Ismael Massoud had one of his best games in a month for Kansas State on Saturday when he scored 11 points and collected three rebounds on 50 percent shooting. It was his first time scoring in double figures since the road game at West Virginia on January 8.

After his recent struggles, Bruce Weber had been pleading with the sophomore forward to provide something, even if it wasn't scoring. The response was seen in practice when he began to crash the offensive glass a bit more and started to have shots fall again.

That boosted his confidence entering the game with Iowa State. He played with great energy and a great mindset, which translated into a good performance on the court for the Wildcats.

The win over the Cyclones was the fifth road win for K-State this season, and it gives them more road victories than home victories in conference play. It's also a much-needed quad one win for the Wildcats, and that keeps their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Winning on the road began in non-conference play, with wins over Wichita State and Nebraska, and it has converted to conference action by coming away with a positive result at Texas, TCU and Iowa State.

Kansas State is tied with Baylor for the second-most wins on the road of all Big 12 teams this season. Kansas leads the way with six.

Markquis Nowell credits their grit and passion for the success.

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It was a rough start for K-State on Saturday in Ames. The Wildcats fell down 13-0 before the first media timeout and Aljaz Kunc scored 11 points in the first four minutes of the game despite only averaging five points per game for the season.

The Cyclones led 40-28 at halftime.

Their goal was to jump out quick in the second half, especially in the first five minutes, and they just wanted to keep chipping away after that. That was according to Mark Smith, who praised Weber's plan and the scout by Jermaine Henderson as well.

Izaiah Brockington picking up his fourth foul jumpstarted Kansas State in the second half. Once the Cyclones lost him for extended minutes, they struggled to find a scorer to pick up his slack. Their offense stalled and that paved the way for the Wildcats.

A lot of the conversation in the post-game press conference centered on "bringing the juice". Weber wanted that kind of energy and passion throughout the game. Henderson found a quote about it during his scout and shared it with the team prior to the contest.

His point was well-received because Smith acknowledged that message when he spoke after the game and how he felt that they played with that in mind. It's a lot easier to have success when the players buy in at that level.