OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nina Davis took little credit for her 24-point outburst.

That, she said, should go to Kristy Wallace. Baylor’s point guard set a Big 12 Tournament record with 15 assists to help the second-ranked Bears defeat No. 24 Kansas State 88-71 on Sunday in the semifinals.

“She gets pretty much all the credit, 99.1 percent,” Davis said. “The other half is us finishing the shot. We go as Kristy goes. All season long, she’s been our Energizer Bunny. She never gets tired.”

Wallace matched her career high for assists in a game.

“She is just a great player,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “She can play through fouls. She can play through blood. She can play through a turnover, and she just is somebody you would sure like to be on the receiving end of her passes because she just gives it to you where you can finish.”

Alexis Prince and Kalani Brown each scored 18 points for Baylor (30-2), which goes for its seventh straight tournament championship Monday night when it plays West Virginia, which defeated No. 12 Texas 62-59 in the other semifinal.

Davis said she won’t take the opportunity for granted.

“Winning never gets old,” she said. “If I’m ever in a position where winning championships becomes the same-old same-old, it’s time for me to stop playing basketball.”

Karyla Middlebrook scored 20 points, Kindred Wesemann had 15 points and Breanna Lewis added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Kansas State (22-10), which had won four of its previous five games.

Baylor led 52-38 at halftime behind 16 points from Davis. Prince had 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting at the break, and the Lady Bears shot 59 percent from the floor in the first half. Baylor’s largest lead was 22 points in the second half.

Kansas State’s biggest concern came in the closing minutes when Wesemann, an All-Big 12 first-team performer, hurt her right arm. Coach Jeff Mittie said after the game that he’s not sure how she’s doing.

“They’re looking at her right now,” he said. “I think that the best thing I can tell you is we’re hoping that it’s a little pulled muscle, but I ask the doctors not to coach and they ask me not to be doctor. So I try to abide by that.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State won’t be penalized for losing at a neutral site to a team that has steamrolled most of its competition. Baylor beat Kansas State by 30 on Dec. 29 and by 42 on Jan. 25. The Lady Bears have done the same to numerous good teams this season. They beat No. 19 Oklahoma 103-64 last Monday.

Baylor added another quality win to its resume and boosted its case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bears scored at least 88 points for the third straight game. It was Baylor’s 11th victory over a ranked team this season.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kansas State’s loss came against a better opponent than most of the teams in the poll near the Wildcats will have, so they shouldn’t be affected much. Baylor solidified its No. 2 ranking.

STAT LINES
Baylor made 16 of 17 free throws, while Kansas State made 11 of 25.

“We had our opportunities,” Mittie said. “We were doing a great job of getting to the free throw line. We just weren’t converting.”

TIP-INS

Kansas State committed just eight turnovers. Baylor’s Brown had 12 rebounds. … Baylor made 6 of 10 3-pointers. … Middlebrook’s point total was her second-highest of the season.

QUOTABLE

Mulkey, on playing for another championship: “I get a paycheck. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State will likely play in the NCAA Tournament.

Baylor will play West Virginia in the Big 12 championship game on Monday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University President Richard Myers announced Thursday the formation of an eight-member search committee comprised of faculty, students, alumni and athletics representatives that will assist him in selecting the university’s next director of athletics. Myers appointed K-State Alumni Association President and CEO Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86 to chair the committee.

The committee will begin work immediately on a national search and offer its recommendations to Myers later this spring.

“The position of director of athletics at K-State has evolved into one of the top jobs in the country,” Myers said. “We are members of a strong conference and have incredible support from our passionate alumni base, students and other fans across the state and around the world. We are confident this position will attract highly qualified candidates.”

In addition to Button Renz, members of the search committee include: Dante Barnett ‘15, graduate student and former K-State football player; John Buckwalter, dean of the K-State College of Human Ecology; Suzie Fritz ‘02, K-State head volleyball coach; Jim Johnson ‘84, president and CEO of GE Johnson Construction Company; Hunter Post, K-State senior in kinesiology/pre-medicine and student member of president’s advisory committee on athletics; Be Stoney, K-State associate professor of curriculum and instruction and faculty athletics representative; and Mary Vanier ‘89, president of Grand Mere Development. Roberta Maldonado-Franzen ‘00, director of talent acquisition for K-State Human Capital Services, will assist the committee as a liaison.

