Back-to-back road games have resulted in two straight losses for the Cougars (6-2) after falling 86-69 to the Kansas State Wildcats (7-1) in Manhattan, Kan.

The Wildcats took control of the game from the opening tip-off, and their tough defense looked to rattle the Cougars throughout the contest. Kansas State forced WSU into 25 turnovers, which they took advantage of to score 39 points.

“I am proud of our guys,” Head Coach Ken Bone said. “Everyone on our team played hard. Everyone on our team tried. It is not like we gave up or threw in the towel or tried to point the finger at each other. They tried the best they could. I am proud of our team. I am proud of the effort of our team. We played a bigger, stronger, more experienced opponent on their home floor.” The Wildcats were led in scoring by guards Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, who each had 21 points.

KSU forward Dominique Sutton also chipped in 16 points, but his biggest contribution was on the defensive end where he applied great pressure on sophomore forward Klay Thompson. Thompson struggled from the floor for his second straight game, shooting just 5-15. However, Thompson led all scorers with 22 points, and half of his points came from the free-throw line where he went a perfect 11-11.

“There was good defense, but I thought I was forcing a lot of shots on a lot of possessions,” Thompson said. “Especially off the dribble, I was forcing it too much. They put a lot of pressure on the ball, and we turned it over. We just came out flat.” In the first half, the Cougars’ shooting percentage was as cold as the Pullman temperatures this past week. WSU shot a lackluster 26.1 percent from the floor off 6-23 shooting, which opened the door for the Wildcats to extend a 20-point lead during the first half. KSU closed out the half shooting 43.2 percent off 16-of-37 shooting and went into the break holding a 46-29 lead.

In the second half, the Cougars were able to improve to an impressive 73.7 shooting percentage, but they only attempted 19 shots, making 14 of them. KSU was able to extend their lead to 26 points with just more than 10 minutes left and sealed the Cougars’ second loss of the season.

“Tonight, we just faced a team that’s much better than us at this point,” Bone said.

Freshman guard Reggie Moore added 16 points and six assists, while sophomore forward DeAngelo Casto was limited to only four points in just 21 minutes of playing time Saturday night.

Next up for WSU will be a matchup with the Idaho Vandals (5-2), which starts 8 p.m. Wednesday at Friel Court. The Cougars have four games left until they open up Pac-10 play with the Oregon Ducks coming into town on Dec. 31. This includes the Cougar Hardwood Classic against LSU on Dec. 22 in Seattle.