Senior Keyontae Johnson's lob dunk from fellow senior Markquis Nowell with 25 seconds left in overtime proved to be the game-winner, as No. 13/15 Kansas State outlasted No. 2/2 Kansas, 83-82, in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Tuesday night before a sold-out crowd of 11,000 at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (16-2, 5-1 Big 12) snapped a 7-game losing streak to its longtime rival in the 298th meeting and in the first top-15 matchup since 2013, while ending Kansas' 10-game overall winning streak. The Wildcats are off to their best overall start since 2009-10, while they are 5-1 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2007-08.
The win was the eighth over the No. 2 team in the country, including the first since defeating No. 2 Baylor, 56-54, in Waco, Texas on Feb. 4, 2017, while it was the highest ranked win since knocking off No. 1 Oklahoma on Feb. 6, 2016. Overall, it was the 26th Top 5 win in school history.
Kansas (16-2, 5-1 Big 12) had one last chance with 11 seconds remaining, but junior Ish Massoud was able to force junior Dajuan Harris, Jr., into a turnover on the baseline with only a few seconds left to preserve the victory.
K-State is now 9-0 in games decided by single digits (9 points or less), including 4-0 in overtime games. It marks the first time the Wildcats have won 4 overtime games in a season since the 1992-93 team won a school-record 5.
Johnson was among three Wildcats in double figures, as he and reserve Desi Sills scored a team-leading 24 points, while junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin notched his first career double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Nowell more than made up for his season-low 4 points with 7 assists and a game-best 4 steals.
The Jayhawks were led junior Jalen Wilson, whose game-high 38 points tied the Bramlage Coliseum opponent record matching the 38 by Georgia State's Anton Reese on Nov. 28, 1998. He went 12-of-25 from the field, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range, and was near perfect 11-of-12 from the line. He was joined in double figures by sophomore KJ Adams, Jr., and freshman Gradey Dick, who finished with 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Both teams shot 50 percent or better from the field in the first half, including 51.7 percent (15-of-29) by K-State, before neither could buy a shot in the second half, as they combined to go 17-of-52. In the extra period, the Jayhawks hit on 50 percent (3-of-6) of their field goals and all 3 of their free throws, while the Wildcats made just 1-of-3 from the field but took advantage of their opportunities at the line, knocking down 9-of-10 attempts.
Overall, K-State connected on 41.7 percent (25-of-60) of its field goals, including 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from 3-point range, and made 78.8 percent (26-of-33) from the free throw line. Kansas shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field, including 20.7 percent (6-of-29) from long range, and made 70.6 percent (24-of-34) from the line.
It was the 16th overtime game in the series history and the first since 2014. The Jayhawks hold a slight 9-7 lead in those in overtime games with the Wildcats winning the last 2 (2014, 2023).
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a back and forth game, K-State used a 12-0 run to take a 16-6 lead with less than 14 minutes left in the first half. Senior Keyontae Johnson had two big 3-pointers in the run, while seniors Markquis Nowell and Desi Sills and junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin each added 2 points. The Wildcats continued to build their lead over the next few minutes, capping out at 33-19 after a pair of free throws from sophomore Cam Carter with 8:17 remaining.
Kansas slowly chipped away at the lead, scoring 17 of the next 22 points to close to within 38-36 with 2:04 to play before halftime. However, K-State was able to have a strong close to the half with 6 of the final 9 points, including a jumper by Johnson just before the halftime horn, to take a 44-39 lead.
The Wildcats scored 7 of the first 10 points out of halftime to extend their lead to 51-42 right before the first media timeout with just over 15 to play. But once again the Jayhawks made a run to take their first lead at 58-57 on a pair of free throws by junior Jalen Wilson with 8:40 to play.
With the game knotted at 61-all, Johnson scored 5 straight points to give K-State a 66-61 lead with just over 5 to play. However, Kansas answered with 6 of the next 7 points to tie the game at 67-all with 3:10 remaining. With the score tied at 72-all with 23 seconds left, Tomlin was able to turn over junior Dajuan Harris with 4 seconds left, giving Johnson one last chance to win in regulation, but his layup was just short at the buzzer.
In the extra period, the teams once again went back and forth. Wilson gave Kansas an 80-78 lead on a 3-pointer with 2:24 to play but Johnson was able to tie it up at 80-all on a pair of free throws on the next possession.
Trailing 82-81 with 30 seconds to play, head coach Jerome Tang called a timeout to draw up the final play, as Johnson received the pass from Nowell and slammed it home to give the Wildcats an 83-82 lead with 25 ticks left on the clock. The Jayhawks had one last chance, but junior Ish Massoud was able to force Harris to turn the ball over on the baseline to hang on to the win.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State continues its homestand on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats play host to Texas Tech (10-8, 0-6 Big 12) at 1 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum.