KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Wichita State went more than 4:00 minutes without a field goal late in the game, as Kansas State turned a close game into a nine-point win over Wichita State, 69-60, inside the T-Mobile Center.

Wichita State (8-4) has dropped five straight in the series with the Wildcats and will now look to regroup after the Christmas break against another Sunflower State foe to close out non-conference play.

Quincy Ballard tied a career high with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds. Colby Rogers and Xavier Bell both added 12 points, respectively.

Bijan Cortes made his Wichita State debut, finishing with three assists and two rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.

Wichita State finished 3-for-19 from beyond the arc and was just 5-for-9 from the free throw line. On the other side, K-State made six three-pointers and attempted 20 more free throws.

K-State turned the ball over 17 times on the night but outrebounded the Shockers by four.

Tylor Perry was held to just two points in the first half but finished with 17 to lead four Wildcats in double figures.

The first half was played within a nine-point margin with Wichita State leading by as many as three and K-State's largest lead was six. K-State took a 33-29 lead into halftime, despite shooting 38 percent and committing nine turnovers.

The difference in the game came in the foul department and at the free throw line. Wichita State was whistled for 11 fouls to only six for K-State, and the Shockers attempted zero free throws compared to 18 opportunities for the Wildcats.

Wichita State shot 41 percent in the first half but missed 11 of its 12 tries from beyond the arc.

Rogers buried a three-pointer to open the second half, pulling Wichita State within a point. A few minutes later that one-point margin turned into 10 after a K-State 7-0 run.

With the game threatening to get away from the Shockers, a 7-0 spurt pulled them back within four, 51-47, and still 10:04 remaining.

K-State came right back in less than two minutes to make it a double digit deficit. A pair of Perry free throws with 3:00 minutes left made it 67-53, a deficit too much to overcome.

Up Next
Wichita State wraps up non-conference play with a showdown in the T-Mobile Center against No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.