K-State hangs on to beat Oklahoma 75-64

K-State’s first fifteen points were of the three-point variety -- four threes and an and-one. That fueled a 25-9 start this afternoon at Bramlage, after which the Wildcats fought off a determined Oklahoma Sooners squad to register a 75-64 victory.

K-State (13-2, 2-1) was a bit limp coming out after halftime, allowing Oklahoma (6-8, 0-3) to tear a 16-point lead down to seven in less than seven minutes. But the margin never got any closer, and -- despite suffering from some terrible turnover issues (7 of their 13 turnovers were in the first ten minutes of the second half) — K-State avoided any major runs by the Sooners as they chewed up the clock.

Once again, all five Wildcat starters registered double figures, led by Wesley Iwundu’s 16. Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes both hit the 10-mark in the first half, but neither scored for nearly 18 minutes after the break. Wade finally got back on the board with 2:10 left on a pair of free throws to finish with 12; Stokes finished with the 13 he had in the first 20 minutes. Barry Brown had 14 points to complete the set.

Wade’s second half was painful all around, actually. The sophomore had six first-half rebounds, but only one in the second, and three of his four fouls also took place in the second half.

Oklahoma was without Jordan Woodard for the fourth straight game, hampering their offense. Some guys did step up, however. Kameron McGusty led all scorers with 20, while Rashard Odomes and Darrion Strong-Moore both added 10. Kristian Doolittle pulled down eight rebounds for the Sooners. Oklahoma’s turnover problems were worse than K-State’s, as OU gave the ball up 19 times.

The stat of the night which pinpoints what happened after the 25-9 start, though, is simple: K-State started the game 5-5 on three-point attempts. They finished 7-18.

Next up, K-State travels to Texas Tech (12-2, 1-1 with a game at Kansas tonight) on Monday. Oklahoma also gets Kansas (13-1, 2-0) next, at home on Monday.