KANSAS CITY, Mo. — What a difference a few days off can make.

Two huge first-half runs set the tone for the game and the No. 9 Wildcat men's basketball team overpowered Oklahoma State in an 83-64 victory on Thursday. The win snaps a two-game losing streak and marks the first time in head coach Frank Martin's three-year tenure that the Wildcats weren't eliminated in their first game of the conference tournament.

"I can tell you I'm happy," head coach Frank Martin said. "It's the first time in my career I get to use a second suit in the Big 12 Tournament."

Sophomore forward Jamar Samuels, the 2010 recipient of the Big 12's Sixth Man of the Year award, made his presence felt early and often, scoring a career-high 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. The Washington, D.C., native wasted no time getting going offensively, as he racked up 21 points in the first half alone and out-rebounded the whole Oklahoma State team 9-8 in the opening period.

"I can't even really explain it," Samuels said of his performance. "The past couple days at practice, I've just been trying my hardest, trying to go out and help out my teammates. Just trying to get this win."

Samuels was one of four Wildcats to reach double figures. Jacob Pullen scored 19 points while Denis Clemente and Dominique Sutton added 12 and 11, respectively. Clemente also dished 10 assists for the first double-double of his career.

Oklahoma State's James Anderson, who torched K-State for 30 points in a 73-69 upset on Jan. 23, was kept in check early. The 2010 Big 12 Player of the Year was held to eight points on 1-of-9 shooting in the half. Anderson found a rhythm in the second half and finished with 27 points, but the game was already well out of hand.

"We just tried to pressure [Anderson] as much as possible," Samuels said. "James Anderson, he's a great player. He's going to score his points, but I think we did a great job of pressuring him tonight."

K-State controlled the game from the opening tip, exploding out to a 23-8 lead. The Wildcats' defense was pivotal in that stretch as they held the Cowboys to just a pair of field goals in the first 8:26 of the game. A 3-pointer by Obi Muonelo sparked a 12-2 Oklahoma State run that cut the deficit to five, but that's as close as it got. K-State closed out the half on a 23-4 run, including the last 16 of the period, to take a 51-26 lead into the break.

There was no threat of a comeback by the Cowboys in the second half as K-State extended its lead to as much as 33 points. Mass substitutions by K-State allowed Oklahoma State to get the lead back to within 20, but the final outcome was never in question.

The Wildcats will have a quick turnaround as they will face the winner of Thursday night's game between Texas and No. 20 Baylor — a score was not available at press time — in the tournament semifinals.

"It's a three-game tournament in three days," Martin said. "We can't get overly excited because right away, we've got another game tomorrow night."

Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. at the Sprint Center.