MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head football coach Bill Snyder announced Wednesday that wide receivers coach Andre Coleman has been promoted to Offensive Coordinator, while offensive line coach Charlie Dickey and quarterbacks coach Collin Klein have been named co-coordinators. Dickey will coordinate the running game, while Klein will coordinate the passing game.

Coleman, a former K-State wide receiver, has tutored the Wildcat wideouts since 2013 and was elevated to Pass Game Coordinator prior to the 2016 season. Dickey was an original staff member of Snyder’s second tenure in 2009, coaching the offensive line, and he was promoted to Run Game Coordinator prior to the 2016 campaign. Klein will begin his second season tutoring the quarterbacks in 2018.

“We are fortunate to have three coaches who have had so much experience in our offense – a total of about 30 years – both past and present,” Snyder said. “We’ve been blessed to have so many loyal, caring and effective coaches over the years, and these three exemplify those values. I have been pleased with how well these three have worked together.”

A four-year letterwinner at wide receiver under Snyder from 1990-93, Coleman coached a position group that recorded the most receptions and yards ever by a Snyder-led team in 2013 before shattering both those marks in 2014 with 230 receptions for 3,097 yards. That group was headlined by Tyler Lockett, an All-American in 2014 who left K-State as the all-time leader in career receptions (249), yards (3,710) and touchdowns (29), just three of the 17 school records he set in his four-year career thanks in part to Coleman’s teachings.

More recently, Byron Pringle finished his two-year career in 2017 under Coleman after becoming the 30th Wildcat and the seventh former community-college player to top 1,000 career receiving yards. The Tampa, Florida, native set the school record for single-season yards per catch (24.13) in 2017 – a mark that ranked third nationally – while his career mark of 19.64 yards per catch ranks second in K-State history.

Dickey, a 30-year coaching veteran, is regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in the country having tutored K-State offensive linemen to 22 All-Big 12 honors since his arrival. He has also coached a pair of All-Americans in B.J. Finney, who earned second-team honors in 2014, and Dalton Risner, a first-team honoree this past year.

Under the direction of Dickey, the 2016 line helped K-State set the school record for rushing yards per carry (5.27), rank third in K-State history in total rushing yards (3,013) and rushing yards per game (231.8), and seventh in rushing touchdowns (39). They followed that up in 2017 by tying for third in school history in rushing yards per carry (4.98) and finishing seventh with 2,584 total rushing yards.

A 2012 runner up for the Heisman Trophy after quarterbacking the Wildcats to a Big 12 Championship, Klein just completed his first season as an assistant coach at K-State. Klein joined the staff in 2014 as a quality control coach and assistant director of recruiting before becoming an offensive graduate assistant in 2015. He spent the 2016 season as the quarterbacks coach at Northern Iowa.

Upon his return to K-State in 2017, Klein helped the Wildcats earn their eighth-straight bowl berth despite being forced the start three different quarterbacks due to injury. K-State finished the year ranked 13th in the nation in passing yards per completion (14.48), while the Wildcats’ 141.7 passing efficiency mark ranked eighth in school history.

Under Klein’s tutelage, Jesse Ertz put together the fifth-best pass efficiency mark in a season (150.22) while his 129.5 mark ranked ninth in a career. He also set the school record for lowest interception percentage (1.92) and became the 21st passer in school history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in a career. Klein also helped develop redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson, who started the final four games of the season and passed for 689 yards, the fourth most by a freshman in school history. Thompson’s season was highlighted by a Wildcat victory at 10th-ranked Oklahoma State in which he threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 10-of-13 aim, good for a 274.89 pass efficiency rating to rank fifth in school history.

Additionally, Alex Delton helped lead the Wildcats to victories against Kansas and Texas Tech, while he came off the bench against UCLA in the Cactus Bowl to rush for 158 yards and three touchdowns to earn Offensive MVP honors.

K-State’s offensive staff, led by Coleman and co-coordinators Dickey and Klein, also includes recently-announced former Wildcats that joined the staff in Zach Hanson (tight ends) and Eric Hickson (running backs).

