MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Marcus Foster and Thomas Gipson scored 15 points each to lead Kansas State, and Marshall Henderson’s go-ahead 3-point try with 2 seconds left missed everything, allowing the Wildcats to hang on for a 61-58 victory over Mississippi Thursday night.

Wesley Iwundu added 10 points, including a free throw after Henderson’s missed 3-pointer, as the Wildcats (5-3) beat the Rebels (6-1) for the first time in five tries.

Henderson, the flamboyant guard who dazzled in last year’s NCAA tournament, finished with 13 points but was just 4 of 18 from the field and 2 of 13 from beyond the arc.

Jarvis Summers led the Rebels with 18 points.

Neither team led by more than five points the entire way, and it remained tense in the closing seconds.

Henderson’s fade-away 3-pointer with 28.8 seconds left got the Rebels within 59-58, but Will Spradling made one of two free throws to give Kansas State a cushion.

Ole Miss raced the ball up court, and Derrick Millinghaus got the ball in the hands of Henderson, who let go with a tightly guarded 3-pointer from the wing that missed everything.

By the time Iwundu was fouled after the rebound, the Wildcats were already celebrating.

Their victory in the Big 12-SEC Challenge was a good sign of how far the young team has come in a short time. Kansas State lost on its home floor to Northern Colorado in its season opener.

The Wildcats led most of the first half, despite committing nine turnovers, thanks to an ability to break the Rebels’ full-court pressure and their dominance of the boards.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss struggled with foul trouble. Post players Anthony Perez, Aaron Jones and Demarco Cox each picked up a pair of fouls shortly after the midway point of the half, forcing coach Andy Kennedy to use some unique substitution patterns just to get to the break.

Henderson’s only basket of the half came on a layup with 7:37 left to get Ole Miss within 19-18, but the Wildcats answered with a bucket and two free throws at the other end. When the Rebels pulled even at 25-all later in the half, Kansas State scored the next four points again.

Summers’ basket just before the buzzer got the Rebels within 31-29 at the break.

The game remained tight throughout the second half, neither team able to create much separation. For the Wildcats, it was lousy foul shooting that prevented them from pulling away, and for Ole Miss it was miserable shooting from the perimeter that kept it from establishing a lead.

Henderson, who missed his first seven 3-point attempts, finally connected from deep with 5:37 left to knot the game 49-all. Sebastian Saiz’s putback and Cox’s basket in the paint gave the Rebels a four-point lead, their biggest to that point in the game.

The Wildcats slowly regained the lead from the foul line, despite making one of two on just about every trip, and Foster’s 3-pointer with 1:22 remaining gave them a 57-3 lead.

Jones answered with a putback at the other end for Ole Miss, and Shane Southwell was there to pick up a loose ball and scoop in a basket for Kansas State to restore a 59-55 lead with 36 seconds left. Henderson let loose a 3-pointer that splashed through the net with 28.8 seconds remaining.

— Associated Press —

After recording a school-record 440 all-purpose yards Saturday against No. 18 Oklahoma, Kansas State wide receiver/kick returner Tyler Lockett was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

The honor was Lockett’s first of the year and the fifth of his career, while K-State has a Big 12-best 24 conference weekly honors since 2011.

Lockett, who reset his own school record with 278 receiving yards, also added 162 yards on five kickoff returns to tally the fifth-best all-purpose output in FBS history and the second best in Big 12 history. His 440 all-purpose yards were nearly 100 more than the previous school record of 351 held by Darren Sproles vs. Louisiana in 2004 and Brandon Banks against Oklahoma in 2009.

During the contest, Lockett also broke the school record for career kickoff-return yards, a mark that now stands at 1,760, while he had three touchdown receptions to tie the school record for a second time this year.

