LAWRENCE, Kan. -- The start of both halves was disconcerting, but No. 7 Kansas still had little trouble upending Kansas State 77-59 in Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

The Jayhawks trailed by nine before 10 minutes had elapsed. Then, after grabbing a 10-point halftime lead, they allowed the Wildcats to close within two early in the second half.

"We can't do that,'' Kansas sophomore guard Devonte' Graham said. "We've got to start out knowing everybody is coming at our heads. Every game is tough and we're a target. We've got to play like that.''

Kansas did at times, beating its in-state rival for the 10th straight time at home. The win also enabled the Jayhawks (18-4, 6-3 Big 12) to stay within one game of Big 12 co-leaders Oklahoma and West Virginia at the halfway point of conference play.

Still, with games remaining against both those clubs, Kansas knows it must play better, especially on the road where it still carries a three-game skid.

"It wasn't a well-played game by us,'' Kansas coach Bill Self said, noting a 36-21 deficit on the boards, which included just two offensive rebounds. "They certainly bullied us on the glass and they were much tougher. That's about as soft as I remember one of our teams playing. ... We didn't go after the ball well at all.''

Kansas senior forward Perry Ellis, who led all scorers with 19 points and canned all three 3-pointers he attempted, was adamant the Jayhawks needed to play better at the outset.

"Just not coming out ready to play was bad,'' said Ellis, "and then in the second half we needed to put our pedal to the medal and we didn't at first.''

The lift Ellis provided from 3-point range was encouraging, though.

"Sometimes I get on him for not shooting,'' said Graham, "but he can definitely shoot it.''

Graham and another sophomore guard, Svi Mykhailiuk, added 10 points apiece for the Jayhawks, who shot 55.1 percent from the field.

Kansas State enjoyed its edge on the glass, but shot just 41.5 percent and committed 27 fouls to 18 for Kansas. The Wildcats also could not hold on to the basketball as they played without freshman point guard Kamau Stokes.

"Obviously too many turnovers. You can't have 23 on the road and expect to win,'' said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber, who was visibly upset with some of the foul calls, particularly late in the first half.

Weber said Stokes, who suffered a knee injury in the Wildcats' previous game, a win against Mississippi, will have to undergo surgery and will be out indefinitely.

Senior forward Stephen Hurt recorded a double-double for Kansas State with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Wesley Iwundu led the Wildcats (13-9, 2-7) with 15 points and five assists, but also committed six turnovers. Freshman backup guard Barry Brown added 11 points.

"Sad thing is I think we're a pretty good team,'' Weber said. "We were 11-2 in nonconference, our schedule ranking is really good, but there's a bunch of really good veteran teams in this league. We've got to find a way to get a couple (wins).''

Three technical fouls were called in the game. Also, before he began his postgame remarks, Self apologized for a last-second dunk by junior guard Brannen Greene, who drew a five-game suspension earlier in the season.

"It certainly showed unbelievably poor sportsmanship,'' Self said. "I apologize to K-State and their players. I guarantee that will never happen again or he will never be in at the end of the game.''

The teams combined for 14 consecutive empty possessions (seven each) early in the game before the Wildcats grabbed a 16-7 lead behind 3-pointers from junior forward Austin Budke and Iwundu.

The Jayhawks eventually recovered with a 10-2 run to tie the game at 20-20. Mykhailiuk had a three-point play and a 3-pointer to key the run.

Kansas gained total control over the last 10 minutes of the half, holding Kansas State to just two field goals over that stretch.

A drive by junior guard Frank Mason III with 12 seconds left was followed by a steal. That enabled the Jayhawks to keep the ball on their end, and cause Weber to protest. Kansas then got a half-ending four-point play from Greene for a 39-29 halftime lead.

NOTES: Coming in, freshmen had led the Wildcats in scoring 12 times, including six of the previous nine games. ... Kansas senior F Hunter Mickelson continues to deal with a high-ankle sprain he sustained in practice. He missed his second consecutive game. ... Kansas has 10 straight home wins against Kansas State and 21 in the last 22 meetings. The last two Kansas State coaches to win in Allen Fieldhouse, Jim Wooldridge (2006) and Dana Altman (1994), both did so in their final year with the Wildcats. ... The Jayhawks extended their overall winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse to 36 in a row.