Walker’s career game lifts Wildcats over Cal

By Associated Press     Dec 10, 2007

Kansas State's Bill Walker (12) is fouled by Cailfornia's Ryan Anderson. Walker scored a career-high 30 points in K-State's 82-75 victory Sunday in Manhattan.

? The formula for beating Kansas State has been simple: Collapse on Michael Beasley and force the rest of the Wildcats to make shots.

Bill Walker is out to make teams rethink that philosophy.

Walker had 30 points and 10 rebounds to help take the load off Beasley, and Kansas State pulled away down the stretch for an 82-75 victory over California on Sunday.

“I just took my time out there,” said Walker, who also had four steals. “I was just trying to get Mike involved, because with more eyes focusing on Mike, the easier the game is for everybody else. They did a good job on Mike by just digging in on him with five guys, but that opened everybody else’s game up today.”

Kansas State shot 39 percent, matching a season low, was 4-for-19 from 3-point range, and had numerous careless turnovers, yet somehow found a way to win – thanks to Walker and Beasley.

Beasley took just six shots in the first half, but scored 12 of his 19 points in the second, including a three-point play with a minute left that put Kansas State up 76-71. He also had 11 rebounds, his ninth straight double-double.

Walker kept the Wildcats in it early and sealed it late, hitting four foul shots in the final minute and finishing 14-of-16 from the free-throw line.

“I thought we did a good job on Beasley, an outstanding job on him,” Cal coach Bend Braun said. “But I thought we let Walker get away, and he was just the big difference in the game for them.”

Nebraska 63, Rutgers 51

Lincoln, Neb. – Aleks Maric scored 19 points to lead Nebraska.

Nebraska built an 11-point halftime lead by holding Rutgers to just one field goal in the last seven minutes of the first half.

The Cornhuskers’ defense continued to bottle up the Scarlet Knights after intermission, allowing just three Rutgers points in the first six minutes of the second half.

Nebraska took its biggest lead of the contest on Ryan Anderson’s free throws with 14:33 left. That made the score 41-24.

Then Rutgers’ Corey Chandler heated up, scoring 10 points in a three-minute 15-3 Scarlet Knight run. That cut the Nebraska lead to 44-39 after Chandler’s layup with 10:35 left.

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