Markquis Nowell had 17 points and 14 assists, and No. 3-seeded Kansas State beat 14th-seeded Montana State 77-65 Friday night for its first NCAA Tournament victory since defeating Kentucky in 2018 to reach to the Elite Eight.

The two Wildcat programs will meet again in a rematch on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Kentucky, the sixth seed, defeated No. 11 Providence 61-53 in the previous game.

Nowell and fellow Associated Press third-team All-American Keyontae Johnson, who had 18 points and eight rebounds, proved too much for the Bobcats.

RaeQuan Battle scored 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting for Montana State (25-10), whose eight-game winning streak was snapped.

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Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell (1) reacts during the second half of a first round college basketball game against Montana State in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Greensboro, N.C. (AP Photo/ John Bazemore)

Kansas State (24-9) led Montana State 34-28 at halftime. The Wildcats stretched the lead to 13 with 11 minutes remaining when Desi Sills scored on a layup from an in-bounds pass under his own basket after a botched defensive assignment.

Montana State resorted to a 1-3-1 defense, which disrupted the Wildcats for a short time and helped cut the lead to eight before Nowell buried a deep 3-pointer from the left wing and Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored on a lob. . bring the lead back to 13.

Montana State didn’t give up though, with Darius Brown downing a 3 with 2:44 remaining.

David N'Guessan #3 and Markquis Nowell #1 of the Kansas State Wildcats celebrate during the second half against the Montana State Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2023 , in Greensboro, North Carolina.

David N’Guessan #3 and Markquis Nowell #1 of the Kansas State Wildcats celebrate during the second half against the Montana State Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2023 , in Greensboro, North Carolina.

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON BEATS TOP SEED PURDUE AND BECOMES THE SECOND 16 SEED TO BEAT A NO. 1 IN THE HISTORY OF MARCH MADNESS

But Tomlin, who finished with 13 points, responded with another dunk after Nowell threaded the needle with his 14th assist, the most ever by a Kansas State player in an NCAA Tournament game.

David N’Guessan added two free throws from technical fouls and then scored on an inside layup. Sills scored the win with a left-footed dunk that gave the Wildcats a 16-point lead.

BIG PICTURE

Montana State: The Bobcats were looking for a better showing after losing by 35 points in the first round of last year’s tournament to Texas Tech, and they got it. The Big Sky champions proved they could compete on the NCAA Tournament stage but, in the end, they didn’t have the size to compete with the Wildcats. Montana State was outscored 48-30 in the paint.

Kansas State: The Wildcats had some concerns going into the tournament after back-to-back losses to West Virginia and TCU. It was a struggle at times, but the Wildcats finished with a flurry to seal the win.

  Desi Sills #13 of the Kansas State Wildcats celebrates with teammates during the second half against the Montana State Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2023 in Greensboro , North Carolina.

Desi Sills #13 of the Kansas State Wildcats celebrates with teammates during the second half against the Montana State Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2023 in Greensboro , North Carolina.

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Kansas State beat Kentucky 61-58 on March 22, 2018, for their first win over the Wildcats in 10 tries.