Kansas State beat Division-II opponent Washburn 76-49 on Tuesday night in their preseason exhibition game behind strong performances from Nae'Qwan Tomlin, Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 12-2 lead to start the game before eventually opening their lead to 32-8 with 7:20 left in the first half after a Tykei Green triple. Washburn was able to make a late charge in the first half cutting the Wildcat lead to 45-23 after the first half.

Kansas State's defense held Washburn to an ugly 26 percent shooting from the field. The Ichabob's also shot just 28 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats were effective in using their length to force 11 first-half turnovers, which helped limit scoring opportunities for Washburn.

In his first college basketball game since collapsing on the court because of a heart condition during the 2020-21 season, Johnson finished with eight points and six rebounds. He scored the first bucket of the game for Kansas State on their first possession of the game on a layup with the right hand. Johnson later finished another layup at the rim with a nifty reverse layup through contact that later went for a 3-point play the old-fashioned way.

The Wildcats opened their lead more in the second half around the 8:15 mark eventually going up 30 points after Jerrell Colbert slammed home a dunk.

Nowell, one of just two returners from last season's14-17 squad, orchestrated the Wildcats' offense for much of the night. The senior finished with eight points on the night, which included a pair of first-half triples. Nowell did have four turnovers, which head coach Jerome Tang hinted at being a potential issue for the Wildcats on Monday.

Tomlin finished the game with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds. Tomlin did miss both of his 3-point attempts, which came from the corner in the first half. His ability to run the floor was noticeable, and it contributed to him getting an offensive putback.

As a team, the K-State turned it over 19 times in the game. Guards Cameron Carter and Desi Sills also had a couple of turnovers while Keyontae Johnson contributed three turnovers himself. Carter, though, was the Wildcats leading scorer with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

Kansas State opens its regular season on Monday against Texas Rio-Grande Valley. UTRGV ranks 128 in Kenpom's preseason rankings. The Almanac, a preseason college basketball preview magazine compiled by the Field of 68 and other contributors, picked UTGRV to finish last in the WAC.