MANHATTAN, Kan. – Big 12 Conference member Kansas State (9-2) shot 62.5 percent and scored 44 points in the paint in a 89-71 win over Southeast Missouri (6-5) Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
 
KSU heated up to shoot 68.8 percent from the field and scored 32 of its points in the paint en route to a 53-39 halftime lead.
 
The Wildcats made 13 of their first 16 field goals and, at one time, made 10 in a row. KSU opened the game with a 16-6 run in the first 4:12. Dean Wade scored six of his 13 first-half points during that span.
 
Brian Patrick's dunk widened KSU's lead to 42-24 at the 7:03 mark.
 
Daniel Simmons and Denzel Mahoney knocked down 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to slice the Wildcats margin to 46-34 with 2:50 left to play.
 
Mahoney later made two free throws to cut KSU's lead to 12 again before the Wildcats carried their 14-point advantage into the intermission.
 
Mahoney led all scorers with 20 points on 5-of-7 field goals and a perfect 9-of-9 free throws in the first half. He outscored the rest of his teammates which combined for 19 points. Fourteen of those came from Simmons off the bench. He made four of his five field goals from 3-point range.
 
SEMO managed to get within 11 points on two occasions early in the second half when Simmons buried a 3-pointer to make it 53-42 with 18:51 remaining and Justin Carpenter hit a jumper to make it 55-44 with 17:30 to go. That, however, was as close as the Redhawks would get.
 
Xavier Sneed's 3-pointer gave KSU its largest lead of the night at 82-57 with 6:27 on the clock before the Wildcats claimed their ninth win of the season.
 
KSU made 35-of-56 from the field and drained 11-of-23 three-pointers for 47.8 percent.
 
Sneed, one of four Wildcat starters in double figures, paved the way with 23 points. He went 9-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from downtown. Wade followed with 19 points, Kamau Stokes added 12 and Makol Mawien pitched in 10.
 
The Wildcats outrebounded SEMO, 37-19.
 
Mahoney finished with 23 points in 30 minutes. It was his team-high fifth 20-point game this year.
 
Simmons contributed 17 points and matched a career-high five 3-pointers made, while Carpenter had 13 points. Carpenter returned to the starting lineup after missing last week's game at Southern Illinois with a concussion.
 
The Redhawks shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field and did not miss a free throw (10-of-10).
 
SEMO returns home to host Missouri Valley Conference foe Bradley on Dec. 20. Tip-off is 1 p.m., CT, at the Show Me Center.