ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — Kansas State coach Bruce Weber didn’t panic when his 12th-ranked Wildcats struggled to score Sunday against Penn.

Instead, Weber counted on Kansas State’s defense to settle things down in the Wildcats’ 64-48 victory over the Quakers in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam tournament.

Dean Wade scored 17 points to lead three players in double figures for Kansas State (4-0), which advanced to Monday night’s championship game against Missouri at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center.

“Our defense has been our strength,” said Weber, whose Wildcats forced Penn into 19 turnovers, leading to 24 points. “It was last year, and so far we’ve been pretty good.

“Our guys were trying to make plays, and we’ve gotta let the team make the plays. We’ve got good balance, and we just need to let things come to us.”

Kamau Stokes added 16 points and Xavier Sneed had 11 for the Wildcats, who advanced to their fourth in-season tournament final under Weber.

“It’d be nice to finally get one,” Wade said. “We got a little antsy on offense at the beginning. We had some interesting shot selection, but once we got settled down, things started flowing. We started getting buckets.”

Devon Goodman scored 18 points and Michael Wang added 14 for the Quakers (4-1), who led by as many as eight points in the first half.

As Kansas State struggled, missing 18 of its first 22 shots, Penn was able to pull ahead 19-11 on Wang’s layup with 7:16 remaining in the first half.

But the Wildcats scored 17 of the next 19 points to lead 28-21 at the half. Austin Trice’s tipin with 2:46 left made it 21-all, and Wade’s 3-point play at 1:35 put Kansas State ahead 24-21.

“We’re a very good defensive team, and I thought we guarded them the whole night,” Penn coach Steve Donahue said. “But they’re big and strong, and they wore us down. They’re a very good basketball team. They wore us down, and we didn’t make shots we typically make.”

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Bill Snyder dodged every question that hinted at whether he had just coached his final home game at Kansas State, preferring instead to shower his seniors and defense with hard-won praise.

They certainly provided the Wildcats a throwback performance.

They held high-flying Texas Tech to 181 yards total offense, forced four turnovers and generally made life miserable for the Red Raiders on Saturday. Their comprehensive 21-6 victory, which also kept alive Kansas State’s bowl aspirations, looked a lot like all those wins during the 1990s, when Snyder’s defenses kept the Wildcats near the top of the college football hierarchy.

“I was really proud of our defensive players, our coaches. Pretty special,” said the 79-year-old Snyder, who some believe could retire after this season. “Regardless of the win, the real effort of how we played was special.”

Skylar Thompson returned from a concussion to throw for 213 yards and a touchdown, Blake Lynch hit four field goals and Alex Barnes added 136 yards rushing for the Wildcats (5-6, 3-5 Big 12), who topped the Red Raiders (5-6, 3-5) for the seventh time in their last eight meetings.

Texas Tech still hasn’t won in Manhattan since 2008.

“You have to give them credit,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said, “but we were not able to run the ball at all and the passing game was not very sharp. We were not very crisp.”

Red Raiders quarterback Jett Duffy, who threw for 444 yards and four TDs last week against Texas, was just 19 of 27 for 150 yards and an interception. The sophomore also lost two fumbles while spending most of the game under constant pressure for the Wildcats’ defensive front.

The Red Raiders had been averaging 383 yards passing, second-best nationally, but were essentially grounded by Kansas State on a cold, steel-gray afternoon.

“Everyone was doing their job. Everyone was executing,” Kansas State linebacker Wyatt Hubert said. “I’m just proud of the way the defense came together and played how we’re supposed to.”

Clayton Hatfield hit a pair of fields to help Texas Tech to an early 6-3 lead, but the Wildcats soon pulled ahead late in the first half. They took over when Duffy lost his first fumble near midfield and needed seven plays for Thompson to find freshman Malik Knowles in the end zone for the score.

The Wildcats had trouble adding to their lead, though.

They marched to the Texas Tech 10 to start the second half before Barnes was stuffed on fourth-and-1. Kansas State blocked a punt out of the end zone moments later for a safety, but Thompson tossed an interception in the end zone a few minutes later to spoil a chance for more.

But the Red Raiders were even more impotent on offense.

They coughed up the ball when Duffy had his arm his hit while preparing to throw, and Kansas State turned that fumble into a field goal. Another promising drive ended when Duffy threw an interception to A.J. Parker deep in Kansas State territory, and the Wildcats tacked on another field goal.

