair of free throws from Childress gave the Demon Deacons (19-14) their first lead of the night with just under 13 minutes remaining in the first half. From there, the teams traded baskets until Kansas State (21-13) managed to gain its largest lead of the half at six. Trailing the Wildcats with just over six minutes to go, a combination of a triple and a three-point play from Crawford brought the Deacs within one. However, the Wildcats used a 4-0 run to extended their advantage to five, forcing the Deacs to burn a time out with 3:38 left in the half. Kansas State extended its lead to seven but Wake Forest cut the score down to 40-36 heading into the locker rooms at the half.
The Demon Deacons began their strong showing from the free throw line in the opening frame, going 17-for-18 from the line, including a perfect 12-for-12 to begin the contest. The Wildcats opened the second half on a 5-0 run to extend their lead to nine. The squads quickly traded baskets but the Wildcats built their first double-digit lead of the night at 10 with 15:32 remaining. The Deacs used the under-16 media time out to reset and managed to narrow the Wildcats' lead down to one with eight minutes remaining. However, the Wildcats caught fire in the field and used a 7-0 run to take a nine-point lead with under four minutes to go. Despite a strong fight, the Demon Deacons fell 95-88.
The Demon Deacons finish the 2016-17 season with a 19-14 record, their best record since 2009-10.
