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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas State used a big second-half performance to erase a 10-point halftime deficit to 7-seed Texas, as the Wildcats snapped a 3-game losing streak at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship with a 78-74 win over the Longhorns on Wednesday night before a sold-out crowd of 18,261 fans at the T-Mobile Center.

With the win, K-State (19-13) advances to the quarterfinal round on Thursday night when the Wildcats will take on 2-seed and No. 7/8 Iowa State (24-7) at 6 p.m., CT on ESPN2. The Wildcats are now 38-44 all-time at the Big Eight/12 Championship dating to 1977, including 18-26 at the Big 12 Championship

Trailing 39-29 at the half after shooting 37.5 percent from the field, K-State scored the first 7 points out of halftime en route to a 49-point second-half performance, in which, the Wildcats connected on 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field with 26 points coming in the paint and just 2 turnovers.

The 49 points were the fourth-most scored in a second half this season and the most since recording 55 and 51 points, respectively, in consecutive games against Miami and Central Arkansas on Nov. 19 and 22, 2023. Senior Tylor Perry (12 points), junior Arthur Kaluma (12 points) and freshman Dai Dai Ames (10 points) combined for 34 of the 49 points in each scoring in double figures.

On the defensive end, the Wildcats held the Longhorns (20-12) to just 29 percent (9-of-31) shooting in the second half, including 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from 3-point range, after they shot 57.1 percent (16-of-28) in the first half in building the 10-point advantage at the break.

In all, five Wildcats scored in double figures on the night, including a team-high 21 points from Perry, who collected his 30^th career 20-point game and his team-leading 11^th this season. Among his 21 points was a 10-of-10 effort from the free throw line, marking the third time this season that he has gone perfect from the line on 10 more attempts.

Kaluma finished with a near double-double with 14 points and a team-high 8 rebounds, while senior David N’Guessan posted 13 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Junior Cam Carter and Ames finished with 10 points each, as K-State moved to 4-0 this season when five players register double figures.

Despite the scoreless start to the second half, Texas held a 45-38 lead with just over 16 minutes to play after a 3-pointer by graduate Ithiel Horton. However, a jumper by Kaluma right before the first media timeout seemed to spark K-State, which used a 12-4 run to take a 50-49 lead on a layup by N’Guessan right before the media timeout with 11:22 to play.

The run continued out of the timeout, as the Wildcats scored 10 of the next 14 points to push the lead to 60-53 with 6:54 remaining. Ames started the stretch with a layup and a free throw followed by 5 points from Perry and a jumper from Kaluma.

The lead grew to 67-57 on a free throw by Carter with 4:28 to play, as the run expanded to 29-12.

Behind the play of senior Max Abmas, who led all scorers with 26 points, Texas used an 11-3 run to make one final push, closing the deficit to 70-68 with 22.2 seconds left. However, the Wildcats were able to salt away the victory with 6 straight free throws and a layup from Carter.

Abmas, who became the first Division I player with 3,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, was joined in double figures by 14 from Horton and 13 from sophomore Dillon Mitchell. All-Big 12 First Team selection Dylan Disu was held to 9 points 9 rebounds in 23 minutes.

K-State connected on 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the field, including 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from 3-point range, and 74.2 percent (23-of-31) from the free throw line. The Wildcats tied a season-low with 10 turnovers, including just 2 in the second half.

Texas finished the game at 42.4 percent (25-of-59) shooting, including 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from 3-point range, and 75 percent (18-of-24) from the free throw line.

K-State won the final meeting with Texas as Big 12 members and now leads the all-time series, 25-23, including 2-1 at the Big 12 Championship and 2-0 in Kansas City.

HOW IT HAPPENED

K-State didn’t get the start that it had hoped for, as Texas ran off the game’s first 6 points. The lead stood at 9-2 after a free throw by the Longhorns before the Wildcats used a 7-0 run, including a 3-pointer from senior Tylor Perry, to tie the game at 9-all.