Myers said he was very pleased Button Renz agreed to lead this search.

“Amy’s career has spanned nearly 40 years at K-State, and she has consistently demonstrated a long-standing commitment to alumni, students, faculty and staff,” Myers said. “Her relationships extend to the entire K-State family, and she is ideally suited to lead this search. We are fortunate to have a person with her qualifications and integrity.”

Commenting on the committee’s charge, Button Renz said, “I am honored to serve in this role and look forward to working with President Myers and the committee to bring the best possible candidates to Manhattan. The future of our athletics program has never been brighter, and we are excited to get started with the search.”

There will be no further updates from the committee until the new director of athletics is selected.

— K-State Press Release —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – John Currie, who since arriving in 2009 has led K-State Athletics through one of the most successful periods in department history, has been named the new Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at the University of Tennessee.

Since Currie’s introduction as director of athletics in May 2009, the Wildcats’ athletics program has experienced a seven-year period of athletic, academic and fundraising excellence that ranks among the best in school history. Currie, who will begin his new position on April 1, spent 10 years at Tennessee prior to his arrival at K-State.

Laird Veatch, current Deputy AD and former Wildcat football standout, has been named acting athletics director and will manage the department until a permanent hire has been made.

“I want to thank John for his tremendous leadership and efforts on behalf of our student-athletes and university,” said President Richard Myers. “It has been impressive to see the growth of our athletics department with the goal of building a Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program. I look forward to working with acting athletic director Laird Veatch and the staff as we continue to strengthen what is already a very strong relationship between intercollegiate athletics and the university community.”

Under Currie’s leadership, K-State has evolved into one of the NCAA’s most financially solvent programs while initiating $210 million in comprehensive facility improvements – all privately funded with zero state tax or university tuition dollars – including the new Vanier Football Complex, West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Ice Family Basketball Center, Intercollegiate Rowing Center and Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.

Athletically, Currie’s tenure has been marked by across the board success including seven straight bowl appearances in football, Big 12 Conference championships in football, men’s basketball and baseball, 47 individual Big 12 and eight NCAA titles in track and field, five men’s basketball NCAA Tournament appearances, three in women’s basketball, four in volleyball and three in baseball. The 2012-13 campaign was also one for the ages as K-State became just the fourth BCS school since 1998 to win league titles in football, men’s basketball and baseball the same year.

“Words cannot express how grateful our family is for the time and experience we have had here at K-State and in the Manhattan community,” Currie said. “Tennessee reached out to me earlier this week and encouraged me to visit with Chancellor Davenport about the position. It was evident early in our discussion that she has a tremendous vision for the University, and I am excited to be a part of her leadership team.

“From when I arrived at K-State back in 2009, I have experienced some of the most enjoyable moments in my life, filled with some of the most genuine and caring people I have ever met. As I have said so many times, the collective group of head coaches we have here rival those of any in all of college athletics. Our primary goal has been to provide a World-Class Student-Athlete Experience, and I know we have made tremendous progress in this arena. And of course, our fans continue to support the Wildcats in record numbers, and I know that will continue.”

Academically, all Wildcat programs boast multi-year APR marks of at least .944, with the football, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s cross country and women’s cross country teams sporting Big 12-leading scores. Approximately one-half of all 450-plus Wildcat student-athletes achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher this past academic year.

With the tag line of “Welcome to K-State” symbolizing the goal of providing The Best Fan Experience in the Big 12, K-State’s marketing and fundraising efforts have been completely overhauled in Currie’s tenure. K-State supporters have pushed attendance to new heights, while $200 million in total gifts have now been raised for K-State Athletics since Currie’s arrival.

K-State Athletics has also proven to be a great partner to the university, having eliminated approximately $3 million in annual state and direct university funding of intercollegiate athletics under Currie’s leadership to become the only institution in Kansas and one of only approximately two dozen nationwide to operate without these subsidies.

New ticket initiatives have led to 42 sellout crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium since 2009, including a current streak of 33 straight. The Cats have also set new season total and average attendance records in baseball, sold a record number of season tickets for volleyball and baseball and rank among the Top 35 nationally in attendance in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball and baseball.

