Andrew Fitzgerald had a game-high 21 points and Romero Osby added 18 points and seven rebounds as Oklahoma defeated No. 18 Kansas State 82-73 Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center.

The win was the Sooners’ first in Big 12 play and helped them avoid becoming the first team in the program’s storied history to start 0-4 in the conference.

Oklahoma (11-5, 1-3 Big 12), which lost its first three conference games by a combined 56 points, had no trouble with the Wildcats (12-4, 1-3 Big 12). The Sooners took a 38-29 lead at halftime and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the majority of the second half.

Kansas State, which played three ranked opponents in each of its first three Big 12 games, pulled within 79-73 on Nino Williams’ 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. But Oklahoma, which won despite being outrebounded 38-25 — including 21-6 on the offensive glass — extended the lead moments later.

Rodney McGruder had a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who had won four out of the last five against Oklahoma. Williams and Jeremy Jones finished with 12, and Will Spradling added 11.

Jamar Samuels, K-State’s senior forward, finished with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Sooners coach Lon Kruger improved to 3-1 all-time against Kansas State, his alma mater. Kruger played for the Wildcats in the early 1970s and coached them from 1986-1990.

Kansas State, meanwhile, fell to 1-3 in Big 12 play for the second straight season.

Steven Pledger had 18 points and Cameron Clark came off the bench to score 10 for the Sooners, who shot 56 percent from the field and forced the Wildcats into 18 turnovers.