MANHATTAN, Kan. – Markquis Nowell scored 21 points to lead four players in double figures, and Kansas State held off West Virginia by the score of 78-73 on Monday evening at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State has won four of its last five conference games to sit at 14-11 (6-7 Big 12).

After trailing by as many as nine in the first half, K-State got it done defensively in the second half to get back into the game. The Cats held West Virginia without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes. K-State led by as many as nine down the stretch before settling for the 78-73 win.

Nowell made seven of his 11 shots on the night, including four makes from long range. Mark Smith posted another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Smith did most of his damage at the foul line, where he went 10-for-11 on the night. K-State was 31-for-39 from the foul line as a team. Nijel Pack added 13 points, while Ish Massoud’s 13 points helped K-State to a 17-8 advantage in bench scoring.

The Mountaineers led by as many as nine in the first half and took a 42-35 advantage to the break. Taz Sherman scored 15 points in the first half for West Virginia. Sherman was held to just eight points on 2-for-5 shooting in the second half to finish with a game-high 23. Kedrian Johnson (15) and Isaiah Cottrell (13) also reached double figures for West Virginia, who dropped to 14-11 (3-9 Big 12).