They were still leading 18-6 when Texas Tech forced a punt with about 6 minutes left, and Kingsbury sent McLane Carter in at quarterback. The very first snap hit Carter in the knee and Kansas State pounced on yet another fumble to set up one final field goal.

“I thought they got after us,” Kingsbury said, “seemed to play harder and took it to us. We knew they would be. I thought we had a good plan but I did not put us in position to be successful.”

QUOTABLE

“That’s not our team. Everyone in that locker room knows that’s not us. It looks like one of the teams in the past. And we are very soft on all three phases. They just dominated us. Credit them for being prepared and playing a hard game.” — Texas Tech defensive back Jah’Shawn Johnson.

DALTON’S DISAPPOINTMENT

Kansas State right tackle Dalton Risner thought he’d scored a touchdown on a lateral late in the game, but the officials reviewed the play and decided it was a forward pass. The illegal touching foul took away the TD and set up Lynch’s final field goal.

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas Tech has lost four straight and is in danger of missing out on a bowl game, and the offense was to blame in this one. The Red Raiders’ 181 yards were their fewest since Sept. 14, 2010, against Texas, and it was the first time since 1997 that Kansas State held them without a touchdown.

Kansas State wasn’t all about defense on Saturday. Barnes had his sixth 100-yard rushing game this season, the most since Daniel Thomas had seven in 2010. He also pushed his season total to 1,171 yards, which is the seventh-best single season in school history.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech plays Baylor next Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Kansas State visits Iowa State in its regular-season finale next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — Xavier Sneed scored 16 points to lead five Kansas State players in double figures, and the No. 12 Wildcats beat Eastern Kentucky 95-68 on Friday night in the Paradise Jam tournament.

Dean Wade and Cartier Diarra added 14 points each, and Kamau Stokes and Barry Brown Jr. had 10 points apiece for the Wildcats (3-0), who advance to Sunday’s semifinals at the University of the Virgin Islands’ Sports and Fitness Center.

Dujuanta Weaver scored 12 points and Nick Mayo added 11 points for the Colonels (2-2), whose only lead came when Kelvin Robinson’s jumper 19 seconds in made it 2-0.

But Kansas State went on a 13-5 run over the next six minutes before taking a 37-28 lead into halftime.

The Wildcats led by as many as 31 points late in the half when James Love’s hook shot made it 93-62.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Three of the veterans that led Kansas State to the Elite Eight last season spent the past week shuffling in and out of practice, each of them dealing with a nagging early season injury.

Barry Brown and Dean Wade were good enough to play against Kennesaw State on Friday night.

Xavier Sneed wound up sitting out the game.

Most of the way, the No. 12 Wildcats could have used him.

It wasn’t until Brown and Wade helped to trigger a run midway through the second half that Kansas State finally established a comfortable cushion. Brown finished with 15 points and Wade added 13 as the Wildcats persevered for a 56-41 victory in their season opener.

“We were our worst enemy when it came to missing a layup, making a turnover,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “I hope they left with a sour taste in their mouth and come back and practice better tomorrow, but it’s good that we made some plays at the end.”

Makol Mawien added 15 points and Austin Trice had 12 rebounds in his debut for the Wildcats, who led just 31-27 at halftime before leaning on their stingy defense to go on that late run.

It was enough to help the Wildcats win their 24th consecutive non-conference game at Bramlage Coliseum even without Sneed, who sprained his ankle in practice and was held out as a precaution.

“If we were playing Kansas tonight,” Weber said, “he’s playing. We just have a big stretch coming up, Monday and then going to the Virgin Islands. We all felt it was better to rest him.”

Kosta Jankovic had 10 points to lead the Owls (1-1), who committed 21 turnovers and were no match athletically for their Big 12 foe. Kansas State had a 42-12 edge inside and 24-4 in transition.

“I mean, shooting 1 for 13 from 3 isn’t good,” Wade said of the Wildcats’ offensive struggles, “but it starts with defense. You get a couple stops, some easy layups, it gets everybody’s confidence up. It all starts on the defensive end.”

Still, the Wildcats probably could have used Sneed most of the way.

Wade was trapped and double-teamed inside throughout the first half, rendering him mostly ineffective, and nobody else could execute well in the half-court. That left the Wildcats’ offense to come almost entirely on the fast break, where Brown proved most successful at running the court.

Trice also got into the act early, making a highlight play by blocking Kennesaw State’s Pietro Agostini and taking the rebound to the other end for a scooping layup.

