Oklahoma State continued its late-season push and dealt a serious blow to Kansas State's NCAA Tournament hopes, beating the Wildcats 80-68 Wednesday night at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan.

The Cowboys (19-9, 8-7 Big 12) won for the ninth time in 10 games.

Oklahoma State gave up the first five points of the second half before going on a 12-2 run to grab its first lead of the game. After the teams traded baskets for a few minutes, the Cowboys used a 6-0 run to stretch the lead to 65-56.

The Wildcats (17-11, 6-9) lost their fourth consecutive home game. After shooting 45.5 percent (5 of 11) from three-point range in the first half, the Cats shot just 2 of 10 from beyond the arc in the second half.

It was a homecoming for Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood, who played at Kansas State from 1984-86 and served as an assistant coach under Bob Huggins and Frank Martin from 2006-12.

Oklahoma State was led by Jawun Evans with 21 points. He was joined in double figures by Leyton Hammonds with 18 and Brandon Averette with 13.

Kansas State, which had five players averaging in double-figures most of the season, saw only two players score at least 10 points Wednesday. Wesley Iwundu had 21 points, and Dean Wade added 11.

It took almost six minutes for Oklahoma State to get on the board. The Cowboys had four turnovers and six missed shots in their first nine possessions. Meanwhile, Kansas State used solid 3-point shooting to lead by as many as 14 points with 6:11 left in the first half. However, a 14-0 run by the Cowboys over the next 3:08 tied the game.

The Wildcats went to the locker room ahead by just 39-38. Iwundu scored 10 first-half points. Three other players had six points each. The Cowboys were led by Dillard with nine first-half points and their own trio of players with six points.