Kansas State will try to extend its winning streak to three games Sunday when the Wildcats host Incarnate Word in Manhattan, Kan.

Kansas State (8-1) is coming off an 81-64 defeat of visiting Abilene Christian on Tuesday. The Cardinals (5-5) have been off since Saturday, when they were blown out by host Grambling 72-39 in Louisiana.

Against Abilene Christian, Kansas State trailed by 14 after 11 minutes of action before surging to a 35-34 lead by halftime. The Wildcats dominated the game in the second half, turning a close contest into a rout.

“We stayed poised and just locked in defensively because when we do we are a really good team and we showed that in the second half,” said Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell, who had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. “That’s really the message. There’s no secret to what we have to do.”

David N’Guessan was 9-for-9 from the floor and finished with a game-high 23 points with five rebounds for the Wildcats, who have won their two December games since their only loss of the season (at Butler, Nov. 30). Nae’Qwan Tomlin had 12 points and eight rebounds against Abilene Christian, while Keyontae Johnson added 12 and seven.

Incarnate Word trailed Grambling 24-16 at halftime before being outscored 48-23 in the second half last week.

Incarnate Word shot just 24.8 percent from the field, including 15.8 percent from 3-point range, in addition to committing 18 turnovers.

The Cardinals were led by Brandon Swaby’s 11 points and nine rebounds, while Benjamin Griscti chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds.

Incarnate Word, which went 7-25 last season, got off to a 4-2 start before dropping two of its past three games.

“This is a huge year for us, if we can keep everyone on the floor we will be markedly improved,” Incarnate Word coach Carson Cunningham said. “We are optimistic, but talk is cheap right now.”

The Cardinals had a three-game winning streak last month, which included a 63-61 win over visiting Grambling on Nov. 27.

–Field Level Media