MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown had repeatedly driven down the right side of the lane for buckets, or at the very least a foul, helping Kansas State slowly emerge from a 21-point second-half hole against West Virginia.

So with the game on the line in the final minute, was there any question what he would do?

Brown hesitated at the top of the key, took a couple dribbles to his right and got an off-balance leaner over the Mountaineers’ Derek Culver to go with 28.9 seconds left Wednesday night, giving Brown 29 points for the game and the Wildcats a wild 71-69 victory.

“We tried everybody on him. It wasn’t like he did it against one particular guy,” Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins said later. “The puzzling thing for me, he has it on the right side. He’s right-handed. He’s a very heavy right-handed finisher, and we continued to let him drive it to the right.”

Brown didn’t engineer the biggest comeback in school history alone.

Mike McGuirl added 18 points and Kamau Stokes, dealing with a lingering foot injury, had 12 as the Wildcats (11-4, 1-2 Big 12) beat the Mountaineers for only the second time in their last 11 meetings.

“I wouldn’t say we were struggling the first half to score. We got open shots. We just were missing them,” Brown said. “It was just a matter of putting the ball in the basket, and in the second half we were able to stay confident and we began to knock down shots.”

West Virginia (8-7, 0-3) led 42-21 early in the second half before Kansas State used a 17-0 run to get back in the game. Still, the Mountaineers had a shot to win in the final seconds, but Culver’s off-balance shot in the lane missed wide and the Wildcats secured the rebound.

Xavier Sneed added a foul shot and West Virginia couldn’t get off a half-court heave.

Lamont West finished with 21 points and Culver had 17 for the Mountaineers, who have never lost their first three Big 12 games. In fact, they’ve won at least 11 each of the past four seasons.

“We had as good of shots as they did,” Huggins said. “We just didn’t make them.”

Many fans showed up to Bramlage Coliseum to see the Big 12’s two worst offenses wondering whether the first team to 50 would win, and for a while it looked as if 40 might do it.

Kansas State’s only field goal over the first 11-plus minutes came on a goaltending call, and at one point the Wildcats went more than seven minutes without a point. It wasn’t until Stokes hit a jumper just before the final media timeout that they scored from more than 3 feet out.

Not that West Virginia was lighting things up.

The Mountaineers were 6 of 14 from beyond the arc in the first half, and a series of turnovers and sloppy execution allowed the Wildcats — down 20-3 at one point — to stay within 36-21 at halftime.

Kansas State’s comeback bid appeared to be in jeopardy when big man Makol Mawien picked up two fouls in the first minute of the second half, sending him to the bench with four. The Mountaineers were able to push their lead to 42-21 with 18:45 to go, but they couldn’t bury the Wildcats.

What came next was as stunning as it was unexpected.

The Wildcats, so inept on offense, ripped off 17 points during a run that never slowed even when West Virginia coach Bob Huggins called timeout. Brown led the way with nine during the charge, but it was McGuirl — averaging just 2.4 points a game — that provided the emotional lift.

His 3-pointer got the Wildcats within 44-41 with 12:10 to go.

West Virginia stretched the lead back to 10, but the Wildcats kept answering every run, and Sneed finally gave them their first lead when he converted a four-point play with 2:30 remaining.

Their first but not their last.

“You’re proud of them. You’re happy for them,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “Obviously as a coach you take a deep breath, and now can we move forward and play with that same sense of composure? That sense of urgency? That competitive spirit in the second half?”

BIG PICTURE

West Virginia has struggled without Sagaba Konate, their best offensive and defensive player, who has been out with a knee injury. Brandon Knapper made the trip after serving a one-game suspension but he only played three minutes off the bench.

Kansas State rallied from 18 down in the 1970s against Missouri, and twice from 17-point deficits in the 1995 season. The Wildcats overcame the biggest deficit in school history without their own star, Dean Wade, who remains out with a foot injury.

