It never did seem like Western Illinois had a real shot at upending Kansas State in the Wildcats’ season opener Friday night in Manhattan.
But the Leathernecks, trailing by 14 at the intermission, wasted no time making things interesting when the second half began.
K-State pushed the lead to 17 when senior Wesley Iwundu and freshman Xavier Sneed canned back-to-back 3-pointers, but from there, Western Illinois did everything it could to claw back into the contest.
The Leathernecks’ comeback bid peaked when Brandon Gilbeck converted on a layup, closing the gap to eight with just under eight minutes to play.