Three takeaways from Kansas State basketball's 75-65 Big 12 comeback victory over Baylor
MANHATTAN — Playing back-to-back home games in front of sellout crowds has done wonders for the Kansas State Wildcats' collective psyches.
For the second time in four days, the Wildcats rallied from a first-half deficit to knock off a ranked opponent Tuesday, turning in a masterful defensive performance on the way to a 75-65 victory over No. 10 Baylor at Bramlage Coliseum.
Not only did the Wildcats right the ship during the brief homestand — they beat Iowa State on Saturday, 61-55 — but they also climbed back into the upper echelon of the loaded Big 12. They are now 21-7 overall and 9-6 in the league, elevating to a third-place tie with Baylor (20-8, 9-6), two games behind co-leaders Kansas and Texas.
The Wildcats turned to their biggest stars to lead the way back from a 34-31 deficit as Keyontae Johnson scored 25 points and Markquis Nowell shook off a poor shooting night to finish with 14 points and 10 assists without a turnover. Cam Carter had 10 points and eight rebounds, with Nae'Qwan Tomlin contributing eight points and eight boards.
Baylor got 23 points from Keyonte George, including six 3-pointers, and 16 points and four threes from LJ Cryer.
K-State will be back in action at 1 p.m. Saturday against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
Here are three takeaways from another solid outing by K-State.
More:Big second half lifts Kansas State basketball past Baylor, 75-65
Defense, clean game on offense propel Wildcats
Despite a shaky first half on offense, K-State hung with Baylor by limiting mistake and regrouping following a disheartening 21-3 run by the Bears late in the period.
The Wildcats turned the ball over just five times in the period and were even better after the break as they finished with a season-low seven total.
Baylor, which missed its first five 3-point attempts, knocked down six of seven during its spurt to go from 10 points down to a 34-26 advantage on an LJ Cryer three with 1:38 left in the half.
More:Kansas State basketball hopes to double down with second straight win against Baylor
But Tomlin, who was limited to 10 minutes in the half after picking up his second foul, scored the last five points of the half to keep it close. Johnson then scored eight of the Wildcats' first 10 points of the second period.
The Wildcats limited Baylor to 5 of 15 from 3-point range in the second half and turned the Bears' misses into transition baskets on the other end. Five different players scored during a decisive 12-1 spurt midway through the period, breaking a 43-43 tie to go up 55-44 on Carter's steal and dunk at the 8:25 mark.
K-State outscored Baylor, 42-16, in the paint, 19-5 off turnovers and 15-9 on fast breaks.
Keyontae Johnson rediscovers midrange game
One element that had been missing for Keyontae Johnson of late was the midrange jumper that made him nearly unstoppable early in the season.
At 6-foot-6, he was finding it difficult to score under the basket, forcing him to settle for 3-pointers.
But against Baylor, he forced the Bears to honor the short jumpers in the lane and on the baseline, which in turn opened up driving lanes. He made 11 of 17 shots for the game, including 2 of 4 3-pointers.
It was just Johnson's second 20-point game in the past 10.
More:Fresh legs and defense were just the ticket for Kansas State basketball against Iowa State
A remarkable night for Markquis Nowell
Markquis Nowell couldn't buy a basket for most of the game, but he more than made up for it with his decision-making and marksmanship from the free-throw line.
Not only were his 10 assists the most since he had 14 in an overtime victory at Baylor on Jan. 7, but it marked just the second time in his two seasons at K-State that he didn't turn the ball over, and the first time this year.
In fact, Nowell had at least four turnovers in each of the previous eight games.
While he made just 2 of 11 shots and missed all six 3-point tries, he had no such concerns at the foul line, making all 10 attempts, eight in the second half.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 3 takeaways from K-State vs. Baylor basketball's Big 12 game Tuesday