Texas retook the lead with a free throw and a jumper before K-State responded with 7 straight points, including a 3-pointer from junior Cam Carter, to take a 16-12 lead at the 12:50 mark. However, the Longhorns got a 3-pointer from senior Brock Cunningham to ignite a 14-0 run that flipped the lead to 26-16 in favor of Texas and forced a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang with 7:16 to play.

A jumper by senior Will McNair Jr. stopped the run on the next possession, helping the Wildcats’ start a sequence of 11 of the next 16 points to close the deficit to 31-27 after a pair of free throws by Carter just after the final media timeout with 3:20 to play. But like much of the first half, Texas responded with 6 straight points to push the lead back to double figures at 37-27 with 1:01 before halftime.

Both teams scored jumpers in the final minute, as Texas led 39-29 at the break. The Longhorns connected on 57.1 percent (16-of-28) in the first half, including 20 points in the paint and 14 points off turnovers, while K-State hit on just 37.5 percent (9-of-24), including 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from 3-point range. Sophomore Dillon Mitchell (11 points) and senior Max Abmas (10 points) combined for 21 points, while Perry led the Wildcats with 9 points.

K-State opened the second half with some momentum, as the Wildcats scored the first 7 points to close the deficit to 39-36 and force a timeout by Texas head coach Rodney Terry at the 17:36 mark. Junior Arthur Kaluma and redshirt sophomore Jerrell Colbert combined for all 7 points.

However, the Longhorns broke the run out of the timeout, as Abmas was fouled on a 3-pointer, making all 3 free throws to push the lead back out to 42-36. Four points from Kaluma got the Wildcats to within 45-40 at the first media timeout at the 14:57 mark.

Freshman Dai Dai Ames scored on a jumper out of the timeout igniting a 10-4 run that pushed K-State ahead 50-49 at the second media timeout with 11:22 remaining. Ames scored 5 points in the spurt, while Perry had a 3-pointer and senior David N’Guessan added a layup.

The run continued out of timeout for the Wildcats, as they scored the next 5 points as part of a 10-4 run to push ahead 60-53 at the third media timeout with 6:54 to play. Perry was responsible for 5 of the 10 points in the run, including a corner 3-pointer over the out-stretched hands of Mitchell.

A pair of Texas free throws closed the gap to 60-55, but K-State responded with 7 of the next 9 points to get the lead to double figures at 67-57 right before the final media timeout. The Longhorns continued to fight, scoring 9 of the next 11 points, including a 3-pointer from Abmas, to close the deficit to 69-66 and force Tang to use a timeout with 1:11 to play.

N’Guessan made 1-of-2 free throws before a second-chance basket by Disu closed the lead to 70-68, prompting a timeout by Tang with 22.2 seconds. Perry was intentionally fouled on the in-bounds play, resulting in 2 free throws and possession. Perry knocked down both free throws before Kaluma found Carter on a long inbounds pass to push the lead to 74-68 with 18 seconds left.

However, Abmas wasn’t done with the Wildcats yet, as he converted on a 3-pointer to close the deficit to 74-71 with 14.1 seconds left as the Longhorns called their final timeout. Perry hit 2 more free throws before Abmas hit his third triple of the night to get the Longhorns within 76-74 with 8 seconds left.

Carter added 2 more free throws to push the lead to 78-74 with 7.5 seconds but Abmas couldn’t make it 3 in a row from long range, as his miss was rebounded by Kaluma to preserve the victory.

HEAD COACH JEROME TANG

Opening statement…

“First of all, I want to thank my Lord and a Savior Jesus Christ. God has been doing wonderful things with these young men. He has done such incredible things in all these guys’ lives. I’m most proud this year of how much they have all matured as men. How much their care factor for each other has grown. I thought in the second half that showed in the way they played.”

On limiting Dylan Disu to 9 points…

“I don’t know that we limited Dylan Disu. I think he got in foul trouble, so he didn’t get to play as many minutes. He only played 22 minutes in this game. He’s a First-Team All-Conference guy so obviously there was a lot of attention paid to him there, but sometimes foul trouble causes that for a young man.”