UP NEXT

West Virginia returns home to face Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Kansas State starts a two-game trip at No. 20 Iowa State on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Davide Moretti made a handful of big offensive plays at opportune times, including a big personal run, to spark No. 11 Texas Tech in a matchup of two great defensive teams.

Moretti scored a career-high 19 points and Matt Mooney added 14 to give the Red Raiders enough of an edge to hold off Kansas State 63-57 on Saturday.

“We needed some grit to beat a Kansas State team that wasn’t going to go away, and Davide delivered,” Tech coach Chris Beard said. “I thought we showed some grit. We hung in there and gave ourselves a chance.”

Kansas State (10-4, 0-2 Big 12), which trailed 14-0 less than 7 minutes into the game, erased most of a 34-19 halftime deficit. The Wildcats were within 43-42 when Barry Brown knocked down a long 3-pointer with 6:55 left in the game.

But Texas Tech (13-1, 2-0) found some offensive rhythm to pull away, with Moretti scoring 10 points in a row for the Red Raiders. He hit a 3-pointer before Brown’s shot, and then scored the game’s next seven points after that. That included another 3 as Tech pushed to a 50-42 lead.

Brown led the Wildcats with 16 points and Cartier Diarra added 11 on a day when they struggled to make shots. Still without injured Big 12 preseason player of the year Dean Wade, they shot only 33 percent (19 of 57) from the field.

“They guard differently than anybody else,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “They kind of play on your ego and push you to drive to the hoop and then they make the right play. You have to make the right play against them.”

Tariq Owens had a blocked shot that led to a layup by Moretti and also a steal in that key-turning push by the Red Raiders.

“That was a big-time moment,” Moretti said.

Added Weber, “It seemed like every time we made a push, he hit a big shot.”

The Wildcats were down 14-0 before Brown’s two free throws 6 1/2 minutes into the game. They missed their first 13 shots from the floor until Diarra got loose on a runout and hit a driving layup with just over 9 minutes left in the first half. That basket triggered a brief Wildcats’ surge — seven points in 1:18.

“When you’ve got to fight your butt off (from 14-0), it’s hard to recover and grab that lead,” Weber said. “To our guys’ credit, we figured some things out. We scored better in the second half.”

Texas Tech hit a lull about that same time, missing seven field goals in a row after DeShaun Coprew buried a 3-pointer at the 12-minute mark.

Moretti helped the Red Raiders get back on track when he hit a 3, Culver made his only field goal of the first half on an offensive rebound and those shots helped Tech close the half on a 17-9 run.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: Offensive efficiency remains a problem for the Wildcats with Wade out and point guard Kamau Stokes limited by an injury. To avoid a 0-3 start in conference play for the first time since 2015-16, K-State needs more scorers to emerge.

Texas Tech: Winning ugly is becoming a specialty for the Raiders, but their defense gives them an edge against most foes when games play out that way.

OFFICIAL HURT

Official Rick Crawford had to be helped off the court 90 seconds into the second half after he collided with a player waiting to check in. Crawford appeared woozy as he left the court with two medical personnel assisting him. He did not return. Gerry Pollard and Marques Pettigrew worked as a two-man crew the rest of the way.

HELPING SOME

Tech standout Jarrett Culver, who struggled against the K-State defense, gave his team a 53-43 lead with 2:21 to go when he hit three free throws. That ended a stretch of five misses in a row in a half when the Raiders hit 15 of 23 from the stripe. Culver was only 2-of-7 shooting but had nine points and seven rebounds.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: The Wildcats head back home to take on West Virginia on Wednesday.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders play host to Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kace Febres scored 23 points and Texas Longhorns won its Big 12 Conference opener for the 15th time in 23 seasons, picking up a 67-47 win over short-handed Kansas State on Wednesday night.

The Longhorns won for the fourth time in their last five games. Kansas State’s Kamau Stokes, who averages 11.1 points per game, reinjured the ankle that sidelined him for much of last season during a morning shooting session and did not dress for the game. The Wildcats were already without Dean Wade, who is recovering for a foot injury.