But otherwise, the Wildcats scraped and clawed their way through the first 20 minutes.

Most of their second 20 wasn’t a whole lot better.

Kennesaw State answered every time Kansas State tried to go on a run, and Kyle Clarke bookended a basket by Tyler Hooker to get the Owls within 41-37 with 9 1/2 minutes to go.

Cartier Diarra finally sparked the Wildcats by taking a run-out, spinning in the lane and getting a layup to go. Wade added a putback, Mawien converted in the paint and Brown scored on yet another fast break as the Wildcats ripped off eight straight points to take a 49-37 lead.

Kansas State slowly added to its advantage in the closing minutes.

“Like our coaches said in the locker room, we still won,” Brown said. “We’re 1-0 right now and that’s all that really matters.”

BIG PICTURE

Kennesaw State: The Owls proved they can hang tough for 30 minutes, but the Wildcats’ superior depth began to show in the second half. Kennesaw State also hurt its upset bid with a series of sloppy turnovers, including four in a span of just a few minutes in the second half.

Kansas State: Diarra and Kamau Stokes, the Wildcats’ two primary ball handlers, were shut out in the first half. Each finished with two points, going a combined 2 for 10 from the floor, putting some extra pressure on the rest of the team to score.

UP NEXT

Kennesaw State: Visits Samford on Monday night.

Kansas State: Plays Denver at Bramlage Coliseum on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU quarterback Mike Collins knew he had a good play even after the dropped the snap.

The sophomore transfer from Penn threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Reagor in the third quarter and the Horned Frogs held on for a 14-13 win over Kansas State on Saturday after the Wildcats missed a potential game-tying extra point in the fourth.

“I knew it was going to be a good play pre-snap,” Collins said after his second start. “Then fumbled the snap and picked it up, and knew he was going to be open. So give him a chance, and he made a great play.”

The Horned Frogs (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) avoided the first four-game losing streak in 18 seasons under coach Gary Patterson, and improved their chances of becoming bowl eligible for the 16th time in that stretch.

The missed PAT, a muffed punt and a botched field goal attempt put Kansas State (3-6, 1-5) in the position of having to win its three remaining games to qualify for a bowl.

“A loss is a loss,” coach Bill Snyder said. “A close ballgame like that may hurt a bit more.”

The Wildcats lost quarterback Skylar Thompson to an injury in the first quarter, but backup Alex Delton answered each TCU touchdown.

Reagor fought off cornerback AJ Parker on the deep throw from Collins, turned and ran into the end zone to break a 7-7 tie midway through the third quarter. Jonathan Song kicked what turned out to be an important extra point.

On the touchdown pass, Collins threw into a 23-mph wind.

“There were some gusts, but nothing I could control, except get the ball downfield and giving our guys a chance,” said Collins, who was 17 of 33 for 218 yards with the decisive score.

Reagor has a four-game touchdown streak. In tight coverage against Kansas State, he caught only three of 11 passes thrown his way, but for a game-high 92 yards.

“I expect double coverage,” Reagor said. “When I get a chance, I have to make a play.”

Delton found Malik Knowles for a 27-yard touchdown on his first series late in the first quarter, and scored on a 1-yard plunge early in the fourth before sophomore Blake Lynch hooked the PAT attempt to the left with 9:16 remaining.

“Of course I feel horrible for him,” Snyder said. “He’s one of the young guys. He didn’t lose the ballgame for us. There were a bunch of us that made mistakes that contributed.”

Jarrison Stewart’s 31-yard catch set up a 4-yard run by Darius Anderson for a 7-0 TCU lead after Isaiah Zuber muffed a punt and Jawuan Johnson recovered at the Kansas State 43-yard line.

Patterson said the south wind caused Zuber to have to run toward punter David Andrew.

“The wind was bad today,” Patterson said. “When we punted against the wind, we kept our defense in because we didn’t want anybody to run it back.”

Delton, who hadn’t played in four games, kept Kansas State’s first scoring drive alive by drawing the Frogs offsides on fourth-and-1 on his first snap. Seven plays later, Delton threw to an outstretched Knowles in the back of the end zone.

Alex Barnes, the Big 12’s second-leading rusher, gained 76 of his 102 yards in the second half for the Wildcats. Delton was 15 of 25 for 155 yards, and had 36 rushing yards in 23 attempts.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: The Wildcats dominated the second quarter, but missed a chance for a 26-yard field goal when holder Colby Moore couldn’t handle the snap and threw a pass into the end zone that TCU’s Markell Simmons intercepted.

