MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Bruce Weber had a simple message for Kansas State basketball players before they took on Oklahoma on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
"Come out angry ...," Weber told them. "Usually, I write you have to do this, you have to do that ... I just said, 'Guard the heck out of them, get the ball, run, push it, share the basketball and you will win.' "
Coming off a heartbreaking and controversial loss at No. 3 Kansas, Weber wanted the Wildcats to respond with maximum emotion and effort, and that's exactly what they did. K-State players took out whatever frustration may have lingered for a 75-64 victory.
K-State raced to a 25-9 lead and never let up. All five starters reached double figures.
"It was really beneficial for us to get out there and play that well early," sophomore guard Kamau Stokes said after scoring 13 points. "We wanted to come out with a lot of aggression and show people we could play. We basically used our frustration as a push to come out the way we did."
A hangover effect was possible after Tuesday's 90-88 loss at KU, when Svi Mykhailiuk's game-winning layup included a missed traveling violation that likely would've put the game into overtime.
Not even close. This was a release of anger?
"I would say for sure," senior Wesley Iwundu said after scoring 16 points. "Coach Weber just said to let our actions show how we felt about our last game. The first 10 minutes we did a good job of doing that."
Oklahoma (6-8, 0-3) was overmatched. Coach Lon Kruger used two timeouts before the game was 9 minutes old to try and disrupt the Wildcats' momentum.
K-State led 43-27 at halftime and never trailed.
"They popped us and we didn't respond very well to that," Kruger said. "Kansas State is playing great. Bruce Weber is doing a terrific job with them. Veterans are giving them great leadership. They have a great blend of things on the floor."
Most of all in the starting lineup.
Every starter scored 10 or more points for the second consecutive game and the third time this season.
Iwundu led the way with 16 points, Barry Brown had 14, Stokes scored 13, Dean Wade finished with 12 and D.J. Johnson added 10.
"Our versatility is definitely our strength," Weber said.
The Sooners rallied to make things interesting early in the second half behind Kameron McGusty, who scored 20 points, and pulled to within six. But the Wildcats had an answer.
Barry Brown made three consecutive plays to swing momentum back K-State's way. First, he drove to the basket and made a reverse layup, then he made a three, then he got a steal and found Carlbe Ervin in transition for an easy layup to give K-State a 63-52 lead with 7:43 remaining.
The game was never in doubt again.
K-State has lost two games by a combined three points, but it has shown enough maturity to bounce back each time.
"We are 13-2 and it's two last-second layups that beat us," Weber said. "We are that close to being undefeated, but it is what it is. You can't look back, you can't look forward. You have to worry about what the present is. That's got to be the most important thing."