Febres hit 8 of 10 shots from the field, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range. Kerwin Roach II had 10 points in the winning effort.

The Wildcats (10-3) have struggled offensively, averaging 67 points per game coming into conference play, and losing Stokes further hampered their ability to score. Makol Mawien had 12 points and was the lone scorer to reach double figures.

It was a good night for Texas from the 3-point line, shooting 64 percent and going 14-27, with five of those coming in the final five minutes.

Texas used a 33-12 run to end the game after trailing by as many as five in the second half.

With 10 minutes to play, Febres hit back-to-back three’s to give Texas a 40-35 lead and the Longhorns never trailed again.

The Wildcats used a 14-4 run to end the first half and start the second to take a two-point lead with 13 minutes left in the game.

Midway through the first half, Texas switched to a zone defense that stifled the Wildcats. K-State only went to the free throw line once while Texas shot three free throws in the first half.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State will need to rely on their bench play much more to carry the through this stretch without Wade and Stokes.

Texas picked up a huge road win to start conference play. If they can shoot the ball that well most of the season they will be in great shape.

UP NEXT

K-State will take on No. 11 Texas Tech on Saturday in Lubbock.

Texas hosts West Virginia at 8 p.m. Saturday.

— Associated Press —

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Bridget Carleton scored 16 of her 26 points in the first half to lead No. 25 Iowa State in a 96-58 rout of Kansas State on Wednesday night in a Big 12 Conference opener.

Iowa State (11-2) won its fifth straight game and improves to 10-0 at home. Kansas State (9-4) has lost two of its last four games, and seven straight conference openers. Carleton added nine rebounds and seven assists, and surpassed Alison Lacey (1,620) for ninth in career scoring.

Kristin Scott had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Cyclones, who had five in double-figure scoring for the third time this season. Ines Nezerwa and Ashley Joens added 14 points apiece, and Alexa Middleton had 11.

Kayla Goth had 17 points and 10 assists to lead Kansas State. Jasauen Beard scored 12 points and Peyton Williams chipped in with six points and 11 rebounds.

The game was tied at 26 midway through the second quarter before Iowa State closed on a 20-8 run for a 46-34 halftime advantage. The Cyclones opened the third with a 15-7 surge, led 61-41 with 2:28 remaining and opened the fourth quarter with a 15-0 run.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It was only fitting that Barry Brown would surpass Jacob Pullen for the most steals in Kansas State history on the same night the Wildcats used their stingy defense to shut down Vanderbilt.

Brown finished with three steals to give him 211 for his career, and the senior guard added 12 points to join three other Wildcats in double-figures scoring, leading Kansas State to a wire-to-wire 69-58 victory over the high-scoring Commodores on Saturday night.

“I wanted to come here and leave a legacy somehow, some way, definitely with wins but then with individual accomplishments,” said Brown, who eclipsed by one the steals total Pullen piled up during his standout career from 2007-11. “This means a lot.”

Makol Mawien added 15 points, Kamau Stokes had 12 and Cartier Diarra 10 for the Wildcats (9-2), who forced 15 turnovers while holding the Commodores (7-3) to a lackluster 32-percent shooting from the field and 7 of 25 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“At shoot-around we were really, really good,” Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said. “You know, when the game started, we just did not play with the same intensity, the same energy, the same vigor.”

Kansas State struggled to adjust to life without injured star Dean Wade earlier in the week against Southern Miss. But the Wildcats looked much more comfortable without their top scorer against a tougher opponent from the SEC, improving to 8-1 in Wildcat Classic games in Kansas City.

“We talked about a special defensive effort, and frustrating them, and we did that,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “It was great lock-in defense by our guys.”

Matt Ryan hit four 3s and scored 14 points to lead the Commodores. Joe Toye had 11 points and Simisola Shittu added 10, though he was just 3 of 9 from the field.

