MENS BASKETBALL

Kansas State 68, Baylor 64

BY DAVE SKRETTA
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Arthur Kaluma converted a four-point play to give Kansas State the lead with 20 seconds left in overtime, and Tylor Perry added a pair of free throws with 6.9 seconds to go, helping the Wildcats beat No. 9 Baylor 68-64.

The Wildcats (13-4, 3-1 Big 12) were trailing 64-59 with just over a minute left when RJ Jones buried a 3-pointer from the corner to give them a chance. And when RayJ Dennis missed a driving layup at the other end for the Bears (14-3, 3-1), Kaluma managed to swish a 3 of his own while getting fouled by Baylor freshman Ja’Kobe Walter.

After making his free throw, Langston Love missed an open 3-pointer that would have given Baylor the lead. Perry was fouled after securing the rebound, and his two foul shots — after he missed one late in regulation — put the game away.

Perry and Cam Carter finished with 18 points apiece for the Wildcats. Kaluma had 12.

Love had 15 points and Jalen Bridges scored 11 to lead the Bears, who were just 5 for 28 from beyond the arc. Walter was held to eight points on 3-for-11 shooting, and RayJ Dennis managed seven on a 2-for-15 effort.

The Bears led 31-26 at halftime despite the nation’s most accurate 3-point-shooting team starting 1 of 11 from the arc.

It helped that the Wildcats didn’t even get shots off on nearly half of their possessions. Carter had five turnovers by himself, the final one ruining a chance for the final shot — Baylor scored at the buzzer instead — and Kansas State had 11 as a team.

The sloppy ballhandling came after the Wildcats had 18 turnovers in their last-second loss at Texas Tech on Saturday.

The Bears also missed their first 12 shots of the second half, but just when Perry’s 3-pointer had given Kansas State a 45-42 lead, they finally got some to drop. Jayden Nunn and Bridges scored on consecutive possessions, a rarity for the game, and Baylor strung together nine straight points to regain the lead.

Kansas State answered with nine of its own moments later, and after Perry made the second of two foul shots with 14 seconds left and Nunn missed an open 3-pointer for Baylor as time expired, the game was headed to overtime.

Kansas State athletics press release