Thanks to his performance, the Tulsa, Okla., product ranks in the school’s top 10 for single-season receptions (6th; 68), receiving yards (4th; 1,103), receiving touchdowns (t9th; 8), all-purpose yards (10th; 1,622), all-purpose yards per game (5th; 162.2) and kickoff return yards (10th; 509).

K-State concludes the regular season Saturday with the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. The game, which kicks off at 11 a.m., will be televised nationally by FOX Sports 1, while coverage from the K-State Sports Network begins at 9 a.m.

— KSU Sports Information —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Bob Stoops ran away from the tub filled with ice water just about as quickly and effectively as the Sooners’ Brennan Clay ran through the Kansas State defense on Saturday.

Who’d want to celebrate a milestone win by getting soaked on a frigid afternoon?

Clay ran for a career-high 200 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Sooners, and Trevor Knight filled in admirably at quarterback as No. 22 Oklahoma handled the Wildcats 41-31 to give Stoops his 158th victory and break a tie with coach Barry Switzer for the most in school history.

”I don’t look at anything at all individual,” Stoops said. ”I don’t have time to look at (the record). It’s something that, down the road, I’ll look back.”

Stoops insisted that the signature win didn’t feel any different coming against his former mentor, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder. Stoops was one of Snyder’s defensive assistants from 1989-95, and was instrumental in helping to turn around the wayward program.

”Bob’s never been one about whatever honors he’s won or been a part of,” said Mike Stoops, his younger brother and the Sooners’ defensive coordinator. ”I think with our whole team, it’s just not a big deal, even though I know he takes great pride in doing this.”

Freshman Trevor Knight, filling in for the injured Blake Bell, threw for 171 yards and accounted for two TDs for the Sooners (9-2, 6-2 Big 12), who found themselves in a shootout with a Kansas State offense that almost entirely abandoned the run.

Tyler Lockett was the beneficiary of it. The junior had 12 catches for a school-record 278 yards and three touchdowns, and finished with a school-record 440 yards of total offense.

”They challenged us to throw the ball and our receivers stepped up big,” said Jake Waters, who threw for 348 yards and accounted for four TDs. ”Tyler proved he’s one of the best in the nation so that made me look a lot better, too. You’ve got to give a lot of credit to Tyler.”

Waters didn’t look so good when he was picked off by the Sooners’ Zack Sanchez in the fourth quarter. Sanchez returned it 74 yards for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach.

It also ended a four-game winning streak for Kansas State (6-5, 4-4).

”This was a collective loss. Take your pick,” Snyder said. ”Oklahoma played very well. They were the better team and played better and coached better. They did everything better.”

The Sooners struck first when Knight hit Sterling Shepard from 12 yards out on third-and-goal in the first quarter, but that was about the last pass that Oklahoma called in the first half.

At one point, Stoops called for runs on 17 of 18 plays, including all 14 on a 98-yard TD drive. Clay and Knight did most of the work, with Knight fooling defensive end Ryan Mueller on a fake handoff and running untouched the final 8 yards for a 14-0 lead.

While the Sooners were pounding the ball, Kansas State abandoned the run.

Waters and Lockett took advantage of blown coverage to hook up for the first time for a 48-yard scoring strike early in the second quarter. When the Wildcats got the ball back, Waters found his favorite target with a perfectly thrown 30-yard TD pass in the corner of the end zone.

Oklahoma answered on the ground with Clay scooting to his right, sticking his foot in the turf and turning up field, racing past the secondary for a 69-yard touchdown run.

It took all of one play – a 90-yard pitch-and-catch from Waters to Lockett – for the Wildcats to make it 21-all. The TD catch also allowed Lockett to match the school record for a single game.

Michael Hunnicutt’s field goal in the final seconds gave Oklahoma a 24-21 halftime lead.

As entertaining as the first half was for offensive savants, the third quarter turned into a sluggish affair. Both teams muddled their way to field goals on time-consuming drives.