The 2013 Bobby Dodd AD award winner and a 2012 UnderArmour AD of the Year, Currie has served on the NCAA Division I Administrative Cabinet and was the chair of the Big 12 ADs in 2013-14 while also being one of only two intercollegiate ADs named to SportsBusiness Journal’s 2011 prestigious Forty Under 40 list of national sports leaders.

— K-State Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Joyner Holmes scored 17 points, Lashann Higgs added 16 and No. 12 Texas beat No. 24 Kansas State 69-61 on Monday night to secure No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament.

Kelsey Lang hit a baseline jumper with 1:57 to go for a 61-54 lead and she fouled out 13 seconds later. Then Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau picked up her fifth foul with 1:22 left, but Kansas State missed both free throws and trailed 64-55.

Higgs made four straight free throws with under two minutes left, the last for a 10-point lead at the 1:06 mark.

Brianna Taylor added 12 points with 11 rebounds for Texas (22-7, 15-3), which broke a three-game losing streak. The Longhorns won their 15th conference game to tie the 2002-03 and 2015-16 teams for the program record.

Karyla Middlebrook scored 14 and Breanna Lewis had 12 points and nine rebounds for Kansas State (21-9, 11-7), which lost for the first time in four games.

Kansas State didn’t score for the first five minutes of the game and trailed 9-5 after the first quarter. Texas built a 27-19 halftime lead with 11 points from Joyner Holmes.

— Associated Press —

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — As usual, Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger deflected credit for a major accomplishment.

Khadeem Lattin had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to help the Sooners roll past Kansas State 81-51 for Kruger’s 600th career win.

Kruger became the 33rd coach to win at least 600 Division I games. Instead of soaking in the attention, he focused on his team finally earning a victory after losing nine of its previous 10.

“You think about how happy you are for the guys to get this one,” Kruger said. “It’s been a year in which it’s been a grind, and they’ve hung in there and they’ve continued to work at it, and they’ve continued to get better. That’s not easy to do when you are not getting positive results.”

Rashard Odomes, who scored 16 points for the Sooners, said the milestone meant something to the players.

“It was great,” he said. “It felt like something the team needed. It was great to get his 600th win. That just topped it off, just to get him something like that. It was a great game. We were just all out there having fun.”

Jordan Shepherd added 12 for the Sooners (10-18, 4-12 Big 12), who had lost nine of 10 since their upset win at West Virginia on Jan. 18. Kansas State’s point total and 25-percent shooting were season lows for the Wildcats, and for Oklahoma opponents.

“We were solid from start to finish,” Kruger said. “They missed some good looks as well. Guys were pretty focused, pretty engaged throughout.”

Isaiah Maurice scored 11 points for Kansas State (17-12, 6-10), which has lost five of six. Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said he didn’t have much to say after the game.

“You got your butt smacked,” Weber said. “I let them talk. `What are you thinking? What’s going on? What’s going on in your head, and what can we do? What can you do better? What can we do better?”

Oklahoma held Kansas State to 24 percent shooting in the first half and took a 33-20 lead. The Sooners, who had fallen apart many times late in games this season, shot 56.7 percent in the second half to put the game away.

“They’ve had some tough finishes that we haven’t quite been able to complete, but I thought (this was) our most complete effort, start to finish,” Kruger said.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State has been on a tailspin after a solid start, and the Wildcats needed this one to help their fading NCAA Tournament hopes. The loss to the last-place Sooners could put them at risk of missing out on the big dance.

Oklahoma had been playing solid basketball in recent weeks but coming up short on the scoreboard. The Sooners were coming off a four-point loss to Oklahoma State last Saturday and a six-point loss to Baylor on Tuesday. The victory should give the young Sooners confidence as the Big 12 Tournament nears.

STAT LINES
Kansas State had just four assists the entire game and made only 14 field goals. Maurice, who made 4 of 7 shots, was the only Kansas State player to shoot better than 50 percent.

“Isaiah played well, but other than that, nobody really gave us anything,” Weber said. “It’s sad for our guys. They’re a good group. I don’t think they’ve quit.”

