IOWA CITY, Iowa – Junior Payton Sandfort scored 22 of his game-high 30 points in the first half, as Iowa jumped out to a big first-half lead en route to a 91-82 win over Kansas State in the NIT First Round on Tuesday night before 4,532 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The loss ends K-State’s season with a 19-15 overall record, including an 8-10 mark in Big 12 play. The Wildcats advanced to consecutive postseasons for the first time since 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Four Wildcats scored in double figures, including a season-high 16 points from freshman Dai Dai Ames, who went 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with 5 assists and 3 rebounds in 33 minutes. Senior Will McNair Jr. posted 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 7 rebounds in his final game, while junior Cam Carter and senior David N’Guessan added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Down as many as 13 points in the first half, including 11 at halftime, K-State made several attempts at a comeback in the second half, including closing to within one possession at 52-49 with 17:23 to play. However, Iowa (19-14) always seemed to have an answer for any surge, as the Hawkeyes finished with 11 made 3-pointers, including 7 from Sandfort, and made 22-of-30 attempts from the free throw line.