The Sooners finally seized control when they pinned Kansas State at the 3-yard line. The Wildcats went three-and-out, and Mark Krause’s punt into the wind went nowhere. Jalen Saunders caught it on the run and returned it to the 3, where Clay ran it in on the next play.

Oklahoma put the game out of reach moments later, when Sanchez picked off Waters and returned it up the sideline for a touchdown. The Sooners’ sideline erupted as he crossed the goal line to make it 41-24 with just over 11 minutes left in the game.

Waters added a TD run for Kansas State in the closing minutes for the final margin.

”We had our chances and we let it slip,” Waters said. ”That kind of proves that we’re almost there, but we’re not quite there yet. We still have a lot of room to improve.”

— Associated Press —

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera had 25 points to lead four Georgetown starters in double-figures as the Hoyas overwhelmed Kansas State in a 90-63 victory on Friday at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Jabril Trawick added 16 points for the Hoyas (2-2).

Georgetown coach John Thompson III didn’t hold his tongue in critiquing his team’s dismal second-half performance in its opening-game loss to Northeastern on Thursday.

The Hoyas responded by playing much more fluidly in their offensive sets and by limiting their mistakes. They led by as many as 29 and shot 63 percent from the field for the game with 19 assists.

Kansas State (2-3) fell in a 10-0 hole early and never could sting together a meaningful run. Thomas Gipson led the Wildcats with 18 points. In his third game back after from injury Gipson got more involved, but again was stunted early because of foul trouble.

Georgetown was the much livelier team out of the opening tip and led by 17 at the half.

K-State picked things up in the final 20 minutes, but its efforts were too late as the Georgetown pushed its lead above 20 with just under 12 minutes to play.

Coming off a lackluster shooting performance down the stretch in the Northeastern loss, the Hoyas were a lot more fluid in the first half Friday against the Wildcats.

The Hoyas pushed the pace early, forcing 10 K-State turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. Georgetown also spread the ball around in the half court, shooting 63 percent and racking up 11 assists on its 17 field goals.

The Wildcats connected on just 8 of 24 attempts from the field in the half and had only two assists.

— Associated Press —

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Mike Thorne had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Denzel Ingram added 12 as Charlotte held off a late second half charge and beat Kansas State 68-61 in the opening game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan on Thursday.

Charlotte led by as many as 13 points in the second half and won their second straight despite being held under 80 points for the first time this season.

Nigel Johnson led the Wildcats with 14 points.

K-State’s loss ends a two-game win streak. The Wildcats led only once in the game, and struggled in the paint where they were outrebounded 46-34. It was the third time this season they have been beaten on the boards.

The 49ers will play the winner of Northeastern and Georgetown Friday.

— Associated Press —

Following his 4-for-4 performance in Kansas State’s thrilling 33-31 victory over TCU, which included the game-winning 41-yard field goal, sophomore place kicker Jack Cantele has been named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

Cantele, who shared the honor with Oklahoma punt returner Jalen Saunders, picked up his first career weekly designation, while it marked the Wildcats’ Big 12-leading 23rd player-of-the-week honor since 2011.

A product of Wichita, Kan., Cantele tied for second in school history with his four makes, which came from distances of 31, 34 and 23 yards before his game-winner with three seconds remaining. His kick proved to be the Wildcats’ first game-winning field goal with less than one minute remaining since 1980 and gave K-State bowl eligibility for the fourth-straight season.

Cantele pushed his season total to 11 field goals made on 13 attempts. He is two field goals shy of moving on to the school’s single-season top-10 list, while his 84.6-percent rate ranks fifth in K-State history.

Kansas State hosts 18th-ranked Oklahoma Saturday in an 11 a.m., contest at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

— KSU Sports Information —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — An upcoming trip to the Puerto Rico Tip Off didn’t look too good to Bruce Weber after his team’s first two games. He wanted to see his team perform from the opening tip and that’s exactly what came to be in its third game of the season.