— K-State Athletics —

WACO, Texas (AP) — Last week it was Kansas State’s Dean Wade pulling down Big 12 and national accolades.

If Barry Brown has another game like he did against Baylor on Monday night, he might grab some of his own.

Brown scored 34 points, Wade added 24 and Kansas State beat Baylor 90-83 for its third straight victory.

“He was great tonight. Whenever he needed a big play he was there,” Wade said of Brown. “Even on defense, he made some great plays. When they had their little runs, he was the one that shut the runs off defensively and then came out on offense and started our runs. He was the best player on the court tonight. He played amazing.”

Kansas State (15-5, 5-3 Big 12) tied its highest point total of the season.

The Wildcats made five of their first six 3-point attempts in running out to a 29-13 lead with eight minutes to go in the first half. The Bears got within five points twice late in the first half, but a 16-3 run midway through the second half gave the Wildcats enough of a cushion at 71-52.

“I thought the beginning was really impressive for us on both ends of the court,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “I thought we were really good defensively and disrupted them, took away their stuff. We only had a one-day prep, but we really talked about having to take away their quick-hitters and their sets, and we got some transition, great passing, great ball movement, made shots.”

Baylor (12-8, 2-6) had six players score in double figures, led by Manu Lecomte with 18. Jo Lual-Acuil added 15, and Tristan Clark had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bears.

“I think we were all embarrassed we didn’t have more fight to us tonight, the way we started the first and second half,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “I don’t know if we were tired, the turnaround, whatever. The bottom line is it was unacceptable. You don’t get opportunities to go back and redo things. We just need to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Kansas State’s win comes on the heels of a week in which it earned a pair of home victories against ranked teams against then-No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 24 TCU. The Wildcats’ win moves them into a tie for second in the Big 12 with No. 7 West Virginia, which lost to TCU on Monday. They are both a game and a half behind No. 5 Kansas.

“It’s not just my goal (to win the Big 12), it’s everybody on the team’s goal, the coaching staff and all of Kansas State nation,” Brown said. “We’re playing for everyone right now, and I think all the hard work we’re putting in is paying off with these games. We’ve just got to keep the streak rolling.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats average a Big 12-low 11.3 turnovers per game, and they improved upon that mark with 10 miscues. But more importantly, none of those came in live-ball situations until there were 12 seconds remaining. That helped the Wildcats hold Baylor without a fast-break point and made up for a 36-20 deficit on the boards.

Baylor: For the second straight game, the Bears trailed by double digits less than six minutes in and spent the rest of the night trying to get back in it. Unlike in Baylor’s road tilt against then-No. 10 Kansas on Saturday, the Bears never got back in this one.

UP NEXT

Kansas State returns home for its Big 12-SEC Challenge game against Georgia on Saturday.

Baylor travels to meet Florida in the Big 12-SEC Challenge on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — On throwback day at Kansas State, the Wildcats threw down another ranked opponent.

Wearing the lavender jerseys and deep purple shorts that were popular when coach Jack Hartman took the team to the Elite Eight in 1981, these Wildcats got off to a fast start and beat No. 24 TCU 73-68 Saturday.

The scoreboard was retro-fitted to reflect those days and the cheerleaders wore outfits to match. The Wildcats did their part, too, with Dean Wade scoring 20 points.

Sophomore Makol Mawien added a career-high 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting. He had totaled just 13 points in Big 12 play this season for the Wildcats (14-5, 4-3).

“He was great on defense in the beginning. We went to him and he got a couple of baskets. I think his confidence has grown and he has grown in practice,” coach Bruce Weber said.

Coming off a win over No. 4 Oklahoma earlier in the week, the Wildcats raced to a 7-0 lead.

That wasn’t the only adversity the Horned Frogs faced.

TCU coach Jamie Dixon was called for a technical foul later in the first half, then drew another tech in the second half and was ejected. The Kansas State crowd serenaded Dixon as he walked off, and TCU assistant David Patrick took over.