“That was the best half-court defense we’ve faced this year,” Ryan said. “It was definitely a challenge for us. We’re used to getting into transition. We just played a more mature team. They knew what they were doing defensively.”

Vanderbilt rolled into the Sprint Center, where the Wildcats are accustomed to playing the Big 12 Tournament, averaging more than 83 points and fresh off an upset of No. 18 Arizona State.

Kansas State’s brutal defense and some inept offense put the Commodores in an early hole.

They came up empty on 11 of their first 13 possessions, and had as many turnovers as points (four) midway through the half. It wasn’t until Shittu’s basket with 6:01 left that Vanderbilt reached double-digits in scoring, and the Commodores still faced a 30-20 halftime deficit.

Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew didn’t come up with any solutions in the locker room, either. His team didn’t hit its first field goal of the second half until there was 9:41 to play.

By that point, Kansas State had extended its lead to 49-30.

Vanderbilt finally went on a run, scoring 11 straight to nip into its deficit. And after Mike McGuirl’s basket for Kansas State, the Commodores scored five more to get within 51-43 with 6:14 left.

It was at that point Diarra checked back into the game for the Wildcats, and the sophomore guard got them back on track. He sliced through the lane to pick up a foul and made both free throws, then he drilled a 3-pointer from the wing to restore a 58-45 cushion with four minutes left.

Kansas State buckled back down defensively to put the game away.

“We knew this was a hungry team, a very good defensive team, an NCAA Tournament team,” Drew said, “and they were very good tonight.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Kansas State improved to 7-4 against Vanderbilt. … The Commodores only managed three points off seven Wildcat turnovers. … Yanni Wetzell had eight points and nine boards for Vanderbilt. … Xavier Sneed had seven points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats. …

BIG PICTURE

Vanderbilt had no problems scoring in its 81-65 victory over the Sun Devils earlier in the week. In fact, the only time the Commodores had failed to reach 75 points in a game this season was against North Carolina State, when their offense never got going in an 80-65 defeat.

Kansas State needed a 24-2 second-half run to beat Southern Miss, but the Wildcats showed they can still cause big trouble for the Big 12 even with Wade on the sideline. Remember, their top scorer also was sidelined by an injury when the Wildcats made their Elite Eight run last season.

UP NEXT

Vanderbilt returns home against Tennessee State next Saturday.

Kansas State plays George Mason next Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The 2019 Kansas State football coaching staff grew by four on Saturday as head coach Chris Klieman announced the names of assistant coaches who will be coming to Manhattan from North Dakota State following the Bison’s bid for a seventh national championship in the last eight seasons.

The additions to the K-State staff include offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Courtney Messingham, offensive line coach Conor Riley, wide receivers coach Jason Ray and safeties coach Joe Klanderman.

“I am thrilled that Courtney, Conor, Jason and Joe will be joining our staff at K-State,” Klieman said. “Our offensive philosophy at NDSU is similar in schematics to what K-State has been so successful at doing under Coach Snyder, which is a balanced attack built around a power run game and getting our playmakers the ball. Courtney and Jason bring Big 12 experience to the staff, while Conor is one of the top offensive line coaches in the country.

“On defense, I have worked alongside Joe for a long time and have so much respect for him as a coach – he is one of the best secondary coaches in our profession. These guys are all winners and I am excited for them to be Wildcats.”

Messingham is a 29-year coaching veteran who has served as a coordinator at multiple stops in addition to coaching virtually every offensive position. Leading the charge of NDSU’s offense the last two seasons, Messingham’s offenses have ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense both years, helping the Bison go 28-1 with a national championship and a chance for another on January 5.

Messingham, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, and teammate of Klieman’s at Northern Iowa, has spent a majority of his coaching career in the Midwest, working at Truman State (1995-98), Missouri State (1999-2002, 2008) and Iowa State (2009-13). He was the Cyclones’ offensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013, leading ISU to a school record in touchdown passes the first year, a season that also saw the Cyclones set top-five single-season marks in school history in five different categories.