Marcus Foster had 17 points and Shane Southwell added 14 as Kansas State beat Long Beach State 71-58 on Sunday.

It was the seventh all-time meeting between the programs. Kansas State now holds a 4-2 advantage in the series.

”The effort and emotion was so much better,” Weber said. ”Probably before Oral Roberts, we really pounded them with the Northern Colorado loss. They probably didn’t have quite the legs, but we gave them a day off finally. We had two of our better practices over the last two days with good energy.”

Kansas State used a 17-4 run to open up a 26-9 lead with 6:48 left in the first half.

After the run, Kansas State never saw its lead dip below 13 points.

Dan Jennings had 14 points and 12 rebounds to pace the 49ers. The senior forward has recorded a double-double in each of the 49ers’ first four games.

A basket from Jennings closed the Kansas State margin to 14 points with 2:20 left in the first half. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Foster quickly sent it back to a 20-point margin. The Wildcats went into the break with a 39-22 lead.

”Long Beach is a pretty good team,” Foster said. ”We came out and played hard. We got a lead on them early and we kept the lead. It set the tone for how we want to play in the (Puerto Rico) tournament.”

Foster’s 42 points through Kansas State’s first two games is the most for a freshman in back-to-back games since Michael Beasley in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

”I think he is obviously a quality player,” Monson said. ”For a freshman, he has great feel and aggressiveness.”

Long Beach State turned it over 10 times in the first half and finished with 20 for the game.

Those offensive miscues led to 19 Kansas State points off of turnovers and 15 in fast break opportunities. The Wildcats 13 steals were the most in nearly three seasons.

”They really dominated us with their defensive pressure early and set a tone,” Monson said. ”We couldn’t get in any offensive rhythm and it started putting so much pressure on our defense and our rebounding to get stops. We weren’t able to do that and they just took control.”

Kansas State limited Long Beach State’s leading scorer Mike Caffey to 9 points. The junior had averaged 18.7 points through the previous three games.

”We picked up our pressure,” Weber said. ”I’ve got to complement Will (Spradling), he did a great job. Caffey’s good and if you let him get going, he’s as good of guard as any we’re going to see.”

The 49ers pounded the paint against the Wildcats in the second half. They shortened the Wildcat lead to 13 with 11:47 left, but baskets from DJ Johnson and Wesley Iwundu quickly slammed the door on Long Beach State.

The Wildcats got to the free throw line and converted on nine of their final 10 attempts. The 71 percent performance was a season best for the defending Big 12 champions.

The game was the debut for Kansas State’s leading returning big man Thomas Gipson. The Wildcats hoped the junior’s season opener would help in improving their rebounding, but the 49ers came away with a 39-29 advantage.

”I was pleased with our rebounding,” Monson said. ”It was one thing we really challenged the guys on and that was a high point for us. It is a little misleading in that we out-rebounded a team, but we missed so many more shots than they did.”

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State’s Jack Cantele had never tried a game-winning field goal, not as a kid growing up in Wichita or as the star kicker at Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School.

In his words, he’d been waiting his whole life for the opportunity.

So when the sophomore drilled a 41-yarder with 3 seconds remaining Saturday, his fourth field goal of the game, he leaped into the air in a wild celebration. The kick gave the Wildcats a 33-31 victory over TCU and made them bowl eligible for the fourth straight season.

”There was no doubt it was going in. It was one of the best kicks I’ve ever kicked,” said Cantele, whose older brother Anthony also kicked for Kansas State.

”I didn’t know how to react,” Cantele said. ”Someone hit me from behind and I fell to the ground, and I just started beating the crap out of the ground. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Kansas State (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) was flagged for excessive celebration when several players ran off the bench. But the 15-yard penalty didn’t matter. TCU (4-7, 2-6) couldn’t do anything with the ensuing kickoff as Kansas State wrapped up its fourth straight win.

”The bottom line is we didn’t play nearly as well as I’d like us to play,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said, ”but we played well enough to win.”