TCU: The road to Patterson’s 16th bowl bid could come down to the final two weeks, if the Horned Frogs don’t win at West Virginia. The Horned Frogs get Baylor at home before going to Oklahoma State.

ANOTHER YEAR WITHOUT?

Bowl misses have been rare for Snyder and Patterson. Snyder’s teams have been to 19 bowls in his first 26 seasons, missing only in his first four years (1989-1992), in 2004-05 and in 2009 after a three-year coaching hiatus. TCU’s last season without a bowl was 2013, and Patterson’s only other miss with the Frogs was in 2004.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Rival Kansas at home next Saturday.

TCU: At No. 12 West Virginia next Saturday.

— Associated Press —

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma is starting to look like a complete team.

Kyler Murray passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score to help No. 8 Oklahoma beat Kansas State 51-14 on Saturday. The Sooners (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) rolled up a season-high 702 total yards and only punted once, and that was in the fourth quarter after Murray was done for the day.

But the defense did its job, too, putting together its second consecutive solid performance under interim defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill. Oklahoma held the Wildcats (3-5, 1-4) to 245 yards, a season low for an opponent, a week after holding TCU to 275 yards.

“For them to have some success after some of the changes — to have that success makes a difference, and it continues to breed confidence,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “So the key is, as the success comes, the work ethic has got to continue to rise. Ruffin’s done a great job. It’s not an easy role to step into.”

Kansas State’s Alex Barnes, who entered the game as the Big 12’s leading rusher, was limited to 28 yards on 13 carries. He rushed for 250 yards against Baylor and 181 against Oklahoma State in his previous two games.

“He’s been tremendous against everybody, so that’s, of all the stats in the game, that’s one of the ones that I know I’m most proud of,” Riley said.

Linebacker Kenneth Murray said the defensive improvement has stemmed from keeping things simple and players holding each other accountable.

“At the end of the day, it’s about us,” he said. “It’s about us playing for each other, and I think that’s the biggest thing that we’ve built on these last few weeks, is just playing for the brother next to you, not trying to let the brother down next to you. I think our brotherhood right now is at an all-time high.”

As for the Oklahoma offense, it purred as usual. The Sooners scored at least 45 points for the fourth consecutive game. CeeDee Lamb caught four passes for a career-high 160 yards and two touchdowns, and Kennedy Brooks ran for 94 yards and two scores.

The Sooners gained 209 yards in the first quarter and took a 17-0 lead. Murray threw two touchdown passes in the period, including an 82-yard connection with Lamb.

Murray ran for a 9-yard touchdown in the second quarter to push the lead to 31-7, and the Sooners were ahead 34-7 at the break. Murray completed 17 of 22 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 37 yards and another score in the first half.

Skylar Thompson passed for 108 yards and ran for 54 for Kansas State. Two weeks after a dominant performance against Oklahoma State, the Wildcats regressed.

“I’ll have to reinvest some time and try and find out if the ship has ever been in this condition before,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. “I’m not sure that it has.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: The Wildcats ran for 319 yards against Baylor and 291 yards against Oklahoma State in their previous two games. They found the going tough against the Sooners, a bit of a surprise against a Sooner team that had struggled at times against the run this season. Kansas State gained just 137 yards rushing on 32 carries.

Oklahoma: The Sooners won time of possession for the second straight week, and for just the third time this season. They ran for 322 yards on 39 carries, a good sign for a team that lost star running back Rodney Anderson in the second game of the season.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Sooners might not move up much in the next poll, but they helped perception with a second consecutive dominant performance.

RUSS RETURNS

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook stood on Oklahoma’s sideline during Saturday’s game.

Westbrook was the NBA’s MVP in 2016-17 and has averaged a triple-double the past two years. He attended Oklahoma’s game against UCLA earlier this season, but he wore UCLA gear because he went to college there.

“I did see him,” Kyler Murray said. “I did see him on the other sideline when we played UCLA, so it’s nice that he came to show love.”

STEADY LAMB

Lamb caught a touchdown pass for the seventh straight game. He has nine touchdown receptions in that span. For the season, he has 34 receptions for 674 yards.

UP NEXT

Kansas State plays at TCU on Saturday.

Oklahoma plays at Texas Tech on Saturday.

— Associated Press —