On the improvement of freshman Dai Dai Ames…

“In all areas, right? He’s learning how to play with pace, you know, and not just one speed. Today in transition I saw him look up and see numbers and pull it back. And it ended up getting us an easy bucket because he didn’t just go attack one on two. You see growth in him every day. I’m really proud of him. The thing I know is he’s not afraid, never afraid and that’s what I love about him.”

On the defensive effort in the second half…

“I thought (associate head coach Ulric) Maligi put a great game plan together in what we wanted to do to be able to slow them down. In the first half I didn’t think that we were executing it the way we needed to. I told the guys, the team that was beating us was in our locker room. It wasn’t the dudes on the other side. If we could get ourselves out of our own way, then we would have a chance in the

second half, and they did it.”

TEAM NOTES

• 10-seed K-State (19-13, 8-10 Big 12) used a big second-half performance to snap a 3-game losing streak at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in earning a 78-74 win over 7-seed Texas (20-12, 9-9 Big 12) at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
• K-State is now 38-44 all-time at the Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to 1977, including 18-26 at the Big 12 Championship… The Wildcats are now 37-39 all-time in conference championship games in Kansas City, including 11-14 at the T-Mobile Center.
• K-State now leads the all-time series with Texas, 25-23, including 2-1 at the Big 12 Championship and 2-0 in Kansas City… The win snapped a 2-game losing streak in the series.
• K-State is now 24-22 all-time at the T-Mobile Center.
• K-State scored its 78 points on 47.2 percent (25-of-53) shooting, including 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from 3-point range, and 74.2 percent (23-of-31) from the free throw line.
• K-State is now 9-0 under head coach Jerome Tang, including 4-0 this season, when five players score in double figures… It marked the first such game since BYU on Feb. 24, 2024.
• K-State tied a season-low with just 10 turnovers.
• K-State outrebounded Texas, 39-32, including 8 offensive rebounds that resulted in 11 second-chance points… The Wildcats have now outrebounded their opponent in 19 of 32 games.
• K-State used a starting lineup of senior Tylor Perry, freshman Dai Dai Ames, junior Cam Carter, junior Arthur Kaluma and redshirt sophomore Jerrell Colbert… It marked the 11th straight game using this lineup and just the fifth different lineup this season… Carter has now started all 68 games in his K-State career… Carter and Perry have started all 32 games… Kaluma earned his 30th start… It was the 14th start for Ames and the 11th career start for Colbert.

PLAYER NOTES

• Five Wildcats scored in double figures led by 21 points from senior Tylor Perry, who registered his team-leading 11^th 20-point game of the season… He was joined in double figures by junior Arthur Kaluma (14 points), senior David N’Guessan (13 points), freshman Dai Dai Ames (10 points) and junior Cam Carter (10 points).
• Perry scored his 21 points on 4-of-10 field goals, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and 10-of-10 free throws to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a block in 34 minutes… It was his 30^th career 20-point game, including his team-leading 11^th this season… He now has scored in double figures in 80 career games, including 23 this season.
• Perry has now led the team in scoring in a team-best 16 games.
• Kaluma scored his 14 points on 5-of-16 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws to go with a team-best 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a block in 37 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 67 career games, including a team-best 27 this season.
• N’Guessan scored his 13 points on 6-of-7 field goals and 1-of-3 free throws to go with 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 29 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 24 career games, including 13 this season… He has double figures in 6 of the last 8 games.
• Carter scored his 10 points on 2-of-5 field goals, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 free throws to go with 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 36 minutes… He now has double figures in 36 career games, including 26 this season.
• Ames scored his 10 points on 4-of-9 field goals and 2-of-3 free throws to go with a team-best 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 29 minutes… It marked just his seventh double-digit scoring game of the season.

UP NEXT

K-State advances to the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Thursday night at 6 p.m., CT, where the Wildcats will take on No. 2 seed and No. 7/8 Iowa State (24-7) on ESPN2.