“I told the players afterwards, I take full responsibility on the loss. It was on me,” Dixon said.

“I gave them points — four free throws — and I think they made three of them and all in a close game that just kills our team,” he said.

Vlad Brodziansky scored 15 points for the Horned Frogs (14-5, 2-5).

THEY SAID IT

“That is the first time it has ever happened to me, getting kicked out. I am surprised by what happened, but it is what it is.” — Dixon.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The win gives Kansas a solid four-game stretch with two wins over ranked opponents, three wins in total with the lone loss coming against Kansas.

TCU: The Horned Frogs have lost four of five since starting out at 13-0.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With the loss, TCU will more than likely fall out of the AP Top 25.

STATS AND STREAKS

The win gives Kansas State back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time since the 2014-15 season, when it defeated Kansas and Iowa State in back-to-back outings.

UP NEXT

TCU: The Horned Frogs host West Virginia on Monday.

Kansas State: The Wildcats play at Baylor on Monday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State entered the fourth quarter with a two-point lead on Wednesday night in Bramlage Coliseum against Oklahoma, but the Sooners rode a hot-shooting quarter to capture the 76-71 road win.

Kansas State (11-7, 3-4 Big 12) had three players in double figures, led by sophomore Peyton Williams with a game-high 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting and eight rebounds. She also registered a block and steal. Williams is the first Wildcat since Breanna Lewis in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament to make 10 or more shots in a game.

The product of Topeka, Kansas, has scored 20 or more points in a team-high four games this season. She has reached double figures in 13 games this season including a current streak of 10 straight games.

Joining Williams in double digits was junior Kayla Goth with 16 points, six assists and three steals. The guard from DeForest, Wisconsin, moved into 27th on the K-State career assist list (206), passing Missy Decker (1994-97; 205).

Also in double figures was freshman guard Rachel Ranke with 13 points and four rebounds. The native of Burnsville, Minnesota, has made two or more 3-point field goals in 14 games this season.

Oklahoma (9-9, 4-3) featured four players in double figures, paced by senior Gabbi Ortiz with 20 points, which included 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Senior center Vionise Pierre-Louis added 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

The Wildcats finished the night shooting 47.4 percent (27-of-57) but just 35.7 percent in the second half. The Sooners carded a 56.6 percent night (30-of-53). K-State forced 22 Oklahoma turnovers, including a season-high 14 steals.

K-State overcame a fast start by Oklahoma in the first quarter to end the frame with a 21-15 advantage. The Wildcats used an 11-3 run over a 3-minute stretch to pull into the lead, as Goth and Williams each scored four points during the run.

Oklahoma tied the game at 13 with 3:25 remaining, but the Wildcats ended the stanza on an 8-2 run highlighted by a pair of Ranke 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater to end the quarter.

Williams scored 13 points of K-State’s 20 points in the second quarter to give the Wildcats a 41-38 lead at the half. The Sooners started the second quarter on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 23 with 7:37 remaining.

K-State answered with a 9-2 run, as Williams recorded seven points during the stretch to push K-State in front, 32-25, with 5:35 left in the quarter. Oklahoma’s Ortiz brought the Sooners within three at the half with three 3-pointers in the final 4:32 of the quarter.

Both teams were hot from the floor in the opening half, as K-State shot 58.6 percent (17-of-29), while Oklahoma registered a 60.0 percent (15-of-25) performance.

Each team cooled off in the third quarter, as Oklahoma outscored K-State 13-12, but the Wildcats remained in front 53-51 entering the final frame. Shaelyn Martin led K-State in the quarter with four points, all coming in the final 2:47 of the quarter.

For the game, Martin finished with six points, seven assists, six steals and four rebounds. With her six steals, Martin moved into 11th on the K-State career steals list with 188.

Oklahoma dashed out to a 65-60 lead with 5:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 14-7 during the stretch. Kaylee Page started a 6-1 run with a jumper and K-State tied the game at 66 with 3:13 to play.

