Markquis Nowell had 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to help No. 12 Kansas State defeat No. 19 Iowa State 61-55 Saturday in a Big 12 Conference game in Manhattan, Kan.
The Wildcats, who had lost four of their past five games, improved to 14-1 at home this season. Iowa State fell to 2-7 on the road.
Both teams were listed as No. 3 seeds in the NCAA Tournament men’s basketball selection committee’s bracket preview released earlier Saturday.
Keyontae Johnson had 15 points for Kansas State (20-7, 8-6 Big 12), while Iowa State (17-9, 8-6) was led by Aljaz Kunc with 15 points. Gabe Kalscheur added 11.
The Wildcats used a 14-3 run to start the second half and turn an eight-point deficit into a three-point lead before the first media timeout. Neither team led by more than five points from that point until Kansas State grabbed a 57-50 advantage with 1:21 left in the game. Nowell had 11 points in the first 6:25 of the second half.
With both teams struggling to score, Kunc hit a 3-pointer to draw the Cyclones to 45-44 with 6:36 left, but the Cyclones never retook the lead.
With the Wildcats clinging to a two-point lead, Nowell hit a 3-pointer from well beyond NBA 3-point range with 2:42 left to all-but seal the victory.
The first half was either a defensive struggle or a poor display of offense, as Iowa State went to the locker room with a 31-23 lead. Neither team shot better than 40 percent from the field, and both teams had more turnovers than assists.
Iowa State used runs to open big leads, putting together a 10-0 stretch to go up 12-5 and a 12-2 outburst to take a 29-19 lead with just 3:19 left in the half. The Cyclones controlled the offensive glass, grabbing five offensive rebounds, leading to a 21-15 rebounding edge.
Kunc led the Cyclones with 10 points at the half, while Johnson led the Wildcats with eight. Nowell, who has struggled offensively recently, had just two points.
–Field Level Media
