Kansas State probably hopes its game against Oklahoma State on Saturday in Manhattan, Kan., goes to overtime.
The Wildcats (13-4, 3-1 Big 12) on Tuesday improved to 5-0 in overtime games this season and 10-0 in Jerome Tang’s two-year tenure as coach.
The latest installment of K-State’s overtime heroics came when the Wildcats defeated No. 9 Baylor 68-64, scoring the final nine points of the extra period. Arthur Kaluma hit a long 3-pointer with 20 seconds left and then converted a free throw to turn a two-point deficit into a two-point lead.
“It was a great offensive board by David (N’Guessan) and he was able to (pass) it out to R.J. (Jones),” Kaluma said. “R.J. just hit one, so I thought he was gonna shoot it. I saw my man rotate over, and I noticed Ja’Kobe Walter was inside the 3-point line. I had a clean look, so I decided to take it.”
Just like they did Tuesday, Tang always believes his team will come through in the clutch.
“Maturity,” he said, when asked why his team is so strong in overtime. “Some older guys believe and then we work on it every day. We call it, ‘Five to grind.’ It’s something our guys take pride in.”
The Cowboys (8-9, 0-4 Big 12) would probably welcome a close game as well. Their four conference losses have been by a combined 70 points.
They’re coming off a 90-66 home loss to No. 3 Kansas on Tuesday. The Jayhawks built a lead of 37-17 in the first half after sinking 17 of their first 24 shots from the field.
Head coach Mike Boynton talked about handling frustration inside the program at his press conference Thursday.
“For the young guys, I think it’s the first time they’ve experienced real struggle from a competitive standpoint,” he said. “The older guys understand. They’ve been through it a few times. They’re trying to help the other guys understand that it’s a long season.
“In order to change it, we have to play better.”
The next opportunity for that comes Saturday night.
Cam Carter leads K-State with 16.6 points and 1.9 steals per game, and Tylor Perry contributes 15.3 points, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per contest. Javon Small paces Oklahoma State with 14.0 points and 4.5 assists per game.
–Field Level Media
