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No. 12 Kansas holds on to beat Kansas State 73-72

Iowa State v Kansas

LAWRENCE, KS - JANUARY 9: Devonte’ Graham #4 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates a shot against the Iowa State Cyclones in the second half at Allen Fieldhouse on January 9, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Devonte Graham had 23 points, Malik Newman hit the go-ahead foul shots with 15 seconds left and No. 12 Kansas held on to beat Kansas State 73-72 in a back-and-forth affair on Saturday.

Udoka Azubuike added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Jayhawks (14-3, 4-1 Big 12), who beat their Interstate 70 rival for the sixth straight time and 12th in a row at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas State (12-5, 2-3) led 67-64 with 3 minutes left when Lagerald Vick knocked down a 3-pointer in front of the Jayhawks’ bench and Newman scored on a put-back to give Kansas the lead.

It was the first of five lead changes in the final 2:18.

Xavier Sneed gave the Wildcats the lead with 30.2 seconds left when he made two free throws, but Newman got to the line at the other end and the 86-percent foul shooter converted both. That gave Kansas State the last shot, but Barry Brown’s rushed 3-pointer from well beyond the arc was no good.

Dean Wade had 22 points to lead the Wildcats. Cartier Diarra added a career-high 18 while Brown finished with 12 points, six assists and five rebounds.

The Jayhawks raced to a 13-4 lead before the Wildcats ratcheted up the defensive intensity. Kansas struggled to get the ball inside and eventually went nearly 10 minutes with just one field goal.

The Wildcats slowly pulled ahead during a 14-3 run, but back-to-back 3s by Svi Mykhailiuk — the last from about 25 feet at the buzzer — knotted the game 34-all at the break.

That’s when Azubuike and Graham went to work.

The big fella scored the first two baskets of the second half, then Graham knocked down a 3, as the pair got an inside-outside game going. They combined for all the Jayhawks’ points during a 15-2 run that turned a 36-34 deficit into a 49-38 lead with about 13 minutes left in the game.

Diarra clawed the Wildcats back once more, at one point scoring 11 straight for them, and the game was tied at 64 at the under-4 media timeout to set up a frantic race to the finish.

DE SOUZA CLEARED

Silvio De Souza, a 6-foot-9 forward from Angola, was cleared by the NCAA before tip to play for Kansas. The five-star prospect graduated from high school last month and has been practicing while waiting for his paperwork to be confirmed. He debuted midway through the first half and played 4 minutes. “I know it’s a big relief to Silvio, who has been very patient throughout this process,” Kansas coach Bill Self.

PRESTON STILL WAITS

Another five-star prospect, Billy Preston, remains sidelined while Kansas looks into the ownership of a car he was driving during an accident last fall. The freshman has not played this season.

STOKES IN A BOOT

Kansas State guard Kamau Stokes, the Wildcats’ third-leading scorer, missed his second straight game with a left foot injury. He was wearing a walking boot and it remains unclear when he will be back.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State has lost nail-biters in its last two trips to the Phog. Last year, it was a missed traveling call on the Jayhawks’ Mykhailiuk that cost them a win over the Wildcats’ biggest rival.

Kansas has followed a league-opening loss to Texas Tech with three Big 12 wins by a combined 10 points. That ability to close games has been a hallmark ever since Self took over the program.

UP NEXT

Kansas State faces No. 9 Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

Kansas visits No. 2 West Virginia on Monday night.