The Sooners received a layup from Shaina Pellington to retake the lead, 70-68, with 2:52 to play. Pellington contributed 16 points and six assists to the Oklahoma attack.

Martin converted a contested layup in the lane with just over a minute to play to bring K-State to within two, 70-68. The Sooners would use a three-point play from Pierre-Louis with 41 seconds left to hold back K-State. The Sooners shot 75.0 percent (9-of-12) from the floor in the final quarter, while K-State was held to a 42.9 percent effort.

Kansas State travels to (4/4) Baylor on Saturday to face the Lady Bears at 6 p.m.

— KSU Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown scored 24 points, Dean Wade added 21 and Kansas State frustrated Oklahoma star Trae Young all game in springing an 87-69 upset of the fourth-ranked Sooners on Tuesday night.

Cartier Diarra added 16 points and Xavier Sneed had 13 for the plucky, defensive-minded Wildcats (13-5, 3-3 Big 12), who bounced back from a last-second letdown against bitter rival Kansas with their sixth consecutive win over the Sooners at Bramlage Coliseum.

Young was held to 20 points on 8-of-21 shooting, his fewest since scoring 15 in his college debut. He also was 2 of 10 from the 3-point line and committed 12 turnovers against six assists.

Rashard Odomes had 16 points and Brady Manek had 12 for the Sooners (14-3, 4-2), but he was abused by Wade at the defensive end as his team tried to dig out of a massive second-half hole.

It was the Wildcats’ first win against a ranked team in four tries this season, and their first win over a top-5 team since beating the then-No. 1 Sooners two years ago.

The dominance was so complete that coach Bruce Weber subbed out his starters in the final minute, allowing an appreciative home crowd to give them a standing ovation.

Young was supposed to be the main attraction, but it was Brown — whose flub on the final play against the Jayhawks cost them a chance to win the game — who dominated on both ends in the first half.

On offense, the junior guard was able to slip past double-teams at the top of the key and pull up for mid-range jumpers, most of which splashed without hitting rim. He was 8 of 13 from the field and had piled up 16 points by the time the Wildcats took a 38-33 lead into the locker room.

On defense, Brown harassed Young into a miserable stat line: The nation’s top scorer was 3 of 10 from the field, 2 of 7 from the 3-point arc and had committed eight turnovers against four assists.

It wasn’t just Brown on defense, though. The Wildcats aggressively took away the passing lanes, which served to muddle up Oklahoma’s offense and forced Young and his teammates into tough shots.

Young managed to draw the Sooners within 52-47 with a flurry early in the second half, but Kansas State answered with another run. Wade got things going with back-to-back baskets, Brown added another nifty tear-drop jumper, and Sneed’s jam of an alley-oop pass made it 62-50 with 10 minutes to go.

Oklahoma kept trying to claw back. Kansas State kept answering, at one point making eight of nine field goals to maintain a 74-58 lead with just over 5 minutes to play.

The Sooners never made a dent in that deficit the rest of the way.

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma was averaging 93.6 points, tops in the country, but was held to 42 percent from the field and turned the ball over 20 times against the Wildcats. Those numbers doomed the Sooners to another tough night at Bramlage Coliseum, where coach Lon Kruger’s jersey hangs in the rafters.

Kansas State could have cowered after its 73-72 loss to the Jayhawks last weekend, but instead rose to the occasion. And the Wildcats did it without Kamau Stokes, one of their best players, who remains out with a foot injury.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma visits Oklahoma State for the return edition of Bedlam on Saturday.

Kansas State wraps up back-to-back home games against No. 24 TCU on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Barry Brown wanted to get right back in the gym after Kansas State’s loss to Texas Tech over the weekend, but coach Bruce Weber told him NCAA rules limited how much the team could practice.

So, Brown organized his own workout.

He gathered the whole team Sunday without any of their coaches, running up and down the floor in an otherwise empty gym. It was a reset for a team with NCAA Tournament expectations that had just lost its third-leading scorer, Kamau Stokes, for quite a while with a foot injury.

