FROM KSTATESPORTS.COM - Five Wildcats scored in double figures, including a game-high 18 points from senior Markquis Nowell, as No. 12/11 Kansas State snapped a 2-game losing streak with a near wire-to-wire 82-61 victory over No. 19/17 TCU on Tuesday night before a crowd of 8,667 at Bramlage Coliseum.
 
Nowell also dished out a game-high 7 assists, giving him 187 for the season, which broke the K-State single-season school record of 186 set by Steve Henson in 1987-88. His total ranks third nationally in Division I. In addition, his 18 points helped him eclipse 1,700 in his college career, which spans 119 games at Little Rock and K-State.
 
The win helped K-State (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) keep pace in the Big 12 race, moving into a tie with No. 9/8 Kansas for third place, just one game back of No. 5/5 Texas and a half-game back of No. 11/13 Iowa State. The 19-5 start ties the 2012-13 and 2018-19 teams for the second-best in the last 50 seasons. The team also secured its fifth Top 25 victory of the season, which is the second-most in a single-season and most since posting 6 in 2014-15.
 
The Wildcats had five or more players score in double figures for the fourth time this season and the second time in Big 12 play. Nowell was joined in double figures by seniors Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills, who each scored 14 points, while senior reserve Tykei Greene nearly registered a double-double with season-highs in both points (13) and rebounds (9) to go with 10 points from junior David N'Guessan.
 
Leading 36-30 at the half, K-State took control of the game with an impressive second-half performance, as the Wildcats scored 46 points after halftime on 61.5 percent (16-of-26) shooting with 26 coming in the paint. Despite the impressive offensive effort, the game was still in the balance with under 5 minutes to play after TCU cut the deficit to 65-59 after a 6-0 run to force a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang.
 
The timeout seemed to ignite K-State, as a pair of free throws from sophomore Cam Carter started a streak of 15 consecutive points, as the Wildcats ended the game on a 17-2 run to snap a 3-game losing streak to the Horned Frogs at Bramlage Coliseum and a 3-game skid in Big 12 play. Five different players contributed to the run, including 5 points from Johnson, 4 from Greene and Nowell and 2 from Carter and Sills.
 
The Wildcats frustrated the Horned Frogs into 19 turnovers, including 13 in the first half, converting those into 15 points, while holding the nation's top-ranked fast-break team (20.7 ppg.) to just 10 fast-break points. After giving 20 second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds in the first meeting on Jan. 14, they allowed just 3 second-chance points on 6 offensive rebounds in the rematch.
 
For the game, K-State connected on 45.9 percent (28-of-61) from the field, including 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from 3-point range, while hitting on 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the free throw line. Forty of the 82 points came in the paint, while the Wildcats had 19 assists on their 28 made field goals with 5 players dishing out at least 2 assists. It was the ninth game of 80 or more points this season, which is the most since posting 11 in 2017-18.
 
TCU (17-7, 6-5 Big 12), which played without Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Mike Miles, Jr., for the fourth game in a row, was led by 16 points from senior Damion Baugh. Baugh, who went 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line, also had 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal in 36 minutes. He was joined in double figures by junior Micah Peavy and sophomore JaKobe Coles, who each had 11 points, and a near double-double by senior Emanuel Miller with 10 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.

K-State begins a 2-game road swing on Saturday when the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech (12-11, 1-9 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.