K-State men's basketball gets back in win column against No. 19 Iowa State
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) - Having lost four of its last five games, K-State men's basketball looked to get back on track with a touch home matchup with No. 19 Iowa State Saturday.
The Wildcats pulled through after falling behind at half, winning the "Farmageddon" rivalry 61-55.
Scoring was hard to come by to start the game, with the two teams tied at 5-5 through five minutes of play. The Cyclones went on a 7-0 run, but K-State followed to trail just 15-13, then tied at 17-17.
Iowa State broke off another run - this time 12-2 - to take a 10-point advantage with three minutes remaining at half. K-State got a bucket back, but the Wildcats still took a 31-23 deficit into the locker room.
K-State was a different team out of the break - starting on a quick 5-0 run to pull within a score just a minute into the period. Back-to-back threes from Cam Carter and Markquis Nowell gave K-State a 37-34 lead, its first since 5-2.
The next ten minutes of play was back-and-forth basketball, with K-State leading by as much as five in that timespan. Iowa State would continually pull within one point, but the Wildcats always had an answer.
The Wildcats came up clutch on both ends of the floor down the stretch. The Cyclones didn't score a field goal in the final five minutes of the game and K-State made its free throws as the Wildcats held on to a 61-55 victory.
Nowell led K-State in scoring with 20 points, Keyontae Johnson with 15.
The win moves K-State's record to 20-7, 8-6 in conference play. The Wildcats host No. 9 Baylor on Tuesday.