QUOTABLE

Lattin, describing Odomes’ aggressiveness when he drives to the basket: “I’m going to the rim, and you can’t stop me.” Odomes then added, “I didn’t make that up, he made that up.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State plays at TCU on Wednesday.

Oklahoma plays at No. 3 Kansas on Monday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Jawun Evans and Leyton Hammonds led Oklahoma State back from a 14-point first-half deficit to defeat Kansas State 80-68 on Wednesday night.

With 6:07 left in the first half, Oklahoma State (19-9, 8-7 Big 12) used a 14-0 run over the next 3:08 to tie the game at 33. An Evans’ 3-pointer as time expired at the half left the Cowboys with a one-point deficit.

Oklahoma State took the lead on a Hammonds layup with 16:03 left in the game. Hammonds finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Evans scored a game-high 21 points, making 11 of 12 free throws, and had nine assists. Brandon Averette added 13 points.

The Cowboys outscored the Wildcats 42-29 in the second half.

Wesley Iwundu led the Wildcats (17-11, 6-9) with 21 points, shooting 14 of 17 from the free-throw line, and collecting nine rebounds. Dean Wade scored 11 points.

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have won four in a row.

Kansas State: The Wildcats have lost four straight at home.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State: Hosts Texas Tech on Saturday

Kansas State: Travels to Oklahoma on Saturday

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Karyla Middlebrook scored 19 points, Breanna Lewis added 18 and Kansas State held off No. 16 Oklahoma’s late rally for a 79-71 victory on Tuesday night.

Kansas State (20-8, 10-6 Big 12) has 20 wins for the first time since the 2011-12 season, including coach Jeff Mittie’s three seasons with the Wildcats. Oklahoma (21-7, 12-4 Big 12) had its five-game win streak snapped.

Kansas State had a 22-12 lead with 1:48 left in the first quarter, and maintained its double-digit advantage until late in the third quarter. The Sooners used a 15-4 run between the third and fourth quarters to pull to 61-60 with 5:14 to play.

Lewis scored five points, Eternati Willock added four of her 10 points, and the Wildcats stretched their lead to 70-62 with 1:51 left. Oklahoma cut the deficit to six but didn’t’ get closer.

Vionise Pierre-Louis scored 21 points to lead the Sooners.

— Associated Press —

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — D.J. Johnson tipped in a miss by Kamau Stokes with 1.6 seconds left, then made a free throw to send Kansas State to a 64-61 win over Texas on Saturday that snapped the Wildcats’ three-game losing streak.

Johnson’s tip came after Kansas State had called a timeout with 8 seconds left to set up a final play. Stokes, who had 14 points, drove to about 12 feet for the shot and Johnson got up over two defenders to get his hand on the ball for the winning basket.

“At the timeout I said, `somebody make a play, it might be a tip-in that makes the difference,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “Give D.J. a lot of credit.”

Wesley Iwundu scored 16 points and Barry Brown scored 15 for Kansas State (17-10, 6-8 Big 12), which had lost six of seven coming into the game.

Kendal Yancy scored 13 for Texas (10-17, 4-10) but also got beat to rebound on the final shot and fouled Johnson on the tip. Jarret Allen scored 12 for the Longhorns, who had rallied from nine points down early in the second half.

Kansas State led 48-39 but went nearly 8 minutes without scoring as Texas rallied before Stokes ended the drought with a 3-pointer. Andrew Jones tied it twice for Texas late, first with a 3-pointer, then a rim-rattling dunk that made it 59-59 with 1:22 left as the teams traded baskets down the stretch.

“Our guys kept believing and kept grinding,” Weber said.

BIG PICTURE:

Kansas State: The Wildcats really needed the victory if they hope to push for 20 wins and get above .500 in the Big 12 with the NCAA Tournament looming.

“It’s a hard league. You’ve got to grind it out, fight for everything. We got one today,” Weber said.

Texas: The Longhorns took another crushing loss in an already dismal season under second-year coach Shaka Smart. The Longhorns opened the season ranked in the Top 25 but have lost seven games by three points or less.

“Some of our younger guys are a little bit tired. They are fighting through it. They don’t have a choice but respond,” Yancy said.