“That,” Weber said, “just showed great leadership on his part.”

So did Brown’s performance Wednesday night.

He poured in a career-high 38 points, picked up six steals and held in check Oklahoma State star Jeffrey Carroll in an 86-82 victory that should provide the Wildcats some positive momentum.

“We jumped on Barry’s back,” Weber said, “and he played a special game.”

Cartier Diarra started in place of Stokes and had a career-high 17 points for the Wildcats (12-4, 2-2 Big 12), while Xavier Sneed added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

“My mindset was for everyone to pick it up a bit, turn it up a notch,” Brown said. “We did that.”

Brandon Averette scored 22 points and Jeffrey Carroll had 20 for the Cowboys (11-5, 1-3), who led late in the second half before the Wildcats went on a game-changing run to take a 74-62 lead.

The Cowboys kept fighting, and Averette’s 3-point play with 40 seconds left got them within 81-76. But Dean Wade answered with two free throws and, after Carroll scored at the other end, Brown tacked on the second of two more foul shots to put the game away.

“To be honest, that was a pretty gutless performance by my team. I’ve never been more disappointed than I am today,” Cowboys coach Mike Boynton said. “Our fans deserve better. They’ll get better.”

The Wildcats played with the lead most of the way, even pushing their advantage to 27-18 late in the first half, before the Cowboys took a spurt of momentum into halftime.

Carroll provided the spark with a 3-point play and a couple more free throws.

Kansas State regained the lead early in the second half, but neither team was able to shake free until the Wildcats strung together five solid possessions beginning with six minutes to go.

Little-used guard Brian Patrick began the run with a 3-pointer to break a 58-all tie. Wade made four quick free throws. Sneed added a pair of his own. And a 3-pointer by Diarra from right in front of his own bench ignited a sparse but vocal home crowd.

Sneed’s turnaround jumper out of a timeout pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 72-62, their biggest of the game to that point, and Weber’s team held on the rest of the way.

“We played lifeless,” Boynton said. “People talk about atmosphere, whether the students are here, the energy. It was nothing to do with it. When you’re an athlete you go out and play with a sense of pride. We didn’t do that today.”

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma State had won three out of four games decided by two possessions or less. But even though they kept the pressure on the Wildcats by scoring down the stretch, they were unable to make up enough ground for back-to-back wins at Bramlage Coliseum.

Kansas State showed impressive poise whenever the Cowboys made a run, and again in the closing minutes, when they kept making shots to stay alive. Brown and Co. answered with a parade of free throws that kept the Cowboys from ever feeling as if they would make it all the way back.

INJURY UPHEAVEL

The Wildcats could be without Stokes for a while after he hurt his foot in a loss to Texas Tech last weekend. Diarra started in his place, and fellow freshman Mike McGuirl made his college debut in the first half. McGuirl missed the first 12 games this season with an injury.

SPEAKING OF INJURIES

Cowboys guard Tavarius Shine, their second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game, did not play while nursing a sprained wrist. Shine got hurt in their win over Iowa State.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State returns home to face Texas on Saturday.

Kansas State hits Interstate 70 to play No. 12 Kansas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

AMES, Iowa – Kansas State fought through an offensive dryspell in the third quarter to dominate Iowa State in the fourth quarter and pocket a 67-60 win at Hilton Coliseum. The win was the 525th of head coach Jeff Mittie’s coaching career.

Kansas State (10-6, 2-3 Big 12) had four players in double figures led by junior Kayla Goth with 16 points and seven assists. Sophomore forward Peyton Williams finished with her fourth double-double this season, as she carded 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high five blocks.

Senior forward Kaylee Page tallied her third career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Rachel Ranke added 14 points, including a 4-of-8 effort from beyond the arc.

Iowa State (7-9, 1-4) was paced by Bride Kennedy Hopoate with 17 points, while Bridget Carleton finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Kansas State finished the night shooting 35.0 percent (21-of-60) from the floor including a 9-of-13 performance in the fourth quarter. Iowa State shot 35.5 percent (22-of-62) from the field. The Wildcats had the advantage at the foul line, as they went 17-of-20.

