Kansas State basketball's rally falls short against No. 18-ranked Iowa State
AMES, Iowa — Kansas State's basketball team is nothing if not resilient, only this time that wasn't enough.
The Wildcats erased a 14-point deficit in the second half but never managed to grab the lead Wednesday night and then faltered down the stretch as No. 18-ranked Iowa State finished with a flurry for a 78-67 Big 12 victory at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones, who improved to 15-4 overall and 4-2 in the conference, broke a 61-61 tie on a follow dunk by Hasan Ward and K-State never got even again. The Wildcats tied the game five times in the half and had several chances to go in front, only to come up empty.
With the loss, K-State fell to 14-5 overall and into a second-place tie in the Big 12 at 4-2, a half game behind idle Texas Tech.
Milan Momcilovic scored 19 points, Curtis Jones 18 and Keshon Gilbert 15 with 13 rebounds for Iowa State. Arthur Kaluma had 16 points and Cam Carter 12 for K-State.
Here are three takeaways from a rough night on the road for K-State.
Charity begins and ends at home
Iowa State had chances to gain separation in the second half after K-State rallied to tie the game but struggled at the free-throw line. The Cyclones were in the double bonus with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the second half but made 10 of their first 17 free throws.
But when it counted most, the Cyclones regained their touch. A foul on K-State's David N'Guessan and subsequent technical on coach Jerome Tang with 2:01 put Momsilovic on the foul line for four free throws and he knocked down the last three for a 69-62 lead. Iowa State then hit six more in a row to end the game.
K-State also had chances at the line in the second half, going 7-for-13.
Wildcats live and die by the three
K-State died by the 3-point shot in the first half, going 1-for-8. But just as quickly, the Wildcats got back in the game from behind the arc by hitting 5 of 6 to start the second period.
Unfortunately, they did not keep it up, missing five of the next six tries, several of which could have given them their first lead of the game. They made 8 of 24 in the game.
Iowa State, which made five 3-pointers in the first half, missed its first five tries in the second. But again, the Cyclones righted the ship at just the right time, getting dagger threes from Curtis Jones and Momcilovic in the last three minutes.
Rebounding plagues Wildcats early
Given its early struggles, the last thing K-State could afford was to get pounded on the boards.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Iowa State had a 20-11 rebounding advantage in the first half, including an 8-4 edge on the offensive end. Iowa State outrebounded the Wildcats for the game, 38-25.
Related: Kansas State basketball rallies for 70-66 victory over Oklahoma State
Related: Kansas State basketball forward Arthur Kaluma delivers in the clutch against Oklahoma State
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: Kansas State basketball falls short against Iowa State
