Kansas State's Marlies Gipson (51) has a shot blocked by Kansas' Taylor McIntosh, left, during Kansas State's 64-58 win over Kansas in Manhattan, Kan., on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008.

Manhattan ? Road kill no longer.

Kansas University’s women’s basketball team didn’t win Saturday, but at least the Jayhawks weren’t run over this time.

No. 18-ranked Kansas State had to crank it up in the last three minutes to escape with a 64-58 victory in front of more than 8,000 bellowing fans in Bramlage Coliseum.

“It’s a complete turnaround,” Kansas senior Taylor McIntosh said.

McIntosh was talking about the Jayhawks’ change in demeanor from their previous four Big 12 Conference road trips, games KU lost by an average of 19.5 points.

“Not long ago, we looked defeated,” KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said, “We couldn’t answer runs.”

That was then. This is now.

“Absolutely,” Henrickson said about the Jayhawks’ improved approach away from home. “You can see it in our body language and in our huddles. We didn’t get frustrated and hang our heads.”

With about three minutes remaining, Kansas had the basketball with an opportunity to forge a tie. But LaChelda Jacobs became trapped underneath and pulled her pivot foot.

Moments later, Ashley Sweat hit a pair of free throws to give K-State at 56-52 cushion.

Then more trouble for the Jayhawks underneath when Danielle McCray was whistled for an offensive foul, the Jayhawks’ fifth of the day.

“LaChelda hesitated,” Henrickson said, “and Danielle made a bad decision to go to the rim.”

Kansas never had the basketball with an opportunity to tie again, although the Jayhawks did cut the Wildcats’ lead to 56-54 with 1:40 remaining on a Jacobs basket.

In the last minute, KU had to foul, and K-State made six of eight free throws to clinch its 13th victory in its last 14 meetings with the Jayhawks.

“The thing I was most pleased about,” KSU coach Deb Patterson said, “was that in critical situations – on a night where I’m not sure we were as quite as good as we can be – individual players stepped up and made good plays.”

K-State center Marlies Gipson had a late basket and three free throws during nitty-gritty time, finishing with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

“I felt like Marlies just owned the game,” Patterson said.

And yet KU freshman Krysten Boogaard nearly matched Gipson’s numbers with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Thus Gipson and Boogaard were a wash.

What the Jayhawks didn’t have was an answer for Kimberly Dietz’s four three-point goals. Or Kari Kincaid’s pair of treys, for that matter.

That’s six more three-pointers than Kansas had. The Jayhawks were 0-for-6 from beyond the arc – three bricks each by McCray and Ivana Catic.

“We’re not going to win many three-point contests,” Henrickson said, “and we don’t need to in order to be successful.”

On this day, however – against a ranked team on the road – just a couple of three-pointers couldn’t have hurt.

So, too, would have more than two points from Sade Morris, the Jayhawks’ second-leading scorer. Morris was in early foul trouble, sat most of the first half, then played sparingly in the second half.

“That’s the first time all year Sade’s been in early foul trouble,” Henrickson said, “and she never got in rhythm. She looked dazed in the second half.”

Kansas, 13-9 overall and 2-7 in the Big 12, will play its next two games at home, against Colorado on Wednesday and Nebraska a week from today.

Notes: Kansas, averaging a Big 12-high 19.6 turnovers a game, had 19 giveaways. : The Jayhawks were credited with just nine assists, but posted a 41-32 edge in rebounding. : K-State’s Shalee Lehning, the Big 12 assists leader, was credited with seven, but she also had six turnovers. : In addition to her 20 points and 15 boards, Gipson had four assists, three blocked shots and just one turnover in 38 minutes. : Kansas State remained in contention for the league title with an 8-1 record. The ‘Cats are 16-6 overall.