Dean Wade scored 16 points and Kansas State rallied late in the second half to beat Texas 67-64 and earn a tough road win the in the Big 12 on Wednesday night.
Wade went to the free throw line with 3 seconds left and made one, but missed the second that would have given the Wildcats a four-point cushion. Texas's last shot to tie was an off-balance, stumbling 3-pointer by Kerwin Roach II that didn't get anywhere close to the basket.
The Wildcats (17-7, 6-5) trailed 54-52 before taking the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Cartier Diarra, who followed it with a steal and a layup for a 57-54 lead Kansas State never relinquished.
Texas (15-9, 5-6) got within 66-64 on a 3-pointer by Eric Davis with 44 seconds left. The Longhorns had a chance to tie but Matt Coleman turned it over on a desperate drive to the basket with 3 seconds left on a play that sent Wade to the free throw line.
Mo Bamba had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Longhorns, but scored just three points in the second half and only took four shots after halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas State: The Wildcats shook off some of their offensive struggles of late. Their 14 field goals in the first half matched their total for the game in a blowout loss at West Virginia over the weekend. Wade was fearless in the middle against Bamba, who is one of the country's premiere shot blockers. The Wildcats had five players score in double figures.
Texas: Texas dropped a key home loss after a stretch of games that saw the Longhorns start to build a solid postseason resume. Texas lacked the offensive punch it usually gets from Dylane Osetkowski and Roach, two of their most dependable scorers. Both were scoreless in the first half. Osetkowski finished with 8 points and Roach was 2 of 10 shooting.
UP NEXT
Kansas State hosts No. 7 Texas Tech
Texas plays at TCU on Saturday in a rematch of a double-overtime game Texas won when the Horned Frogs missed a layup at the buzzer.