A majority of North Dakota State’s offensive yards the past two seasons under Messingham have come on the ground thanks to the superior coaching of Riley, who is finishing his sixth season with the Bison in 2018. The Bison have averaged at least 235 yards per game in each of Riley’s six years, including a current highwater mark of 285.9 yards per game in 2018. Riley’s lines have also finished highly in fewest sacks allowed, ranking 10th nationally in 2016 and eighth thus far in 2018.

A product of Omaha, Nebraska, Riley began his full-time coaching career at Concordia University (Minnesota) in 2006 before moving back to his alma mater, Nebraska Omaha, for the 2007 through 2010 seasons. He also coached the offensive line at Sacramento State in 2011 and 2012 prior to his stint at NDSU.

Ray is no stranger to the Big 12 as he played wide receiver at Missouri (2003-07) and coached receivers and kick returners at Oklahoma State in 2013 and 2014. The 2018 season was his lone campaign at North Dakota State, helping the Bison rank sixth in the nation in scoring offense (41.7 points per game), 10th in passing yards per completion (15.48) and second in passing efficiency (169.72).

Ray began his coaching career at Wyoming, tutoring the Cowboys’ running backs from 2009 and 2012. Following his stint in Stillwater and prior to joining the NDSU staff, Ray spent three seasons tutoring wide receivers at Missouri Valley Football Conference foes Northern Iowa (2015) and Missouri State (2016-17).

A five-year member of Klieman’s staff at North Dakota State, Klanderman’s defensive backs have helped the Bison rank in the top five in interceptions four times, including a No. 3 ranking last season and a No. 2 mark in this season. He has coached a trio of All-America safeties in addition to multiple all-conference performers.

Klanderman went to NDSU after spending 12 years on staff at his alma mater, Minnesota State. He began coaching in 2002 by working with the defensive line and coached the defensive backs beginning in 2005. Klanderman took over as defensive coordinator and worked with the linebackers from 2007 to 2013 prior to heading to Fargo. He helped tutor 26 first team all-conference honorees and 10 All-Americans during his time at MSU.

The rest of Klieman’s coaching staff will be announced as it becomes official.

2019 K-State Football Coaching Staff (Through Dec. 22)
Chris Klieman (Head Coach)
Courtney Messingham (Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends)
Joe Klanderman (Safeties)
Collin Klein (Quarterbacks)
Jason Ray (Wide Receivers)
Conor Riley (Offensive Line)
Blake Seiler (Defensive Line)

— K-State Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman announced Friday that current Wildcat assistant coaches Collin Klein and Blake Seiler will return for the 2019 football season. Klein will serve as the quarterbacks coach, while Seiler will tutor the Wildcat defensive line.

“I am pleased that Blake and Collin will remain a part of our staff here at Kansas State,” Klieman said. “They both are tremendous young football coaches who I have had the chance to get to know over the last several weeks while recruiting, and they provide our program with some continuity and familiarity. As former Wildcat players, they bleed purple, and I am excited for what they will bring to our staff.”

The 2018 season marked the second for Klein as a full-time assistant coach tutoring the quarterbacks at K-State, and for the second-straight year he was forced to play multiple quarterbacks due to injury. A majority of the starts this past season went to sophomore Skylar Thompson, who threw for 1,391 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 starts. Thompson enters his junior campaign ranked fifth in career completion percentage (59.45) and ninth in career passing efficiency (130.56).

A Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012, Klein began his coaching career in 2014 when he was an assistant director of recruiting at K-State, while he was an offensive graduate assistant in 2015. Klein then went to Northern Iowa to be the quarterbacks coach in 2016 and returned to Manhattan for the same position in 2017.

Seiler, who served as the defensive coordinator for the first time in 2018, was also in his second year coaching the Wildcat linebackers last season. He will now return to the to the front line of defense after serving as the K-State defensive ends coach from 2013-16. In his inaugural season as coordinator, Seiler’s defensive unit ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring defense (25.4 points per game) and fourth in total defense (403.4 yards per game) at the end of the regular season.

