KANSAS CITY, Mo. » An angry Frank Martin refused to take questions about the loss of Kansas State’s top two players right before the Wildcats played UNLV.

But coach Lon Kruger was perfectly willing to admit that having seniors Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly suspended by the NCAA helped his Runnin’ Rebels ring up a 63-59 victory last night over the No. 11 Wildcats.

"Obviously, catching them a little short-handed makes a world of difference, no denying that," said Kruger, a former All-Big Eight point guard and head coach for Kansas State.

Tre’Von Willis scored 16 points and Oscar Bellfield hit a key 3-pointer with 1:10 left to help UNLV seal a victory over the highest-ranked opponent it had faced in the regular season in more than three years.

The NCAA, citing receipt of impermissible benefits, told Pullen, a four-year starter and preseason All-America point guard, to sit out three games. Kelly, the Wildcats’ only other senior, also was told not to play and Kansas State said the extent of his punishment would be decided later.

The Wildcats (9-3) had trouble adjusting to the absence of their senior leaders and top two scorers and lost their second in a row. As Martin took his seat in the interview room, his media aide announced the coach would take no questions regarding Pullen or Kelly. Then Martin let loose when asked how his players responded to their absence.

"You guys are trying to get under my skin today, aren’t you?" he said. "I’ve been pretty respectful of the media my whole career. I don’t want to hear anything else about leadership without anybody other than the guys on the basketball floor. I do not want you to refer any questions again about anybody that was not dressed, in uniform, here today."

The statement by the school said the impermissible benefits had to do with clothing at a local store.

No. 2 Ohio State 96, UNC Asheville 49

David Lighty scored the Buckeyes’ first 16 points and sat out most of the second half while finishing with 29 points to lead host Ohio State (11-0) past the Bulldogs (5-6).

No. 7 San Diego St. 62, San Francisco 56

Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, extending the Aztecs’ winning streak to 13 games by beating the Dons in Las Vegas.

D.J. Gay had 14 points for San Diego State (13-0), while Michael Williams had 16 for San Francisco (4-7).

No. 14 Purdue 77, IPFW 52

JaJuan Johnson had 24 points and 13 rebounds and D.J. Byrd scored all 15 of his points in the second half as the host Boilermakers (11-1) beat the Mastodons (7-4).

Southern Cal 65, No. 19 Tennessee 64

Maurice Jones scored 15 points and the Trojans (7-5) held off a late run by the Volunteers (7-3) for their first road win in seven attempts, dating back to a Feb. 18 win at Washington last season.

Tennessee dropped its third straight game after beating then-No. 3 Pittsburgh.

No. 23 BYU 72, Weber State 66

Jimmer Fredette scored 28 points, including a pair of important free throws down the stretch, and the visiting Cougars (11-1) held off the Wildcats (6-5).

No. 25 Texas A&M 86, Wagner 51

David Loubeau scored 16 points and the host Aggies (11-1) won their eighth consecutive game while handing the Seahawks (4-7) their fourth loss in a row.

WAC

Pacific 65, Fresno State 55

Demetrece Young scored a game-high 21 points and the Tigers (7-5) took advantage of cold shooting by the host Bulldogs (4-6) in each half. Pacific scored the game’s first eight points, while Fresno State missed its first nine shots. In the second half, Fresno State missed seven of its first eight shots as the Tigers went on a 16-2 run.

Utah State 71, Idaho State 48

Brian Green hit five of seven 3-point attempts and scored 17 points off the bench to lead the host Aggies (9-2) past the Bengals (3-7). Tai Wesley added 11 points for Utah State, which built a big lead early and cruised to their fourth straight win.

Idaho 69, Oregon 65

Brandon Wiley scored 14 and the visiting Vandals (6-5) held off the Ducks’ second-half rally to win in the last nonconference game on Oregon’s McArthur Court. Oregon (7-5) will move into Matthew Knight Arena in two weeks.

New Mexico State 82, Louisiana-Lafayette 76

Gordo Castillo scored 20 points as the Aggies (6-7) won their fourth in a row, beating the visiting Ragin’ Cajuns (2-9). New Mexico State scored 33 points off 23 turnovers.

Iowa 77, Louisiana Tech 58

Matt Gatens scored 22 points and Bryce Cartwright added 19 to lead the host Hawkeyes (7-5) past the Bulldogs (9-5). Olu Ashaolu led Louisiana Tech with 18 points.