FROM KSTATESPORTS.COM - Senior Markquis Nowell continued his impressive play with a team-high 20 points and game-high 7 assists, as No. 11/13 Kansas State won its first game as a ranked team in nearly 4 seasons with a gritty 65-57 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night before a sold-out crowd of 11,000 at Bramlage Coliseum.
 
K-State (15-1, 4-0 Big 12), which continued its best start to a season in more than 60 years, extended its winning streak to 9 games, which is the longest since a 10-game streak from Nov. 24, 2013, to Jan. 7, 2014. The team is also 4-0 to start Big 12 play for the first time since 2012-13.
 
As expected, the Wildcats took the best shot of a long and athletic Oklahoma State team, which leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (61.5) and ranks third nationally in field goal percentage defense (36.4), 14th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.4) and 17th in blocked shots (5.5 bpg.).
 
The Cowboys (9-7, 1-3 Big 12) rode that elite defense to much as a 5-point lead in the first half, including 32-30 at halftime. However, the Wildcats scored 5 of the first 7 points out of halftime to take the lead for good on a 3-pointer by junior Ish Massoud at 35-34 and force a timeout by head coach Mike Boynton, Jr., at the 17:17 mark.
 
K-State twice built a 10-point lead, including 51-41, with just over 10 minutes remaining to cap a 9-0 run and 56-46 after a layup by junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin with just over 7 minutes remaining. However, OSU make a furious comeback with 9 straight points to cut the deficit to 56-55 right before the last media timeout with 3:10 to play.
 
The Wildcats were able to make key plays down the stretch to end the game on a 9-2 run, which included a highlight alley-oop dunk by senior Keyontae Johnson from Nowell with 38 seconds left. This 9-2 ending included a pair of free throws from senior Abayomi Iyiola and Nowell, the dunk by Johnson and 3 free throws from reserve senior Desi Sills.
 
Nowell was joined in double figures by Johnson, who kept his double-digit scoring streak alive at 16 games with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go with 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and Sills, who added 11 points on 3-of-8 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
 
After scoring 213 points in back-to-back wins over No. 6/6 Texas and No. 19/17 Baylor last week, including a school-record 116 vs. the Longhorns, K-State proved it can win in a variety of ways, including on defense. The Wildcats connected on a season-low 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field, including 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from 3-point range, but took advantage of 16 turnovers by the Cowboys to score 19 points.
 
Oklahoma State was held to its third-lowest point total (57) of the season on 33.3 percent (22-of-66) shooting, including 22.7 percent (5-of-22) from 3-point range. After connecting on 45.7 percent (14-of-31) in the first half to lead 32-30 at the break, the Cowboys made just 22.9 percent (8-of-35) of their field goals in the second half, including 14.3 percent (2-of-14) beyond the arc.
 
K-State, which has its highest ranking since checking also checking in at No. 11 right before the 2013 Big 12 Championship, won its first game as a ranked team since knocking off TCU, 70-61, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship on March 14, 2019. The Wildcats are now 272-108 as a ranked team.