Markquis Nowell scored 14 of his team-high 20 points in the second half as No. 11 Kansas State outlasted visiting Oklahoma State 65-57 Tuesday night in Manhattan, Kan.
The Wildcats earned their ninth straight win, their most since the 2013-14 season.
It was K-State’s first game since debuting in the rankings this week, a jump of 19 spots, from fifth among others receiving votes to No. 11. The Wildcats scored 213 points in two games last week, but Oklahoma State’s defense was able to clamp down on the Wildcats, who scored their fewest points since Dec. 3.
The game was played at Oklahoma State’s pace. The Cowboys entered the game allowing the second-fewest points in the Big 12 at 61.5 points per game.
Kansas State (15-1, 4-0 Big 12) got 12 points from Keyontae Johnson and 11 from Desi Sills.
Oklahoma State (9-7, 1-3) was led by Kalib Boone with 23 points. Caleb Asberry added 15.
Kansas State took the lead early in the second half and gradually pulled away, stretching to a 10-point lead with a four-point play by Nowell at the 10:10 mark.
K-State led by 10 with 7:03 left in regulation, but a 9-0 Oklahoma State run trimmed it to just a point at the final media timeout. K-State missed eight straight shots during the spurt, but the Cowboys couldn’t retake the lead.
Abayomi Iyiola hit a pair of free throws and Nowell added two from the stripe to stretch the lead to five. After an Oklahoma State bucket, Nowell found Johnson for an alley-oop dunk and the Wildcats pulled away.
K-State started quickly, but Oklahoma State used a 9-0 run to grab a 13-9 lead before the second media timeout. The teams traded spurts the rest of the half, thanks in part to cold stretches by the opponent.
Neither team shot particularly well in the first half. The Cowboys were 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) while the Wildcats were just 10-for-31 (32.3 percent).
The Cowboys closed the half on a 15-7 run to take a 32-30 lead into the locker room, but a 3-pointer by Cam Carter at the buzzer drew the Cats within 2 points.
Boone’s 12 points in the first half led both clubs. Nowell, Carter and Sills each scored six points in the first half to lead K-State.
–Field Level Media