A native of Goddard, Kansas, Seiler was a defensive lineman for the Wildcats from 2003 to 2006. After working as an engineer for two years, Seiler returned to football as a quality control coach at K-State in 2009 and 2010, and a defensive graduate assistant in 2011 and 2012 before becoming a full-time coach.

The rest of Klieman’s coaching staff will be announced as it becomes official.

— KSU Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kamau Stokes knew all along he’d play against Southern Miss on Wednesday night, even when Kansas State coach Bruce Weber listed his senior guard as merely the probable starter because of an ankle injury.

The Wildcats certainly needed him.

Stokes hit four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, all but two of them coming in the second half, as the Wildcats used a big run out of the locker to edge the Golden Eagles 55-51 on Wednesday night in their first game without Dean Wade.

Much like Stokes, the preseason Big 12 player of the year went down with an injury in last weekend’s win over Georgia State. But unlike Stokes, the talented forward is expected to miss up to eight weeks with a tendon injury in his right foot.

“When there’s a man down,” Stokes said, “you have to take ownership, and especially being a senior, one of the leaders on the team, somebody had to step up.”

Barry Brown added 15 points for the Wildcats (8-2), who trailed 31-19 at the break before their 24-2 charge midway through the second half allowed them to seize control.

Southern Miss (7-4) closed within 53-51 when Dominic Magee grabbed an offensive rebound, got fouled and made both foul shots with 10.4 seconds to go. The Golden Eagles quickly fouled Brown, but he knocked down two more free throws to restore the Wildcats’ four-point cushion.

Tyree Griffin’s off-balance 3 missed badly and time ran out on Southern Miss.

“We came out with energy in the first half and we were making shots. They just locked us up on defense in the second half,” the Golden Eagles’ Cortez Edwards said.

Edwards finished with 18 points to lead the Golden Eagles, who had not played a Big 12 foe since losing to Kansas State in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Griffin scored 11.

For a while it appeared as if Wade’s absence — he was on crutches and camped out on the Kansas State bench — had galvanized the Wildcats the same way it did during last year’s NCAA Tournament, when a different foot injury sidelined him for their Elite Eight run.

Then came the next 15 minutes of the half.

After scoring the game’s first seven points, the Wildcats missed nine straight 3s and were 8 of 26 from the field in the first half. They had just as many turnovers as made field goals and were pounded on the glass despite having a rare size advantage across the board.

Their 19 first-half points were the fewest they’d scored in a half this season.

“Dean does so many things,” Weber said. “It changes the game, no doubt, but we’ve got to find a way to get more offense. Be a little more efficient taking care of the basketball.”

Kansas State fared no better out of the locker room, coming up empty six straight possessions with four turnovers, before Stokes finally jumpstarted its big rally.

The senior guard scored 10 straight points, including two 3s that snapped a 0-for-11 start for the team, and the rest of the Wildcats eventually got into the act.

By the time Brown’s bucket closed a 24-2 run, the Wildcats had assumed a 43-37 lead.

Stokes added another 3 a few minutes later, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 49-44, and Xavier Sneed joined Brown in putting the game away from the foul line.

“Somebody said, `What did you say at halftime?’ Those first four minutes weren’t very good either,” Weber said of the second half. “We manned up. We kept them off the line. That part of it was good. We even got a little bit in transition, which was positive. You get some of those easy hoops, it makes a difference.

“You just want to win,” Weber said. “You want to find a way to win.”

BIG PICTURE

Southern Miss showed for a long stretch that it can hang with a Big 12 foe, dominating Kansas State on both ends of the court. But coach Doc Sadler couldn’t stop the Wildcats’ momentum even with his timeouts, and the Golden Eagles allowed the game to get away.

