(Photo: Charlie Neibergall, AP)
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Melvin Ejim scored 20 points and No. 17 Iowa State beat Kansas State 81-75 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.
Georges Niang had 18 points and freshman Matt Thomas matched a career high with 14 for the Cyclones (15-3, 3-3 Big 12), who blew a 12-point halftime lead before putting the game away late in the second half.
BOX SCORE: Iowa State 81, Kansas Stat 75
Ejim blocked a potential game-tying 3 from Shane Southwell and hit two free throws to put the Cyclones ahead 79-73 with 23 seconds left.
Marcus Foster scored 20 points for Kansas State (14-6, 4-3), which lost consecutive games for the first time since November.
THE TOP 25: How they fared this weekend
Kansas State spent much of the afternoon allowing Iowa State to make a run and then matching it.
In the end, the Wildcats were just a couple of plays short.
Kansas State needed less than 7 minutes to erase a 46-34 first-half deficit. The Wildcats then let up nine straight points in what appeared to be a game-deciding run for the Cyclones. READ MORE