HARD FOUL

Kansas State’s Austin Budke was ejected with about 12 minutes left after a hard foul on Allen. Allen was going up for a dunk when Budke hacked him in the neck area. Allen got up angry and the two players had to be separated. The game officials spend several minutes reviewing replays before ejected Budke and Texas reserves Dylan Osetkowski and Isaiah Hobbs who had left the bench area.

“I’ll have to watch the tape,” Weber said. “We don’t want to hurt anybody and Austin doesn’t want to hurt anybody. We had to be physical.”

Allen, who had been averaging a double-double in Big 12 play, finished with just four rebounds against the Wildcats.

LOVING LONG RANGE

The Wildcats and Longhorns made 13 of 17 3-point attempts in the first half and trading 11 over the final six minutes, including a stretch of five in a row. The Wildcats shot 76 percent in the first half overall, and didn’t have any offensive rebounds in the half.

The shooting cooled off sharply in the second half with just three 3-pointers after halftime.

UP NEXT

Kansas State plays Oklahoma State at home on Wednesday.

Texas travels to No. 9 West Virginia on Monday in search of its first road win of the season.

— Associated Press —

MANHTAAN, Kan. (AP) — Before Wednesday night, Solomon Young had just one start for Iowa State and a scoring average of just 3.4 points a game.

Young’s second start was one for the books.

The freshman scored a season-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Cyclones to an 87-79 win over Kansas State.

Deonte Burton added 17 points, Naz Mitrou-Long Long had 16, Monte Morris 15 and Matt Thomas 14 for Iowa State (16-9, 8-5 Big 12).

Young’s previous career high was 12 points against The Citadel and seven rebounds against Mississippi Valley State.

“We talked about it in the scouting report that their bigs help the weak side for blocked shots,” Young said. “So always stay in position to get the weak side rebound.”

Barry Brown had 21 points for Kansas State (16-10, 5-8) with Wesley Iwundu adding 16 with 13 rebounds.

Iowa State built a 19-point lead and led 42-26 at the half before withstanding a furious second half rally from the Wildcats, who got as close as six.

“We played very tentative, very casual on the defensive end,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “They (Iowa State) are a veteran group. They made some tough shots. Once you get a couple of them going, the big kid (Solomon) just killed us.”

After shooting 34 percent (12 of 35) in the first half, Kansas State shot 58 percent (18 of 31) in the second. An 11-0 run got them within striking distances, 49-42 with 12:27 to play, but the Cyclones pushed the lead back to 15.

Twice the Wildcats got within six, the last time with 4:09 to play, but in the final 1:03 Iowa State was 11 of 12 from the foul line. The Cyclones made 18 of 22 free throws in the second half to finish 22 of 26 for a seven-point advantage.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa State: The win was two in a row in Manhattan for the Cyclones, who last did that in 2000 and 01.

Kansas State: The Wildcats have now lost three straight games at home.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

With the loss to Iowa State, Bruce Weber now has a lower winning percentage (52 percent) than Jim Wooldridge had in his last three seasons at Kansas State.

INJURY REPORT

Kansas State forward DJ Johnson was limited after sitting out against West Virginia on Saturday. Johnson played 11 minutes and was held scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting.

UP NEXT

Iowa State hosts TCU on Saturday.

Kansas State travels to Texas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Chania Ray and Lanay Montgomery had double-doubles and West Virginia held on to defeat No. 24 Kansas State 66-59 on Wednesday night despite blowing most of a 19-point lead.

Ray had 14 points and 10 assists and Montgomery had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Mountaineers (18-8, 6-8 Big 12). Katina Pardee hit four 3-pointers and also had 14 points.

West Virginia made 9 of 17 shots in the first quarter to lead by 11 and had seven of its eight 3-pointers in the first half to lead 39-25

Down 11 after three quarters, the Wildcats (18-8, 8-6) scored the first eight of the fourth quarter, two on Kindred Wesemann’s 3-pointers, and had an 11-2 run to cut the gap to two. Kristina King had five points as the Mountaineers used a 9-0 run to push the lead to 61-50 with 2:22 to play.

Wesemann finished with 14 points and Kaylee Page added 12 for K-State, which couldn’t make stops down the stretch as West Virginia made its last five shots.

— Associated Press —