MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State converted on 9-of-10 free throws in the final 59 seconds to hold off a furious Texas rally, 65-62, in the Big 12 opener for both schools on Friday night before a sold-out crowd of 12,528 at Bramlage Coliseum.

Trailing 56-46 with 2:30 remaining, Texas (6-7, 0-1 Big 12) caught fire from the field, knocking down its final seven field goals to close with one possession twice in the final 7 seconds. However, K-State (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) was able to take advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line, as four different players combined to hit seven in row in the final minute before a miss by sophomore Barry Brown with 17 seconds remaining. Fellow sophomore Kamau Stokes connected on a pair of free throws to ice the game at 65-60 with 7 seconds.

The Wildcats, which had connected on 65.6 percent of its free throws entering the game, finished 26-of-33 (78.8 percent) from the line, including 11-of-14 (78.6) in the second half.

The victory pushed K-State’s winning streak to seven games, which is the longest win streak since a 10-game streak from Nov. 24, 2013 to Jan. 7, 2014, and helped the Wildcats end a four-game losing streak to the Longhorns (6-7, 0-1 Big 12) and a two-game skid in Big 12 openers. The 12-1 start is the best since the 2009-10 season.

The clutch shooting from the line masked a subpar offensive performance, as the Wildcats connected on a season-low 36.2 percent (17-of-47) from the field, including 25 percent (5-of-20) from 3-point range. The team did not make a field goal in the final 4:34, missing their final four shots.

Sophomore Dean Wade paced three Wildcats in double figures with 18 points, his second highest scoring total of the season, on 7-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Senior Wesley Iwundu matched a season high in scoring with 16 points, while Stokes added 15 points and a game-high 6 assists in 39 minutes of action.

Texas was led by freshman Jarret Allen, who posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

The Basics
• Final Score: Kansas State 65, Texas 62
• Records: Kansas State 12-1, 1-0 Big 12 // Texas 6-7, 0-1 Big 12
• Attendance: 12,528
• Next Game: Tuesday, Jan. 3 // at 3/3 Kansas // 8 p.m. CT // ESPN2

The Short Story
• Kansas State won its seventh-straight game as it held off a late Texas rally to defeat the Longhorns, 65-62, in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,528 at Bramlage Coliseum on Friday.
• The Wildcats was stellar from the free throw line, knocking down 9-of-10 in the final 59 seconds.
• K-State improved to 12-1 on the season, their best start since the 2009-10 season.
• The win snapped a four-game losing streak to the Longhorns and a two-game skid in Big 12 openers.
• Sophomore Dean Wade led three Wildcats in double figures with a season-tying 18 points, while senior Wesley Iwundu (16) and sophomore Kamau Stokes (15) also registered double digits.

How It Happened | First Half
• Texas jumped out to an early 11-4 lead on 5-of-7 shooting at the first media timeout at the 15:19 mark.
• K-State answered with a 9-0 run to take a 13-11 lead heading into the second media timeout with 11:56 before halftime. Wade scored 5 of 9 points during the run.
• The Wildcat offense continued to play well, adding 6 more points to extend its lead to 19-13 at the under eight-minute time out to cap a 15-0 run over a seven-minute stretch.
• The teams traded buckets over the final seven minutes of the half before Iwundu hit a lay-up with less than three seconds remaining to give K-State a 32-29 lead heading into the break.
• The Wildcats’ defense was the story of the first half as it held the Longhorns to no field goals (0-of-11) over a 7:27 stretch in the middle of the first half.
• Iwundu led all Wildcat scores with 9 points in the half, while Stokes and Wade added 8 points and 7 points, respectively.

How It Happened | Second Half
• Wade hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Wildcats a 38-33 lead with 17:05 to play.
• An Iwundu jumper gave the Wildcats their largest lead, 53-40, at the 7:23 mark.
• Texas mounted a strong comeback in the final six minutes of the game, finishing the game on a 22-12 run, including hitting their last 7 field goals.
• However, the Wildcats closed the game out strong, going 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final minute of the game to preserve a 65-62 victory.
• Wade scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half to lead all scorers, while Iwundu and Stokes each had seven points in the second period.

Beyond the Boxscore
• K-State is off to a 12-1 start for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
• The 7-game winning streak is the longest since winning 10 straight from Nov. 24, 2013 to Jan. 7, 2014.
• K-State has now won 10 straight at home venues, including 9 in a row at Bramlage Coliseum… The 9-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum ties four other teams for the 10th-longest in the arena’s history and is the longest since winning 11 straight from Feb. 14, 2015 to Dec. 29, 2015.
• K-State went 6-0 in December, going unbeaten in the month for the first time since going 7-0 in 2013-14.
• K-State is now 51-53 all-time in conference openers, including 8-13 in the Big 12 era… The Wildcats are now 36-19 when opening league play at home, including 6-3 in the Big 12 era… The team also snapped a 2-game losing streak in Big 12 openers, winning for the first time in an opener since defeating Oklahoma State, 74-71, at home on Jan. 4, 2014.
• K-State is now leads the all-time series with Texas, 18-15, including 10-5 at home… The victory snapped a 4-game losing streak in the series and is the first since a 74-57 win at home on Feb. 8, 2014.

Quotable
• “I did not think we were great, but we made enough plays to win, especially free throws,” said head coach Bruce Weber. “We finished 9-of-10 to finish the game in the last minute. I think the big thing was that we got the ball inbounds. Wesley [Iwundu] made good decisions and got the ball inbounds. We attacked and never let them get where they had us in a place that we were stuck.”

Up Next
• K-State will make the short trek down I-70 to take on No. 3/3 Kansas (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) at 8 p.m., CT on Tuesday, January 3 at Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.