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Balanced Kansas State beats Wake Forest 95-88 to advance at NCAAs

Kansas State's Barry Brown (left) shoots past Wake Forest's Bryant Crawford in Tuesday’s First Four contest in Dayton, Ohio. The Wildcats won and will face Cincinnati in the first round. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)
By Joe Kay Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio – Kamau Stokes scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half of a wide-open game on Tuesday night, and Kansas State’s balance was the difference as the Wildcats pulled away to a 95-88 victory over Wake Forest in the First Four.

Eleventh-seeded K-State (21-13) got its first NCAA Tournament win in five years and a trip to play No. 6 Cincinnati on Friday in Sacramento as part of the South Regional.

In a matchup of two versatile offenses, the Wildcats had the most options and hot shooters. Wesley Iwundu added 24 points, and D.J. Johnson scored 18.

Wake Forest (19-14) couldn’t keep up during its first NCAA Tournament game in seven years. The Demon Deacons scored 90 points nine times during the season, but couldn’t match the Wildcats as they shot 66 percent from the field.

John Collins led Wake Forest with 26 points and nine rebounds.