Kansas State men’s basketball team suffered a tough loss to No. 23 Iowa State on an intense night. Featuring a wild environment and officiating controversy, K-State failed to overcome the difficulties and fell 78-67.  

The first half of the game was detrimental for the Wildcats. Early on, the Cyclones had an edge on the Wildcats, scoring the first six points of the game in only two minutes. 

The Wildcats brought to lead down to three with a 3-pointer by guard R.J. Jones, but shortly after the Cyclones went on an eight-point streak to bring the score to 25-14. 

For the rest of the half, the Cyclones continued to build their score, resulting in a 12-point lead by the end of the half, 41-29. 

The Wildcats started the second half on fire. Two 3-pointers created from Cyclone errors quickly brought K-State back in the game. A steal from center Will McNair Jr. led to guard Tylor Perry knocking down another long ball, bringing the score within three.

With 10 minutes left in the game, the Cyclones and Wildcats battled back and forth for the win. With 28 fouls in the second half as officiating played a key role, both teams scored a majority of their points through free throws, with 38 made in the second half alone. 

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, head coach Jerome Tang received a technical foul with only two minutes left in the game. After the technical, the Cyclones went on a scoring rampage, increasing the once close lead to 75-64. 

The Wildcats did not have enough time to bounce back from the technical, and ultimately lost the game 78-67.

This nail-biting game places the Wildcats record at 14-5. They will travel to the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas to battle Houston at 11 a.m. on Saturday.