KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Freshman Dean Wade scored a career-high 20 points, including a pair of critical free throws with 5 seconds left, as Kansas State earned a trip to the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship with a 75-71 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night at theSprint Center.
The victory for the Wildcats (17-15) was the first since 2013, snapping a 3-game losing streak.
Leading by as many as 17 points in the second half, K-State saw OSU (12-20) make a furious rally to close the double-digit lead to within striking distance at 70-64 on a 3-pointer by junior Leyton Hammonds with 1:25 to play. The Wildcats had a number of opportunities to finish the game off at the free throw line, going just 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from the charity stripe in the second half after hitting 10-of-11 in the opening half.
After sophomore Tyree Griffin got the Cowboys to within 73-69 with 5 seconds remaining on free throw, Wade was able to finish off his impressive night with two free throws to wrap up the Wildcats’ victory.
Wade led all scorers with his first career 20-point outing, which came on 6-of-9 field goals, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, to go with a 5-of-6 effort from the free throw line. It marked his 16 double-digit scoring game this season, as the Wildcats moved to 13-3 when the freshman registered double figures.
Senior Justin Edwards continued his solid play of late with his ninth double-figure scoring game in his last 10 outings with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, which came with a game-high 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Junior Wesley Iwundu also put together an impressive all-around game with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
The Oklahoma State bench scored 37 of the team’s 71 points led by 13-point efforts from juniorJoe Burton and sophomore Jeffrey Carroll, while Griffin had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 assists.
K-State now advances to the quarterfinals to take on top-ranked Kansas (27-4) on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CT. The Wildcats are 7-14 all-time against the Jayhawks at the Big Eight/12 Championship, but have lost 11 straight at the championship with the last win coming in the second round of the 1993 Big Eight Tournament.
The Basics
- Final Score: Kansas State 75, Oklahoma State 71
- Records: Kansas State 17-15, 5-13 Big 12 \\ Oklahoma State 12-20, 3-15 Big 12
- Attendance: 18,972
- Next Game: Thursday, March 10 \\ vs. 1/1 Kansas \\ 1:30 p.m. CT \\ ESPN2
The Short Story
- Freshman Dean Wade put the finishing touches on a career night with a pair of free throws with 5 seconds remaining to help No. 8 seed Kansas State to a 75-71 win over No. 9 seed Oklahoma State in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Tuesday before 18,972 fans at the Sprint Center.
- The win snapped a 3-game losing streak at the Championship, earning the Wildcats their first since 2013.
- Wade collected his first career 20-point game with a game-high 20 points to lead three Wildcats in double figures, joining senior Justin Edwards (17) and junior Wesley Iwundu (14).
- K-State connected on 50 percent of its field goals (24-of-48), including 52.4 percent (11-of-21) in the second half, and moved to 7-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
- Oklahoma State, which trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, closed the gap to 73-69 on a free throw from Tyree Griffin with 5 seconds left before Wade’s two free throws finished it off.
- OSU was led by reserves Joe Burton and Jeffrey Carroll, who had 13 points each.