National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Kansas St. 78, Texas Southern 69
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Where: Fred Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kansas
Officials: # Pat Boeh, # John Higgings, # Bert Smith
Attendance: 12005

Kansas State 78, Texas Southern 69:
Rodney McGruder had 12 of his game-high 26 points in the second half as the Wildcats pulled away from the visiting Tigers.

McGruder, held to four points on a 1-of-9 performance in Saturday's loss to Gonzaga, went 12-of-17 from the floor. Thomas Gipson added 14 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season for the Wildcats (8-2).

Ray Penn hit 6 of 8 3-pointers and finished with 24 points for the Tigers (1-10), who have lost eight straight.

McGruder scored seven points during a 16-3 run early in the second half that pushed Kansas State's lead to 53-38 with 11:48 left. Penn hit three 3-pointers later in a 2:17 span and Lawrence Johnson-Danner added another to cut the lead to 72-66 with 1:14 left.

The Tigers hit six first-half 3-pointers to keep the game tight but the Wildcats closed the first half on an 11-6 run for a 35-31 halftime lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Wildcats have won 27 consecutive non-conference home games in the month of December. ... The Tigers went 13-of-28 from the 3-point line (46.4 percent). ... Kansas State will turn it attention to its third top 15 opponent when it faces Florida in Kansas City on Saturday.

Top Game Performances
 
Texas Southern   Kansas St.
Ray Penn 24 Scoring Rodney McGruder 26
Ray Penn 5 Assists Angel Rodriguez 5
Fred Sturdivant 9 Rebounds Thomas Gipson 12
Ray Penn 2 Free Throws Made Thomas Gipson 4
Lawrence Johnson-Danner 2 Steals Thomas Gipson 3
Fred Sturdivant 2 Blocks Thomas Gipson 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Texas Southern 69 45.6 13-28 4-10 15 23 2 6 13
Kansas St. 78 56.4 2-13 14-22 21 34 4 5 15