MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The Cyclones had a one-point advantage and leading-scorer Georges Niang throwing the ball inbounds with less than 20 seconds left.
But 6-foot-7 Kansas State forward Wesley Iwundu had another outcome in mind.
Iwundu capped a 22-9 scoring run with a steal and two-handed slam that gave Kansas State a 70-69 win over No. 12 Iowa State on Saturday.
“It’s tough,” Hoiberg said. “You put the ball in your best player’s hands, and I trust Georges is going to make the right play 99 percent of the time.”
Kansas State (15-15, 8-9 Big 12) tied the game at 66-all with a tip-in by Justin Edwards with 59.4 seconds left. Iwundu gave Kansas State a 68-66 lead 13 seconds later, and the Cyclones responded with a 3-point play by Monte Morris.
Iwundu’s steal and slam proved redemptive after the sophomore had missed a free throw. He finished with 11 points.
The Wildcats held Iowa State (20-8, 10-6) to 38 percent shooting in the second half, which followed 8-of-15 shooting from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
Nigel Johnson led Kansas State with 17 points after scoring a career-high 20 points in an upset of No. 8 Kansas on Monday night. Justin Edwards added a season-high 16 points.
Niang led Iowa State with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. He added a career-high five 3-pointers for the Cyclones, who came in averaging a Big-12 best 79.4 points.