Kansas State Wins First Big 12 Game, Beats Texas Tech, 62-51
The Kansas State Wildcats snapped their four-game winless streak to start Big 12 action by beating the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 62-51, on Saturday in Manhattan, Kansas.
Kansas State (9-7, 1-4) hadn’t won a game since Dec. 21, when the Wildcats defeated McNeese State, 74-59. The Wildcats had some close shaves in league play, starting with a 71-69 loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 1.
After a 13-point loss to Texas on Jan. 4, one in which the Wildcats pushed the Longhorns for two-thirds of the game, the Wildcats had chances to beat West Virginia (71-68 loss) and TCU (60-57 loss) before facing Texas Tech.
Kansas State also played with a full roster on Saturday for the first time in Big 12 play, as they’ve been the hardest hit team in the Big 12 by COVID-19.
Nijel Pack led the Wildcats with 14 points, while Mark Smith had 12 points and Mike McGuirl had 10 points. Marquis Nowell had seven points, along with a team-high nine rebounds and five steals.
The Wildcats cooled off the Big 12’s hottest team in Texas Tech (13-4, 3-2), as the Red Raiders were coming off wins over Kansas, Baylor and Oklahoma State, and the Red Raiders were short-handed in all of those games.
Texas Tech got Terrence Shannon Jr. back from injury, and he scored two points in 19 minutes. Bryson Williams led the Red Raiders with 20 points, while Adonis Arms had a team-high seven rebounds.
Texas Tech will host Iowa State on Tuesday, while Kansas State is at Texas on Tuesday.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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