Field Level Media
Feb 16, 2019
No. 23 Iowa State kept its Big 12 title hopes alive with a 78-64 victory over No. 18 Kansas State on Saturday in Manhattan, Kan. The Cyclones are now just a game behind Kansas State, and a half-game behind Texas Tech and Kansas in conference play.
The loss was a costly one for the Wildcats (19-6, 9-3 Big 12) besides cutting into the conference lead. With Kansas State trailing 55-50 midway through the second half, Dean Wade hobbled to the bench with an apparent injury in his lower right leg. Wade, the preseason Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, missed six games earlier this season with a torn tendon in his right foot and also missed most of last season's Elite Eight run by the Wildcats.
Iowa State outscored Kansas State 23-14 after Wade's departure.
The Cyclones (19-6, 8-4) were able to avenge an early season, last-second home loss to Kansas State. The loss snapped a nine-game conference winning streak for the Wildcats.
Iowa State was led by Lindell Wigginton with 23 points. Talen Horton-Tucker had 20, mostly from long range as he hit 6 of 9 3-point attempts. Marial Shayok also collected 13 points and 13 rebounds.
K-State was led by Barry Brown with 23 points. In the first meeting in Ames, he also scored 23 points, including the final eight. Makol Mawien added 10 points and Wade finished with just nine points.
Iowa State pulled away midway through the first half and never trailed after intermission. The Wildcats got within a possession several times, but they couldn't get over the hump. The Cyclones shot 52.7 percent from the field, including 58.3 percent from 3-point range.
Iowa State started hot from the outside, hitting four of its first six 3-point attempts to open a 19-11 lead. Three of those makes in a row capped an 11-0 run. The Cyclones finished the first half hitting 8 of 14 of their 3-point attempts.
The Cyclones led most of the first half, and by as many as 10 points, but Brown hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 38-31 at halftime. Iowa State was led by Horton-Tucker with 14 points, as he hit 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Shayok and Wigginton also added eight points each.
Kansas State was led by Brown, whose buzzer-beater gave him 16 points in the first half. He hit 7 of 8 from the field. Kamau Stokes and Mawien added six points apiece. Horton-Tucker also excelled on defense, holding Wade to just two points and no field goals.
--Field Level Media