The first quarter featured four ties and three lead changes, as Iowa State held a 19-18 lead at the end of the quarter. The Cyclones were 5-of-10 from 3-point range in the opening frame, but Goth knocked down a step back three-pointer to beat the buzzer to end the quarter.

The teams continued to exchange the lead in the second quarter, as K-State held the largest lead of the frame at three, 24-21. Both teams were held to 4-of-14 shooting in the quarter, but the Wildcats outscored Iowa State in the frame to tie the game at 30 at halftime.

The Wildcats were paced in the first half by junior Kali Jones. Jones came off the bench to contribute career-highs of eight points and seven rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.

K-State went through an offensive drought in the third quarter, as the Wildcats were 1-of-16 (.063) from the field and were forced into three turnovers during the entirety of the third stanza. Iowa State used a 10-0 run to pull in front, 40-32, with 3:13 to play. The Wildcats clawed back with six points in the final 1:45 of the quarter to trail, 45-38, entering the fourth.

The Wildcats closed the gap to open the fourth quarter. Ranke converted a pair of quick trigger 3-pointers to pull K-State to within one, 47-46, with 6:49 left in regulation and force an Iowa State timeout.

K-State continued to roll in the fourth quarter, as Ranke knocked down her third 3-pointer of the quarter to start a 12-4 run as K-State took a 58-53 lead with 3:41 remaining. Goth added four points, while Page buried her third 3-pointer of the night to cap the run.

The Wildcats were able to hold Iowa State at arm’s length in the final 2:10, as Goth converted a jumper to give K-State a 60-56 lead. After a defensive stop, Goth then finished an old fashioned three-point play with 1:28 to push the Wildcats in front 63-56. Overall, K-State outscored Iowa State, 29-25, in the fourth quarter. The 29 points tied the season-high for a quarter.

Kansas State returns to Bramlage Coliseum for a two-game home stand, as the Wildcats host (20/22) Oklahoma State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — For the first 15 minutes, Kansas State gave Texas all the No.8 Longhorns could handle.

Then Lashann Higgs knocked down a three from the corner to give Texas the lead and the Longhorns never looked back.

Higgs scored 26 points and No. 8 Texas used a big run to start the second half to beat Kansas State 75-64 on Sunday. Even with leading scorer Brooke McCarty having a rough shooting day as she scored just nine points, the Longhorns (13-1, 4-0 Big 12) had enough to beat the Wildcats.

“Credit to K-State’s defense that made us play off balance,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said. “Definitely wasn’t one of our better performances, I thought we did a pretty good job on their key offensive players.”

Kansas State (9-6, 1-3) took the early advantage holding the Longhorns to 12 points on 26 percent shooting in the first quarter.

Texas would have many chances to take the lead, but didn’t take advantage until Higgs hit a corner three at the 2:23 mark of the second quarter to give the Longhorns their first lead of the ballgame. On the next possession, Rellah Boothe would come back and surprise everybody with a three-pointer of her own.

“It kind of gave us the breathing room we needed,” Aston said. “It gave us a chance to regroup at halftime and talk about some things that were open against their zone. I thought we were better on the boards in the second half. I felt like we stood around too much in the second half.”

Meanwhile, the Wildcats struggled to generate offense as they went scoreless in the last 3:19 of the 1st half.

For a team that was trying to pull off their second straight upset in conference play, that scoring drought proved to be the beginning of Kansas State’s undoing.

“Their pressure defense got into us during that stretch,” Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie said after the game. “They got some run-outs in that stretch while our offense got bogged down and then we missed some shots that we normally make I think that’s that’s due to a team that plays physical on you and you’ve got a do a job better handling that. Or decision making in that stretch was not good, that’s part of what Texas does. They speed you up and play physical and we’ve got to do a better job handling that pressure.”

