Kansas State Wildcats NCAA Wagering

The Texas Tech Red Raiders crushed the Kansas State Wildcats for their fifth conference win tonight at United Spirit Arena.The Red Raiders and the Wildcats both entered the contest with 4-6 records in Big 12 conference play. Knowing the importance of winning on your home court, the Red Raiders came out fighting in the first half by jumping out to a 16-9 lead.

Texas Tech continued to score on the Wildcat defense and extended the lead to 14. The Wildcats ended the first half trailing 34-20.The Red Raiders shot 44 percent from the field (12 of 27) and 42 percent from beyond the arc (5 of 12) in the first half. In addition, Texas Tech shot 72 percent from the charity stripe by hitting five of seven attempts. Kansas State shot 30 percent from the field (9 of 30) and made only two of seven attempts from the three-point line. The Wildcats did not attempt any free throws in the first half and turned the ball over 11 times.

The Red Raiders began the second half determined and extended the lead to 20 points. The Wildcats failed to overcome the deficit or even outplay the Red Raiders. Texas Tech forward John Plefka picked up a technical foul for pushing Kansas State center Tyler Hughes. The incident failed to help the Wildcats gain momentum.

With less than two minutes to play, Kansas State scored 11 straight points to trim the lead to 14. Texas Tech withstood the Wildcats’ comeback and held on to win the game, 70-56.

The Red Raiders shot 42 percent from the floor (22 of 55) and 39 percent from beyond the arc (10 of 26). Texas Tech also shot 88 percent from the free throw line, after not missing a shot from the line in the second half. The Red Raiders ended the contest with four players in double-figures led by Plefka’s 16 points. Jarrius Jackson and guard Alan Voskuil scored 15 points and forward Dior Lowhorn chipped in 11.

The Wildcats shot 35 percent from the field (21 of 60) and 35 percent from the three-point line (6 of 10). Kansas State ended the game on a perfect note from the charity stripe by hitting all eight of its attempts. Guards Cartier Martin and Lance Harris each tossed in 15 points.

With the victory, the Red Raiders stand at 5-6 in conference play, and will travel to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday at 3 p.m.

As far as Kansas State interim coach Jimmy Elgas was concerned, the Wildcats didn’t lose when Cartier Martin’s open-look, potential game-tying, three-point attempt from the top of the circle clanked off the back iron Sunday.

Instead, Elgas said it was a failure to play defense that cost K-State in its 74-71 loss to Missouri at Mizzou Arena.

“That (defense) has been our backbone,” Elgas said. “We did not collectively, as a unit, in man or zone, get stops when we needed to.”

K-State, 13-8 overall and 4-6 in the Big 12, had held 19 of its first 20 opponents this season below their scoring average. That wasn’t the case against the Tigers, who notched nearly 10 points more than their average.

The Wildcats weren’t too shabby offensively themselves, hitting 51 percent of their field goals. But that could not offset MU, which made 51.9 percent of its shots and became the first Big 12 team this season to better the 44.4 percent Oklahoma State shot against the Wildcats. K-State entered as the third-best Big 12 school in field-goal percentage defense at 38.7 percent.

That placed K-State No. 9 in the nation in that category. Don’t expect the Wildcats to stay there, however.

“We didn’t play our game plan. We didn’t stop them defensively,” said Martin, who scored 19 points and converted three of his first six three-point attempts, including one from the right corner that whittled the Tigers’ edge to one-point with 10.2 seconds remaining.

Martin thought his last-gasp try would be a success.

“I popped out and got a good look at it,” he said. “It felt good coming off, but it didn’t fall. It ends like that sometimes.”

The defensive meltdown led to K-State’s seventh loss this season by five points or fewer. The Wildcats also failed to beat MU on its home floor in back-to-back games for the first time since 1985.

Another disappointing, down-to-the-wire setback wore on Martin.

“Pretty much every game’s been close like that,” he said. “It’s tough when you’re right there and lose by a couple of points.”

David Hoskins paced K-State with 20 points, and reserve Lance Harris had 18. Harris said the objective now is pretty simple.

“Win out, or even win out at the Big 12 tournament,” Harris said.

Martin also senses the Wildcats are in back-to-the-wall mode.

“If we want to make the postseason, we’re going to have to win out,” Martin said.

Elgas, however, wants to take it one at a time.

“The fact of the matter is we’re 1-1 in the second half of the Big 12 after two games, and we’ve got a huge week coming up,” Elgas said. “There’s still a lot of things to play for, a lot of areas to get better at.”