Jones, Lewis lead Marquette past Kansas State 64-63
MANHATTAN, Kansas -- — Kam Jones scored 15 points, Oso Ighodaro blocked a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds and Marquette edged Kansas State 64-63 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle on Wednesday night, K-State's first home loss this season.
Kansas State pulled within a point, 64-63 on a Mike McGuirl 3-pointer with 19 seconds left and, after fouling three times in as many seconds after a timeout, the Wildcats got the ball back when Jones missed a free throw and Kaosi Ezeagu grabbed the defensive board.
But after working for a final shot, Ismael Massoud's drive for the winning reverse layup was cleanly rejected by the 6-foot-9 freshman Ighodaro with Tyler Kolek wrapping up the rebound and the Marquette victory.
Justin Lewis scored 14 for Marquette (8-2), which is now 4-1 this season against Power Five opponents.
Mark Smith scored four of K-State's last seven points, finishing with a season-high 17, as the Wildcats (5-3) cut a seven point gap down to one. Massoud added 16 points and Markquis Nowell 11 with 11 assists and eight rebounds.
The Wildcats were playing without Nijel Pack, who missed a second game after suffering a concussion in practice. The sophomore point guard leads K-State in scoring at 15.8 points per game.
The Wildcats opened the second half with two Massoud baskets around a McGuirl steal, and when Nowell followed with another bucket, Marquette called time out less than 90 seconds into the half.
Marquette answered with two brief runs, including an 8-0 surge over about two minutes in which K-State missed three straight 3-pointers.
The Golden Eagles hit 11 of 37 from distance despite K-State being ranked fourth nationally in 3-point defense.
There were nine lead changes and eight ties with Marquette taking the lead for good, 52-50, on an Olivier-Maxence Prosper dunk at the 10:03 mark.
Including his time at Texas (2015-21), Marquette first-year coach Shaka Smart is 8-5 against Kansas State, 5-2 in Bramlage Coliseum.
Next, Marquette plays host to No. 4 UCLA on Saturday before opening Big East play Dec. 18 at Xavier. Kansas State hosts Green Bay on Sunday.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Brent Hampton
- Kipp Kissinger
- Ray Natali
2024-25 Big East Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 10-1 | - | 19-3 |
| Marquette | 9-2 | 1 | 18-4 |
| Creighton | 9-2 | 1 | 16-6 |
| UConn | 8-3 | 2 | 16-6 |
| Georgetown | 5-6 | 5 | 14-8 |
| Xavier | 5-6 | 5 | 13-9 |
| Villanova | 5-6 | 5 | 12-10 |
| Providence | 5-6 | 5 | 11-11 |
| Butler | 2-9 | 8 | 9-13 |
| Seton Hall | 1-9 | 8.5 | 6-15 |
| DePaul | 1-10 | 9 | 10-12 |
2024-25 Big 12 Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 9-1 | - | 17-4 |
| Arizona | 9-1 | - | 15-6 |
| Texas Tech | 8-2 | 1 | 17-4 |
| Iowa State | 7-3 | 2 | 17-4 |
| BYU | 6-4 | 3 | 15-6 |
| Kansas | 6-4 | 3 | 15-6 |
| Baylor | 6-4 | 3 | 14-7 |
| West Virginia | 4-5 | 4.5 | 13-7 |
| UCF | 4-6 | 5 | 13-8 |
| Utah | 4-6 | 5 | 12-9 |
| Kansas State | 4-6 | 5 | 10-11 |
| TCU | 3-6 | 5.5 | 10-10 |
| Arizona State | 3-7 | 6 | 12-9 |
| Oklahoma State | 3-7 | 6 | 11-10 |
| Cincinnati | 2-7 | 6.5 | 12-8 |
| Colorado | 0-9 | 8.5 | 9-11 |
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