Kayla Goth scored 17 points on 6 of 17 shooting in the loss for the Wildcats.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State could not pick up back-to-back victories against ranked opponents but do manage to frustrate the Longhorns with their zone defense in the 1st half. However, the second half of the ballgame saw the Longhorns show their resolve and toughness as they put away the Wildcats with turnovers and athletic fast-break offense. A win like this is a good sign for the Longhorns as they have even tougher opponents like Texas and Baylor down the road.

UP NEXT

Texas: The Longhorns travel to face TCU on Wednesday.

Kansas State: The Wildcats travel to face Iowa State on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Keenan Evans and No. 18 Texas Tech have done more than just win their first three Big 12 games. The Red Raiders haven’t trailed in a conference game yet.

When Kansas State made a bit of a run in the second half Saturday, Evans scored the game’s next four points off turnovers and the Red Raiders maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way in a 74-58 victory.

“We just drew it in our head that we were not about to be that team that was about to have a letdown,” Evans said. “Past teams have beaten top teams and, in the next game, get beat. We really didn’t want to be that team. This wasn’t a cupcake game. Every night in the Big 12 is a grind-it-out game.”

Evans finished with 27 points as the Red Raiders backed up that 85-73 win four days earlier at Allen Fieldhouse, their first victory ever on the road against No. 10 Kansas.

Texas Tech (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) is one of only two Big 12 teams to make it through the first three conference games without a loss. No. 6 West Virginia beat No. 7 Oklahoma 89-76 later Saturday. Those were the only other teams to start the day 2-0 in the Big 12, and the Red Raiders play both of them next week.

“Just really pleased to get another win in this league,” Tech coach Chris Beard said. “These games are so hard to win. I don’t think most people understand how hard it is to win a game in the Big 12 Conference. All the preparation, how well you have to play, so I just want to recognize our players. I thought we had two great days of preparation.”

By shooting 70 percent in the first half, the Red Raiders jumped out to a 20-4 lead and settled for a 40-22 advantage at the break. The Red Raiders were still shooting 61 percent when Beard pulled starters from the game.

Dean Wade had eight points for K-State (11-4, 1-2) in a 16-8 spurt to get within 48-40 with just under 12 minutes left. That’s when Evans converted two turnovers into points, and Tech added a third basket after a turnover right after that.

Barry Brown led Kansas State with 24 points and Dean had 14 before fouling out in the final 3 minutes. Cartier Diarra added 11 points.

All 10 Texas Tech players scored, and Zhaire Smith was the only other in double figures with 11 points.

“They had some success and had some issues last season, but I thought they’d come back and play with a lot of heart and toughness,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “That’s what’s happened.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats fell one game below .500 in Big 12 play with a rivalry game against Kansas on the horizon after a midweek contest.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are 3-0 play for the first time since the 2003-04 season. They will almost certainly move up in the polls after two more double-digit victories this week, including the win over the Jayhawks.

HURT WILDCAT

K-State starting guard Kamau Stokes went to the Wildcats locker room with an apparent ankle injury before the first half ended and didn’t return. He scored two points in 15 minutes, well below his season average of 14.2 points per game.

Weber said Stokes would be evaluated further when the team returned home.

“Cartier hit a couple of 3s, he pushed it, made good decisions and got in the paint,” Weber said. “Obviously, he doesn’t have the same experience that Kam has, but he was solid for us and, depending what happens with Kam, obviously will have to get some more minutes if Kam’s out for a while.”

SMITH COMING BACK

Texas Tech forward Zach Smith, eight days after rolling his ankle in the Big 12 opener against Baylor, played 19 minutes and scored six points. He was limited in the game against Kansas.

“Zach Smith’s a warrior,” Beard said. “Average people, even good to great people, wouldn’t play any minutes at Kansas and wouldn’t even play tonight. But Zach’s an elite person who’s approached the rehab like a pro.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State returns home for a Wednesday game against Oklahoma State.

Texas Tech will visit No. 7 Oklahoma on Tuesday night. It’s the team’s second true road game this year, but it also is the squad’s fifth contest out of the state of Texas.

— Associated Press —