NORMAN, Okla. — Surviving a late surge by the Oklahoma Sooners, the 18th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats escaped Lloyd Noble Center with a 52-50 win on Saturday night.
Down 50-42 with 2:08 to play, Oklahoma (14-6, 5-3 Big 12) went on a furious 8-0 run to tie the game with :13 seconds left on a layup by Sam Grooms. Angel Rodriguez sank a pair of free throws to put the Wildcats back on top, and Grooms air-balled a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Kansas State (17-4, 6-2 Big 12) jumped out to an 11-6 lead on a 3-pointer by Will Spradling with 14:42 to play in the first half. The Sooners took a 17-16 lead at the 11:14 mark, but the Wildcats quickly jumped back out in front, and maintained their lead for the rest of the half. K-State led 28-23 at halftime.
The Wildcats never trailed in the second half, and the only tie occurred at the :13 second mark. Amath M’Baye’s foul on Rodriguez with :05 seconds to play sealed the Sooners’ fate.
For the majority of the night, both teams had difficulty making shots. K-State shot 38% from the field, and 31% from 3-point range. OU shot 39% from the field, and 21% from beyond the arc. OU outrebounded K-State 33-30. Spradling led the Cats with 12 points.
K-State goes on the road to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Tuesday night.
