FROM KSTATESPORTS.COM - No. 14/12 Kansas State rallied from a halftime deficit for the second consecutive game with a dominant second-half performance as the Wildcats tied the school-record for AP Top 25 wins with seven in a 75-65 win over No. 9/10 Baylor on Tuesday night before a sellout crowd of 11,000 at Bramlage Coliseum.
 
Down 34-31 at the break, K-State (21-7, 9-6 Big 12) scored 44 points in the second half on 57.7 percent (15-of-26) shooting with 22 coming in the paint. For the game, the Wildcats connected on 48.3 percent (28-of-58) of their field goals, including 64.9 percent (24-of-37) inside the 3-point arc, and held a decisive 42-16 advantage in the paint. The team posted a season-low 7 turnovers, while dishing out 20 assists on 28 made field goals with senior Markquis Nowell collecting a game-high 10 assists without a turnover.
 
Senior Keyontae Johnson led three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-17 field goals, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Overall, it was a balanced all-around night for K-State, as seven of the eight players who saw action had at least two made field goals. Joining Johnson in double figures was Nowell with 14 points to go with his game-high 10 assists and sophomore Cam Carter, who added 10 points on 5-of-11 field goals.  It was Nowell's 14th career double-double, including his school-record ninth at K-State and his sixth this season.
 
The 7 wins vs. AP Top 25 opponents tied the record originally set in 2009-10. In addition, the Wildcats posted their third top-10 victory, including their second at home, as they moved to 14-1 at Bramlage Coliseum.
 
The win also helped K-State stay in the Big 12 title race, moving into a third-place tie with Baylor (20-8, 9-6 Big 12) and 2 games behind co-leaders Kansas (23-5, 11-4 Big 12) and Texas (22-6, 11-4 Big 12) with 3 games left.
 
The Wildcats led by 10 points with just over 7 minutes to play in the first half before the Bears got hot from 3-point range to take a 34-26 lead with 1:32 to play before halftime. Junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin was able to go on a personal 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 34-31 to give the squad some momentum heading into halftime.
 
A 3-pointer by Johnson tied the game at 34-all on the first possession of the second half, as K-State snatched the lead for good on back-to-back jump shots by their senior with 15:29 to play. The consecutive baskets started a 12-3 run by the Wildcats, which included points from junior David N'Guessan, Nowell and Carter, that extended the lead to 49-43 and forced Baylor head coach Scott Drew to call a timeout with 12:19 remaining.
 
K-State kept the pressure on out of the timeout, scoring 3 consecutive baskets all from different players to push the lead to 55-44 and force another Baylor timeout with just over 8 to play. The lead grew to as many as 14 points after a pair of Nowell free throws at the 4:23 mark, as he finished off the Wildcats' scoring from the line with 6 consecutive makes as part of a perfect 10-of-10 performance.
 
As impressive as the offense was in the second half, the defense was equally as impressive, as the Wildcats held the Big 12's second-best scoring offense (78.5 ppg.) and the best in Big 12 play (77.4 ppg.) to 65 points on 40 percent shooting, including 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from 3-point range. The Bears scored just 31 points after halftime on 37 percent (10-of-27) shooting, including 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from long range.
 
Expected Big 12 Freshman of the Year Keyonte George paced three Baylor players in double figures with 23 points on 7-of-15 field goals, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range, while junior L.J. Cryer added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-7 from long range. Senior Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua notched a double-double with 11 points and game-high 12 rebounds off the bench.
 
The win enabled K-State to sweep the season series for the first time since 2019, as the Wildcats evened the all-time series with the Bears at 25 wins apiece.

K-State plays two of its final three Big 12 games on the road beginning on Saturday afternoon when the Wildcats travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take Oklahoma State (16-12, 7-8 Big 12) at 1 p.m., CT on ESPNU. The Wildcats won the first meeting, 65-57, at home on Jan. 10.