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Kansas State earns big home win over No. 7 Kansas

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Kansas State blew a nine-point lead with under two minutes remaining and it didn’t look like the Wildcats had the momentum entering overtime facing in-state rival Kansas. The No. 7 Jayhawks had a ridiculous rally and Kansas State seemed to be battling injuries for the entire night and it appeared that Kansas was the favorite entering the extra frame.

But battling was the key for the Wildcats, as Kansas State never stopped fighting as they persevered through overtime to knock off the Jayhawks 85-82 in the Octagon of Doom during the Sunflower Showdown. Students rushed the floor in Manhattan as Kansas State was just 3-48 against Kansas since 1994.

Freshman guard Marcus Foster battled through injury to score 20 points and others for the Wildcats kept going down with minor injuries throughout the game. While players like Foster played good minutes in their starting roles, Kansas State also had a tremendous amount of depth on Monday as nine different players had at least four points for the Wildcats.

Omari Lawrence and D.J. Johnson each contributed nine points for Kansas State and unsung senior guard Will Spradling added 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals as he had a great overall floor game.

Kansas struggled to find offense at times as the Kansas State defense forced a lot of one-on-one possessions and bad shots. Kansas was 3-for-17 from the perimeter for the game and only shot 41 percent from the field.

By holding home court, Kansas State improves to 17-7 on the season, and at 7-4 in the Big 12 with a signature win over Kansas, they’re in great shape as the conference season moves along. The depth and heart that Kansas State displayed in the win Monday was a good sign of things to come as the Wildcats can rely on a lot of different role player to get things done in key situations.

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