Mawien has career game in Wildcats' win
K-State forward Makol Mawien drives to the basket during Saturday's game against TCU at Bramlage Coliseum. Mawien scored a career-high 18 points in the Wildcats' 73-68 victory.
Makol Mawien can breathe.
The Kansas State sophomore forward, who had not scored more than four points in a game since Dec. 20, snapped that streak Saturday by tallying a career-high 18 points.
Mawien was a key part in propelling K-State to a narrow 73-68 win over No. 24 TCU at Bramlage Coliseum.
Mawien was far from the only reason the Wildcats held on for the victory — he recorded 10 of his points in the first half — yet he helped keep the Horned Frogs at arm's length, knocking down a pair of free throws in the final five minutes that widened the team's lead to 62-56.
"Those free throws were really huge," K-State coach Bruce Weber said.
Mawien did it all on Saturday.
He snagged five rebounds — three of them offensive — and sent back a pair of shots, discouraging TCU guards Alex Robinson and Desmond Bane from driving into the paint.
Mawien's teammates said it was the type of performance they had expected for quite some time.
"I was telling him after the game just now, he's coming with that energy, blocking shots, walling up, playing good defense, making guys finish over him," K-State guard Barry Brown said.
"I was trying to find him a little bit in the pick-and-roll dives, and he was catching the ball, finishing, finishing through contact sometimes, getting rebounds — all the scrappy plays we need, and even the skill plays that we need sometimes."
He followed the late free throws with another basket, this one a floater over the outstretched arms of 6-foot-11 TCU center Vladimir Brodziansky, good for a 70-63 K-State lead.