Kansas State thumps Oklahoma State 89-73

Jawun Evans attempted one of the strangest fade away jumpers you will ever see Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum. The Oklahoma State star twisted his body toward the basket, but leaned his weight away from it as he launched a shot high into the air and far away from his intended target.

The shot clock was nearing zero midway through the first half, and his desperation three-point heave resulted in a turnover that helped Kansas State amass a huge lead on its way to an 89-73 victory in front of sellout crowd.

The air ball was a microcosm of how much better the Wildcats were than the Cowboys.

“We saw a team that played their A-game and really played well,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “It was more about Kansas State than it was us.”

Evans, a freshman guard, scored 42 points against No. 1 Oklahoma and 22 against No. 3 Kansas earlier this season, helping Oklahoma State knockoff the Jayhawks and nearly upset the Sooners. Yet, it was K-State freshman guard Kamau Stokes who stole the show in this head-to-head matchup, scoring 13 points and holding Evans to 11.

Stokes made things so difficult for Evans that he quickly picked up four fouls and played a mere 16 minutes, literally taking Oklahoma State’s best player out of the game.

“He has definitely been giving us a lot these last few games,” K-State junior Wesley Iwundu said of Stokes. “He is really coming into his own and getting comfortable in his role.”

Of course, seemingly every K-State player won his matchup on this day.

Dean Wade shot his way out of a recent slump with 12 points, Justin Edwards showed skill and athleticism while scoring 13, Iwundu added 12 and Stephen Hurt finished with 11.

All nine K-State players that registered meaningful minutes scored, with reserves Barry Brown, D.J. Johnson and Austin Budke combining for 23 points.

That balanced effort allowed K-State (12-7, 2-5 Big 12) to land its first blowout victory since conference play began and end a two-game skid. It was its most lopsided win since beating Saint Louis 75-47 in late December.

And it was the most points K-State had scored in a conference game since 2011.

“In this league, to win by that margin makes everything a lot easier,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “This was a positive step for us.”

There was no doubt about it. This was, by far, the Wildcats’ best game of the season.

They played with energy, poise and aggression, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back as Oklahoma State (10-9, 2-5) was unable to keep things competitive.

“They punched us in the mouth,” said Oklahoma State guard Tyree Griffin after scoring 18 points. “I give all the credit to Kansas State. They deserved to win. They played really good defense and they capitalized on all our mistakes.”

It helped that K-State was playing in front of 12,298 fans, the largest and loudest home crowd of the season. The Wildcats gave them plenty to cheer about.

The win was so convincing that an Oklahoma State fan sitting in the third row grew so frustrated he began questioning the team he was there to support.

“How,” the fan shouted late in the second half, “did you guys beat Kansas?”

The Big 12 has been ruled by parity this month, and this game continued that theme. Beforehand, it looked like this could be the closest Big 12 game of the weekend. The Cowboys, fresh off a high-profile victory, had the look of an up-and-coming team. The Wildcats, though low on league victories, had played everyone tough, falling in double overtime to No. 6 West Virginia and No. 13 Baylor.

Weber said it would take a special effort for his team to win. K-State delivered.

“We were at a magic level,” Weber said.

“We talked to our team a lot about how we are two teams that need wins,” Ford said. “They come in off a double overtime loss, we come in off a big win. Who was going to respond best? They did.”

Now, the Wildcats want to see what they can do in a rematch against West Virginia on Tuesday.

“It’s a huge confidence boost for us,” Edwards said, “because this whole season we have been with the best teams we just haven’t been able to get over that hump. We said, ‘This can be the turning point for our season if we can get a really good win at home.’”

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Kansas State thumps Oklahoma State 89-73."