Markquis Nowell leads No. 12 Kansas State past No. 19 Iowa State

Markquis Nowell had 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to help No. 12 Kansas State defeat No. 19 Iowa State 61-55 Saturday in a Big 12 Conference game in Manhattan, Kan.

The Wildcats, who had lost four of their past five games, improved to 13-1 at home this season. Iowa State fell to 2-7 on the road.

Both teams were listed as 3-seeds in the NCAA Tournament men's basketball selection committee's bracket preview released earlier Saturday.

Keyontae Johnson had 15 points for Kansas State (20-7, 8-6), while Iowa State (17-9, 8-6) was led by Aljaz Kunc with 15 points. Gabe Kalscheur added 11.

The Wildcats used a 14-3 run to start the second half and turn an eight-point deficit into a three-point lead before the first media timeout. Neither team led by more than five points from that point until Kansas State grabbed a 57-50 advantage with 1:21 left in the game. Nowell had 11 points in the first 6:25 of the second half.

With both teams struggling to score, Kunc hit a 3-pointer to draw the Cyclones to 45-44 with 6:35 left, but the Cyclones never retook the lead.

With the Wildcats clinging to a two-point lead, Nowell hit a 3-pointer from well beyond NBA 3-point range with 2:49 left to all-but seal the victory.

The first half was either a defensive struggle or a poor display of offense, as Iowa State went to the locker room with a 31-23 lead. Neither team shot better than 40 percent from the field, and both teams had more turnovers than assists.

Iowa State used runs to open big leads, a 10-0 stretch to go up 12-5 and a 12-2 run to take a 29-19 lead with just 2:52 left in the half. The Cyclones controlled the offensive glass, grabbing eight offensive rebounds, leading to a 21-15 rebounding edge.

Kunc led the Cyclones with 10 points at the half, while Johnson led the Wildcats with eight. Nowell, who has struggled offensively recently, had just two points.