Kansas Jayhawks vs Kansas State Wildcats Box Score on Jan 22, 2022

Ochai Agbaji hit a baseline jumper with eight seconds left to lift No. 7 Kansas past Kansas State 78-75 in a Saturday matinee in Manhattan, Kan. Agbaji's shot gave Kansas its first lead since early in the first half.

The loss ended a two-game winning streak over ranked opponents for Kansas State.

Agbaji scored 29 points to lead Kansas (16-2, 5-1 Big 12). He was joined in double figures by Jalen Wilson with 16, and Christian Braun and David McCormack with 11 each.

Kansas State (10-8, 2-5 Big 12) wasted a career-high 35 points by Nijel Pack. Markquis Nowell had 16 and Selton Miguel added 11.

Kansas was nearly sunk by poor free-throw shooting (15-of-22 in the second half), but the Jayhawks were saved by a 45-23 rebounding advantage.

Kansas State shot 10-of-26 from 3-point range, but it wasn't enough.

Kansas cut a 16-point halftime deficit in half before the first media timeout of the second half with a 9-0 run. Kansas State got it back to 10 points, but Kansas wouldn't go away. The Jayhawks cut the lead to just four and had multiple chances to trim it even further.

Wilson hit a pair of free throws with 6:51 left to cut it to 65-63. Pack hit his eighth 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a five-point lead. Kansas State still led by five with 1:39 left. McCormack hit two free throws to cut it to three. Agbaji hit two free throws with 55.4 seconds left to cut the lead to one.

The Jayhawks' size advantage played a big role early, as they grabbed the first seven rebounds of the game. By halftime, they held an 18-11 advantage.

The first half was back-and-forth before Kansas State pulled away. Pack's back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the half gave the Wildcats a 22-16 at the under-12 timeout. When Luke Kasubke hit a 3-pointer from the corner, Kasnas State's lead reached double-digits at 38-27.

Nothing symbolized the Wildcats' energy advantage better than a late steal by Pack, who found Nowell for a layup. Following a steal and a layup by Mark Smith, Kansas coach Bill Self called his third timeout with the Wildcats leading 48-34. A final layup by Nowell gave Kansas State a 50-34 lead at the half.

Agbaji led Kansas in the first half with 13 points.

--Field Level Media