Nijel Pack and Markquis Nowell each scored 18 points as Kansas State overcame a sluggish first half to defeat McNeese 74-59 Tuesday night in Manhattan, Kan.

K-State (8-3) closed the first half on a big run and then opened the second half in similar fashion to put away the Cowboys. Selton Miguel added a season-high 17 points for the Wildcats. Nowell also had 10 assists, his second double-double of the season. The Wildcats hit 10 3-point attempts.

McNeese (3-9) was led by Christian Shumate with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Zach Scott added 11 points and Brendan Medley-Bacon had nine.

K-State outscored the Cowboys 15-4 to start the second half and led by at least 10 points the rest of the way.

For the second straight game, Kansas State finished the first half with an 18-2 run. After blitzing Nebraska late in the first half Sunday, the Wildcats did it to McNeese on Tuesday.

McNeese, which has lost six straight, used an 11-3 run to open a 21-13 lead with 7:36 left in the first half. After K-State hit two of its first three from long range, the Wildcats missed six of their next seven. They were just 5 of 17 (29.4 percent) and McNeese was 9 of 17 (52.9 percent) to that point.

The Cowboys led by as many as nine points before K-State went on a 12-0 spurt to take a 29-26 lead. McNeese went more than five minutes without scoring during that run. The Wildcats went into the locker room with a 35-28 lead.

Nowell led K-State with eight points in the first half. Scott led McNeese with eight points and Shumate and Medley-Bacon had seven each.

--Field Level Media