By the numbers: Kansas State's Nowell enjoys historic night at MSG
Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell etched his name in the annals of NCAA lore following a stellar performance in Thursday's thrilling 98-93 victory over Michigan State at Madison Square Garden.
The New York City native's display was anchored by some notable numbers that were among a slew of standout stats from a memorable affair.
1: Nowell became the first Division I player in 14 years to accumulate at least 20 points, 15 assists, and five steals in a game, regular season or tournament.
7: Of Nowell's 19 dishes, seven went to Keyontae Johnson, including a jaw-dropping, backdoor alley-oop in overtime that caught the Spartans snoozing and tore the roof off the Garden.
MARKQUIS NOWELL. ABSOLUTELY UNREAL.#MarchMadness @KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/iuih64m4Ex
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023
19: The Wildcats ball-handler's last dime - an inbound pass to set up a dagger jumper by Ish Masoud - broke the record for the most assists ever recorded in an NCAA Tournament game. He eclipsed the 18 that Mark Wade tallied for UNLV against Indiana on March 28, 1987.
MARKQUIS NOWELL BREAKS THE RECORD
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023
THE MOST ASSISTS EVER IN AN NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME. WILDCATS LEAD 🔥#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/D9Ky6Iw9PV
49: Thursday's action-packed encounter was the first to require overtime in this year's NCAA Tournament, ending a spell of 48 straight contests (not including the First Four) to be settled in regulation.
68: At a not-so-towering 5-foot-8 (or 68 inches), Nowell is the shortest player left standing in the tournament. Until Thursday, he was tied with Spartans guard Steven Izzo - the son of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
130: Nowell has now played 130 career games in college over five seasons split between Little Rock and Kansas State but hadn't registered more than 14 assists in a single matchup until eliminating the Spartans.
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