Arne GreenTopeka Capital-Journal
MANHATTAN — Kansas State avoided a Sunflower Showdown hangover by simple force of will.
After struggling mightily against a desperate Texas Tech team that was still looking for its first Big 12 victory, the No. 15-ranked Wildcats finished the game with a flurry Saturday afternoon to knock off the Red Raiders, 68-58, at Bramlage Coliseum.
With the win, K-State improved to 17-2 overall and took sole possession of the Big 12 lead at 6-1 after Kansas and Iowa State both lost. Texas Tech fell to 10-9, 0-7 in the conference.
Markquis Nowell had 23 points, Keyontae Johnson 15 and Ismael Massoud 12 off the bench to lead the Wildcats. Pop Isaacs and De'Vion Harmon led Texas Tech with 13 points each.
K-State trailed by eight points in the second half, 45-37, with 13:20 left, but answered with a 23-5 run over the next 10-plus minutes to take control.
Here are three takeaways from a hard-fought K-State victory.
More:Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang raises the bar with Sunflower Showdown triumph
Markquis Nowell proactive after two-game slump
Markquis Nowell, after struggling on offense the previous two games, took matters into his own hands against Texas Tech, knocking down four first-half 3-pointers, several from near the Wildcat logo.
His 12 points in the half, kept the Wildcats within striking distance, down 33-28, while nobody else had more than four. He then helped the Wildcats seal the victory by knocking down 9 of 10 free throws in the second period.
It was a welcome return to form for Nowell, who scored just four points against Kansas on Tuesday, and 16 — most of them with the game out of reach — at TCU on Jan. 14.
Nowell, who was 5-for-12 from the field and made 4 of 11 3-pointers, also contributed eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
More:Desi Sills provides much-needed spark as Kansas State basketball's sixth man
Delayed encore for Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills
Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills, who each scored 24 points Tuesday in helping lead K-State past No. 2 Kansas in overtime, had a hard time recreating the magic against Texas Tech.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, they saved their best for last.
After combining for two points on a pair of Johnson free throws in the first period, they both played a role in the Wildcats' second-half comeback. Sills' first basket, with 11:56 left, was part of a 11-0 run that gave K-State its first lead of the second half.
Johnson, who now has reached double figures in all 19 games, put the Wildcats in front for the first time in the second half with his first basket, a fast-break layup at the 10:36 mark. That was the first of three straight makes for Johnson after he missed his first three field goal attempts.
Johnson made hit his only 3-point attempt to give K-State a 54-50 advantage with 6:37 left, and he hit all six of his free throws in the second half. In addition to his 15 points, he led the Wildcats with 11 rebounds.
Sills had just two baskets, but all four of his points came when it counted most.
More:Five takeaways from Kansas State basketball's 83-82 win over Kansas in Sunflower Showdown
Ismael Massoud finding his niche
Massoud, who fell out of favor with coach Jerome Tang early on, in part for his lack of intensity, has now established himself as a difference-maker off the bench for the Wildcats by providing a little of everything.
The 6-foot-9 junior, one of just two holdovers from last year's Bruce Weber-coached team, was 5 of 6 shooting, including a pair of big 3-pointers, against Texas Tech, and also had two assists and a blocked shot.
In the Kansas game on Tuesday, he also made two 3-pointers and got a key steal by diving on a loose ball at the end of overtime to preserve the Wildcats' 83-82 victory. It remains to be seen if Massoud's role will change again when David N'Guessan gets back to full strength.
N'Guessan, an early-season starter who had been out with an ankle injury since the Dec. 21 Radford game, played four minutes in the first half. But he is expected to again be a factor when he gets back to full speed.
K-State next goes on the road Tuesday for an 8 p.m. game at Iowa State, the other surprise team in the Big 12 this year.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached atagreen@gannett.comor on Twitter at @arnegreen.
