MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown scored 18 points, Xavier Sneed hit a crucial 3-pointer with a minute to go, and Kansas State roughed up No. 13 Kansas 74-67 on Tuesday night to snap a frustrating eight-game losing streak against its biggest rival.
Sneed finished with 14 points and Dean Wade added 12 for the Wildcats (17-5, 7-2), who not only maintained their place atop the Big 12 but dealt another tough road loss to the Jayhawks.
Kansas (17-6, 6-4) is just 1-6 in true road games this season.
Dedric Lawson led the Jayhawks with 18 points and nine rebounds, but the league's leading scorer was just 6 of 15 from the floor. He also took such a physical beating in the old-school Big 12 showdown that he limped to the bench at one point in the second half.
Devon Dotson added 13 points before fouling out. The freshman also committed four of the Jayhawks 23 turnovers, continuing what has been a season-long issue with ball-handling on the road.
They're averaging 17 per game in their six losses.
Buoyed by an electric home crowd, Kansas State raced to a 14-6 lead in the opening minutes, using their league-best defense to create turnovers and breaking down the Jayhawks' man-to-man defense.
That's when Kansas coach Bill Self, generally reluctant to switch defenses, went to a 2-3 zone.
It immediately slowed down the Wildcats, just as it did when Texas A&M used it so successfully in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Kansas slowly chipped into its deficit, then embarked on a 13-0 charge late in the first half, when the Wildcats went nearly 8 minutes without scoring a point.
Kansas eventually carried a 33-30 edge into halftime.
It didn't last long.
The Wildcats turned once again to a defense that has held 13 opponents to 60 points or fewer this season, then turned another bushel of turnovers into easy run-outs. By the time Wade scored with 10:37 to go, the Wildcats had not only regained the lead but stretch it to eight.
Kansas chipped away again, and it looked as though Lagerald Vick would finally heat up when he buried a 3 with about 6 minutes to go. But the Wildcats finally started to make a couple free throws, and a 3 by Cartier Diarra and transition layup by Brown made it 63-56 with 3:52 left.
Vick answered with a 3 a few minutes later, and Dotson's driving layup got Kansas within 64-61 with 1:38 to go. But the veteran Wildcats maintained their poise -- Sneed buried his 3 in front of his own bench, and Cartier Diarra's windmill dunk in transition put an exclamation mark on the win.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas now trails the Wildcats by 1 1/2 games in the conference race, making it an uphill battle to win a 15th consecutive title. The Jayhawks once more played without Marcus Garrett, who is out with a sprained ankle, and their depth issues showed when foul trouble hit in the second half.
Kansas State has won seven straight Big 12 games, the last six of those coinciding with Wade's return from an injury. They've relied mainly on a defense that is fourth nationally in scoring, but the offense has likewise picked up the past couple of games.
UP NEXT
Kansas returns home to play Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Kansas State visits Baylor on Saturday night.