Kansas State survived another sluggish performance, just as they did against Georgia State last weekend. But the Wildcats will need to play more than 15 good minutes to beat Vanderbilt on Saturday night at the Sprint Center.

UP NEXT

Southern Miss continues a six-game trip Friday night at South Dakota.

Kansas State plays Vanderbilt on Saturday night in Kansas City, Missouri.

— Associated Press —

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Sophia Elenga scored 12 points, three players scored 10 each and No. 17 Arizona State showed its depth and balance, defeating Kansas State 65-51 Sunday in the Battle by the Bluff on the Wisconsin-La Crosse campus Sunday.

Reili Richardson, Robbi Ryan and Kianna Ibis each scored 10 for the Sun Devils (8-2), who pushed their win streak to six games. Arizona State’s losses were by a combined eight points to No. 3 Baylor and No. 4 Louisville.

Kayla Goth scored 19 and Peyton Williams picked up her fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds for Kansas State (7-3), which saw its four-game win streak come to an end.

Ryan buried a jumper at the third-quarter buzzer and Arizona State led 48-41 to start the final 10 minutes. Williams and Goth brought the Wildcats to within three points, 48-45 right off the bat, but Elenga buried a jumper to push the lead back to five.

The teams traded baskets until Ibis swiped the ball from Williams and Elenga finished with a fast-break layup with 4:02 remaining that sparked an 8-0 run to put the game away.

Arizona State forced 13 turnovers.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown has been ready to step up when No. 25 Kansas State needs him.

With injuries to Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes, Brown delivered again for the Wildcats on Saturday night.

Brown scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half, propelling Kansas State over Georgia State 71-59.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with pressure,” Brown said. “I just tried to stay confident when Dean and Kam went down and keep our guys going.”

The biggest concern for the Wildcats is the ankle injuries to Wade and Stokes, which came minutes apart in the second half. Both players suffered injuries last year, too, and Wade missed almost the entire NCAA Tournament, making this familiar territory for K-State.

“With Dean, I don’t have a definite answer, but I do know he didn’t break anything and we’ll do an MRI tomorrow and see how severe it is,” coach Bruce Weber said. “Kam stepped on a player’s foot on their bench and he said he could’ve gone back in. It was the same foot he broke last year and he tweaked it and there is some swelling.”

Brown scored the first eight points for the Wildcats and was key during a later 7-0 run. K-State let the Panthers hang around with 19 turnovers leading to 25 points as Georgia State again competed well with a Power Five school after wins over Georgia and Alabama this season.

Jeff Thomas led the Panthers with 13 points, Nelson Phillips had 11 and D’Marcus Simonds had 10.

“(Jeff) kind of got going,” coach Ron Hunter said. “He had been struggling and has been in a slump. He got tired at the end and missed some wide open shots.”

Stokes had 15 points, Xavier Sneed had 14 and Wade ended with 12.

The Wildcats held a nine-point lead numerous times but couldn’t put away Georgia State until late. K-State was up 48-39 before the Panthers went on a 14-2 run with 10 minutes to go.

“I think we played a solid game up to about the last 7-8 minutes,” Panther senior guard Devin Mitchell said. “Those guys just did a really good job of just doing what they do — playing defense and really getting into us.”

After Georgia State took a 53-50 lead, the Wildcats ended the game on a 21-6 run highlighted by 11 points from Brown, including a trio of 3s, and five points by Xavier Sneed.

Georgia State was very active on the defensive end, forcing 19 turnovers that led to 25 points. The Wildcats won the rebounding battle 33-24.

“That looked like an NCAA Tournament game,” Hunter said. “That is what I told our kids. Maybe it is a different outcome if you are playing on a neutral court.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State will hope the injuries will not keep Wade and Stokes out for long as they play two games in the next seven days.

Georgia State is looking like it could be an upset threat if it makes the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

K-State will play its first weekday game in nearly a month when it hosts Southern Mississippi on Wednesday night.

Georgia State hosts the UNC-Wilmington on Wednesday night.

— Associated Press —