From K-State Athletics
MANHATTAN, Kan. – On a night when it struggled offensively, Kansas State fought back from a 16-point halftime deficit to close to within single digits of No. 23/24 Oklahoma in the second half before falling 73-53 on Tuesday night before a crowd of 9,955 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
Behind the play of senior Tylor Perry, K-State (14-7, 4-4 Big 12) trimmed the double-digit deficit to 51-44 with 8:28 to play, as Perry was responsible for 13 of the Wildcats’ first 20 points of the second half. However, the home team could not get any closer, as Oklahoma (16-5, 4-4 Big 12) used a 12-1 run over the next 4:35 to prevent any further comeback en route to snapping a 2-game losing streak.
Perry was the lone Wildcat to register double figures, finishing the night with a game-tying 23 points on 7-of-16 field goals, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 free throws in nearly 40 minutes. It was his 25th career 20-point game, including the sixth this season. Senior David N’Guessan narrowly missed double figures with 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
K-State could never get going offensively, as the Wildcats missed their first 11 field goal attempts and did not score until a free throw by N’Guessan with 11:48 remaining in the first half. N’Guessan broke the field goal drought with a turnaround jumper at the 10:30 mark.
The Wildcats fell behind by as many as 17 points (28-11) in the first half before cutting the deficit to 12 with 1:17 before halftime on a pair of free throws by redshirt freshman Dorian Finister. The Sooners scored the final 4 points to take a 35-19 advantage at the break.
The lead stood at 16 points with 18:14 to play before a Perry 3-pointer started a run of 20 of the next 31 points for K-State that cut the deficit to 51-44 with just over 8 to play. However, Oklahoma answered back with 12 of the next 13 to push back ahead by double digits and were never threatened again.
K-State connected on just 30.2 percent (16-of-53) of its field goals, including 14.3 percent (4-of-28) from 3-point range, in seeing its losing streak hit 3 games. It was the second-lowest field goal percentage of the season (26.7 vs. Nebraska), while the 16 made field goals tied for the season-low.
Oklahoma hit on 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field, including 50 percent (13-of-26) in the first half in building a 16-point lead. The Sooners took advantage of 14 Wildcat turnovers, turning those into 19 points, while 40 of their 73 points came in the paint. They also made 24 of 39 free throw attempts.
Four Sooners scored in double figures, including a pair of 20-point scorers in junior transfers Jalon Moore (23 points) and Javian McCollum (21 points). Moore finished 8-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, while McCollum was 6-of-13 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Seniors Sam Godwin and Rivaldo Soares added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Oklahoma wins the last game in the series as conference opponents, as the schools will not meet again in the regular season. The Sooners now lead the series, 114-104, including 22-19 in the Big 12 era.
