In Saturday afternoon’s match up of two top-25 Big 12 foes, Iowa State and Kansas State scored just 42 combined points in a first half where well-run offensive sets were few and far between.

But after halftime, the Wildcats found an answer to their offensive woes, and the Cyclones did not. 

Kansas State senior Shalee Lehning scored 13 of her 18 second half points in the first six minutes after intermission, and the Wildcats came away with a 59-52 victory at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan. 

The No. 20 Cyclones (13-4, 1-2 Big 12) were able to limit turnovers and had the upper hand in rebounding, confining Kansas State (15-1, 2-1) to few opportunites for second chance points. But on the other end of the floor it seemed as if the Iowa State basket was never bigger than a golf hole. The Cyclones shot just 33.5 percent from the floor on the afternoon, including 4-of-17 (23.4 percent) from behind the three-point line. 

Sophomore Kelsey Bolte was the only Cyclone to find any sort of rhytym on offense, as she led the team with 20 points on 8-13 shooting. 

With the Kansas State up 23-19 at intermission, Lehning’s hot start in the second half helped the Wildcats jump out to a double-digit lead and forced the Cyclones to play catch-up for the majority of the period.

Iowa State trimmed the lead to four with just under two minutes remaining, but the Cyclones missed two baskets on their next posession and Lehning dropped her only three-point basket of the day with 34 seconds remaining to seal the game for the No. 17 Wildcats. 

Lehning led all players with 22 points, and Kansas State senior Marles Gipson notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Cyclones return home Wednesday night for another conference showdown against the Missouri Tigers at 7 p.m.