Marcus Foster scored a career-high 34 points as Kansas State began the game with an 18-4 run and never looked back as the Wildcats cruised to a 74-57 victory over Texas Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Foster scored K-State’s first eight points of the contest on a pair of three-point baskets and an alley-oop dunk off an assist from fellow Freshman Wesley Iwundu, which electrified the crowd. Foster would go on to have 17 points in the first half but when he was either on the bench or not dropping in yet another two points, Will Spradling got untracked and knocked down two three-pointers of his own as the Wildcats rolled into halftime with a 39-18 advantage.
The onslaught continued in the second half but Texas was able to pull to within 50-34 with 12:14 remaining on the strength of a 6-0 run forcing K-State coach Bruce Weber to call timeout. In the post-game press conference, Weber said he challenged his players to “win the next minute.” Win the next minute they did first with a three-pointer by Foster, one of five he would have for the game and then on the next trip down the floor Foster delivered two more points with a layup that pretty much finished the Longhorns.
Foster is the third true Freshman in Kansas State history to score 30 or more points in a game joining Michael Beasley and Mike Evans on that short list. K-State also got eight points apiece from Spradling, Iwundu and D. J. Johnson. Isaiah Taylor led Texas, which saw their seven-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt with 17 points.
Kansas State (16-7, 6-4) will have a short turnaround as they will host eighth-ranked Kansas in a Big Monday game at Bramlage Coliseum. The Jayhawks won the first meeting between the two teams this season 86-60 on January 11 in Lawrence. Tipoff on Monday is set for 8 p.m.
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