McGruder guides Wildcats past Cowboys
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rodney McGruder scored 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting as the 25th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats opened Big 12 play with a 73-67 victory over No. 22 Oklahoma State.
Nino Williams had 17 points and five rebounds for the Wildcats (12-2, 1-0 Big 12), who have won five in a row.
"Obviously, it is a good win. It was not only the first conference game, but it was against a very good team," said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Freshman Marcus Smart paced the Cowboys (10-3, 0-1) with a career-high 25 points, while Markel Brown added 19 in Oklahoma State's second straight loss.
The Cowboys, who were coming off Monday's one-point home setback to No. 10 Gonzaga, went up 43-41 on a Brown basket with just under 14 minutes remaining in the second half.
McGruder then hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 10-2 Kansas State run, but Smart knocked down a trey to trim the deficit to 53-52 midway through the frame. Williams responded with consecutive baskets, and McGruder nailed another 3-pointer to make it 62-56 with about seven minutes to play.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Oklahoma State fought back and pulled even at 64-64 on two Phil Forte free throws. McGruder, though, put the game away by draining two more shots from beyond the arc, the second of which gave the Wildcats a 70-65 advantage inside of two minutes.
Le'Bryan Nash, Smart and Forte each missed 3-pointers down the stretch for the Cowboys.
"(The Wildcats) made big plays at the end of the game and they made some big shots," said Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
Kansas State snapped a four-game losing streak in Big 12 openers ... Oklahoma State had won six straight conference lid-lifters ... The game featured 12 lead changes ... K-State held a 39-29 rebounding edge and outscored the Cowboys, 18-4, in second-chance points ... This marked just the third meeting and first since 1958 that both teams were ranked.