MANHATTAN, Kan. — The name of the game in any sport is to outscore the opposition, and that’s exactly what the Kansas State Wildcats did on Monday night, beating their cross-state rival Kansas Jayhawks 85-82 in overtime.
The Wildcats scored on every possession in the extra five minutes, either with a field goal or a free throw. The Wildcats were led by senior guard Will Spradling, who had 15 points and six rebounds and it marked the first time the Overland Park native has won a home game against Kansas.
K-State freshman Marcus Foster had 20 points on the same day he was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. The game was tied at 29 at the half, but an early second-half 7-0 run helped the Wildcats dominate the first 18 minutes of the second half. Trailing by seven points with 1:43 on the clock in regulation time, the Jayhawks went on a run to tie the game, getting a lay-in by freshman forward Andrew Wiggins with six seconds to play, that helped send the game to overtime tied at 69.
In the extra five minutes, K-State outscored KU 16-13. Perry Ellis lead Kansas with 19 points, but the Jayhawks got a combined 24 points from its three starting freshman: Wiggins had 16, Joel Embiid had six, and Wayne Selden had two. Kansas, now 18-6 overall, still leads the Big 12 standings with a 9-2 record. K-State continues to try to keep pace with an overall record of 17-7, and 7-4 in the Big 12. K-State on Saturday plays at Baylor. Kansas plays at home in Lawrence on Saturday and is set to host TCU.