Just barely, though. The Wildcats squandered a 17-7 halftime lead, and then watched as the Horned Frogs’ Jaden Oberkrom hit a 56-yard field goal to give TCU a 31-30 lead with 2:13 left.

Kansas State took over and Jake Waters deftly marched his team down field, hitting Tyler Lockett for 12 yards to convert a third down, and then hitting him again for 8 more yards. That was enough to get Cantele within range of the go-ahead field goal.

”It was just a great ballgame,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said.

Not such a great return to his alma mater. Patterson grew up in tiny Rozel, Kan., and played for the Wildcats from 1980-81. He said he hadn’t been back in years.

The stinging defeat left his team ineligible for a bowl game for the first time since 2004.

”This is only the second time in 16 years that we haven’t been to a bowl game,” Patterson said. ”We’ve got two weeks and we’ve got an opportunity to play a Baylor team at home. It won’t be a bowl game, so the Baylor game will have to be our bowl game.”

The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead when Daniel Sams, alternating with Waters at quarterback, scooted 11 yards for a touchdown. A few minutes later, Waters hit Lockett – who had beaten All-American cornerback Jason Verrett – with a 74-yard touchdown pass.

TCU finally got going when B.J. Catalon left Kansas State safety Dante Barnett grasping for air on a 15-yard TD run. But the Wildcats answered Cantele’s field-goal for a 17-7 halftime lead.

The Horned Frogs pulled ahead in the second half when Trevone Boykin hit Josh Dotson in the back of the end zone from a yard out. After a fumble by Sams, Boykin carried around the left side on fourth-and-1 from the Kansas State 7 for a touchdown and a 21-17 lead.

In a game of wild momentum swings, Kansas State quickly took it back.

On third-and-14 from the Wildcats’ 21-yard line, Waters took advantage of time in the pocket to hit Tramaine Thompson in broken coverage. He out-ran safety Elisha Olabode to the end zone for a 24-21 lead – the 79-yard scoring strike the longest for Kansas State since 2005.

Back came the Horned Frogs, who went after backup safety Dylan Schellenberg, pressed into duty after an injury to Ty Zimmerman. David Porter ran past Schellenberg and caught Pachall’s 51-yard touchdown pass to give TCU a 28-24 lead late in the third quarter.

Cantele added a field goal to pull within a point, and then Kansas State took advantage of a bizarre penalty to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The Horned Frogs were whistled for having two players wearing No. 2 on the field during a punt, giving Kansas State a fourth-and-1, which they converted for a first down. The drive ended with Cantele kicking a 23-yard field goal for a 30-28 lead.

”It’s the first time where that’s ever happened,” Patterson said of the penalty.

The Horned Frogs marched to the Kansas State 39 on their ensuing possession, but defensive end Alauna Finau got his hand on Pachall’s pass on third-and-5. Patterson decided to send Oberkrom onto the field rather than punt, and his 56-yard field goal had a few yards to spare.

It turned out, though, that the Horned Frogs left too much time on the clock.

”After the field goal, I had a lot of faith in our defense,” Pachall said. ”But we really shouldn’t have put them in that situation and put all of the pressure on them.”

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Marcus Foster hit four 3-pointers and finished with 25 points, helping Kansas State rebound from a rare season-opening loss to beat Oral Roberts 71-63 on Wednesday night.

D.J. Johnson added 12 points and Will Spradling 10 for the Wildcats (1-1), who lost their first home opener in two decades to Northern Colorado earlier in the week. That defeat also ended the defending Big 12 champions’ 47-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum.

Kansas State struggled early on against the Golden Eagles (1-1) but finally found its rhythm early in the second half, and then made enough plays in the closing minutes to put them away.

Obi Emegano, a transfer from Western Illinois, scored 24 points to lead Oral Roberts. Utah transfer Shawn Glover scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half.

— Associated Press —