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.â€
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.â€
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.â€
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.â€
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