MANHATTAN, Kan. – Trailing by 15 in the third quarter, Kansas State used a 28-point fourth quarter to rally back into the game but Iowa State held off the Wildcats for a 84-79 win at Bramlage on Wednesday night. The loss halted K-State’s win streak at seven games.
K-State’s Megan Deines led all scorers with a career-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including a career-high 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Breanna Lewis and Kindred Wesemann each added 16 points. Iowa State had four players in double figures, led by Jadda Buckley with 19 points, including 14 in the first half.
K-State came out slowly, as Iowa State opened with an 8-2 lead with 6:16 to play in the first quarter. Deines drained a 3-pointer and Wesemann followed with a layup to pull the Wildcats to within one, 8-7, with five minutes remaining.
The Cyclones rebuilt their lead to eight at the end of the first quarter, outscoring K-State 14-7 in the final 4:59 of the opening stanza.
Kansas State held Iowa State scoreless for a three-minute stretch midway through the second quarter and cut the Cyclones’ lead to three, 31-28, with 1:54 to play following consecutive layups by Lewis.
Iowa State’s Buckley drained a pair of 3-pointers to end the opening half and push the Cyclones into a 37-28 lead at the break.
K-State shot 31.3 percent (10-of-32) from the field in the first half, while Iowa State shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33).
Iowa State missed its opening two shots from the field in the third quarter, then proceeded to knock down its next seven attempts to extend its lead to 56-41 with 4:10 to play.
K-State used a 7-0 run to close the gap to 56-48 with 1:25 to play, but Emily Durr of Iowa State scored eight points to close out the quarter and give the Cyclones a 64-51 lead at the end of three.
The Wildcats raced out to a 7-0 run to begin the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to 64-58 with 8:03 to play.
Deines scored four of the seven points, including a fast break layup to force an Iowa State timeout. The Cyclones responded after the timeout with four quick points to restore a 68-58 lead with 7:08 remaining.
K-State used an 8-0 run over a two and a half minute stretch to pull to within three, 78-75, with 1:20 to play.
Wesemann drained a triple, while Lewis added a layup and free throw during the rally.
Iowa State would ice the game from the foul line, connecting on all six attempts in the final 27 seconds to seal the win.
K-State will start 2016 with a road trip to TCU on Saturday to face the Horned Frogs in the renovated Schollmaier Arena. Game time is 1 p.m.
— KSU Athletics —