McGruder leads young Cats past UMKC

Head coach Frank Martin of the Kansas State Wildcats reacts in the first half against the Okalahoma State Cowboys during the quarterfinals of the 2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 11, 2010 in…
Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Regular Photo Size

Posted: 12/23/2010

By: Lance Veeser

MANHATTAN, Kansas - With two stars on the bench, a new star may have been born for Kansas State. Rodney McGruder scored a career-high 24 points to lead Kansas State past UMKC 80-64.

The Wildcats were playing without Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly. The two stars have been suspended for receiving impermissible benefits. So, the Cats were forced to turn to their younger players to carry the load. McGruder and others did just just. The sophomore canned 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Cats hit 58 percent of their three-pointers. Will Spradling chipped in with a career-high 15 points. Wally Judge notched 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Wildcats dominated the Kangaroos from start to finish. Jay Couisnard scored 21 points for the visitors. Spencer Johnson added 13. UMKC fell to 7-5.

Kansas State improved to 10-3 despite only shooting 40 percent from the free throw line.