Kansas State used a couple of big runs to easily defeat UC Irvine 71-49 Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats (3-0) won their third straight game by at least 20 points, and they have not allowed more than 51 points yet this season.

Kamau Stokes scored 14 points for K-State. Xavier Sneed added 12 and Cartier Diarra had 10, all in the first half. UC Irvine (2-2) was led by Brad Greene with nine points, all in the first half.

After UC Irvine cut the lead to 39-30, the Wildcats went on a 14-2 run to blow open the game. The Wildcats led by as many as 26 points in the second half.

UC Irvine, one of 21 programs nationally to win at least 20 games in each of the last five seasons, fell behind from the outset. Kansas State raced out to an 11-0 lead in the first half, behind 6 quick points by Dean Wade. Wade picked up his second foul with 14:57 left in the half, and he went to the bench for the rest of the half.

That hardly slowed down the Wildcats, who led by as many as 15 in the first half. UC Irvine got back into the match at the free-throw line, scoring one-third of their first-half points from the charity stripe. The Anteaters reached the double-bonus with 8:34 left, and eventually cut the lead to 20-15 at the 6:46 mark. The Wildcats responded with an 8-0 spurt and led at halftime, 37-24.

The Wildcats were well-balanced on offense. Coach Bruce Weber used 11 different players, and nine of them scored, nobody more than Stokes with seven points. Greene led UC Irvine with nine points. Nobody else had more than four points for the Anteaters, who shot just 27 percent (8-of-30) from the field in the first half, including 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.