The game was tied at 58 with 6:56 to play before the Wildcats forged a 16-4 run and established a 74-62 advantage at the 3:02 mark. Diarra hit a key 3-pointer during that stretch.

The Cowboys fought back in the final minute, cutting the Kansas State advantage to 84-80 with 14 seconds to play, but it was not enough.

Xavier Sneed added 11 points for the Wildcats (12-4, 2-2), including six in the surge that decided the game, and grabbed 12 rebounds while Dean Wade scored 10. Kansas State outshot the Cowboys 50 percent to 45.2 percent in the game, but the Wildcats stayed close thanks to a 37-28 edge in rebounding.

Brandon Averette led the Cowboys with 22 points while Jeffrey Carroll added 20 points. Kendall Smith contributed 14 points and Lindy Waters III scored 10 points for Oklahoma State (11-5, 1-3).

Mitchell Solomon snatched 10 rebounds the Cowboys, who have lost three of their past four games.

Oklahoma State trailed by as many as nine points in the first half but fashioned a 12-3 run to close the half and after a dunk by Solomon with 47 seconds remaining led 34-33 at halftime.

The Cowboys were led by Carroll's nine points over the first 20 minutes while Brown led all scorers with 12 points and canned two of Kansas State's three 3-pointers. Kansas outshot by the Cowboys 48.1 percent to 36.4 percent in the first half but Oklahoma State grabbed 23 rebounds to just 15 for the Wildcats.

Brown took the team on his shoulders early in the second half, scoring eight of Kansas State's first 10 points and helping the Wildcats to a 43-38 lead.

Oklahoma State returns to the court on Saturday when it hosts Texas.

Kansas State's next contest is a Sunflower State rivalry game at No. 12 Kansas, also on Saturday.

--Field Level Media