Staying alive: K-State beats Baylor to bolster NCAA prospects
Ken Corbitt
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State lives another day, and now likely longer.
The Wildcats maintained their focus was solely on Baylor and the Big 12 Tournament, and they took care of business by knocking off the No. 9 Bears 70-64 on Thursday at Sprint Center.
A bigger prize was looming, and it was hard to ignore. This victory, K-State's second of the season over Baylor, should be enough to float their bubble right into the NCAA Tournament.
"We came here to win this championship, not to just win one game," Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. "Our focus has to be on getting to that championship game."
Another victory, over No. 2 seed West Virginia in the Big 12 semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday, would certainly secure a trip to the NCAA tourney for the sixth-seeded Wildcats (20-12) after a two-year absence.
"We're not done," Weber said. "We told them the only way you know you're in the NCAA Tournament is to win this tournament. We took one step toward that and now all we can focus on is West Virginia."
Barry Brown scored 21 points for K-State, making 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute to help seal the win.
"I was trying to stay focused and not worry about making or missing," said Brown, who went 9 of 13 at the line. "I was worried about my routine, keeping my hands up and taking deep breaths."
Brown broke out of his shooting slump, making all four of his 3-point attempts in a 4-for-6 shooting night.
"My teammates got me open and I had to reward them by making shots," Brown said.
"Sheesh, four-for-four, that speaks for itself," K-State forward D.J. Johnson, who had 13 points and seven rebounds, said of Brown's shooting.
The Wildcats turned in what may have been their most complete effort of the season when it was needed most.
"We talked about playing with determination," Weber said. "I told them before the game you can look the word up in the dictionary and they give you a long definition of what it is, but when you feel it, see it and when they have it — playing hard, getting on the floor, fighting — I really appreciate it.
"Both ends of the court — sharing the basketball, making good shots, making our free throws, defense. We outdid them at what they do well. That's what makes it special."
Baylor (25-7) broke on top early, giving all appearances of dashing K-State's hopes right away. The Bears got a pair of baskets from All-Big 12 forward Johnathan Motley to grab an 8-3 lead, but the Wildcats then settled in on both ends of the floor.
The Wildcat defense stepped up its intensity with good off-side help, not allowing the Bears many good looks at the basket and forcing nine first-half turnovers that led to 11 points.
On offense, the spark was provided by Isaiah Maurice. The 6-foot-10 freshman positioned himself under the basket, the guards found him and he finished plays to score six straight points.
Maurice even prevailed in a verbal showdown against Jo Lual-Acuil, with the Baylor 7-footer drawing a technical foul. Kamau Stokes made both free throws on the technical, capping an 8-0 K-State spurt for a 16-13 lead.
"Isaiah gave us quality minutes — eight points in eight minutes and pulled down a couple of rebounds," Johnson said. "The bench production was great."
Baylor regained a 25-23 lead on a 3-pointer by Jake Lindsey — who started in place of injured point guard Manu Lecomte, who did play — but Wesley Iwundu's driving layup with 32 seconds left pulled the Wildcats into a 25-25 halftime tie.
The teams traded baskets early in the second half before K-State put together a momentum-changing sequence. It began, again, with Maurice slamming home a dunk off an assist from Stokes.
K-State continued to make clutch shots: A Stokes layup, a Brown 3-pointer, another Brown trey plus a free throw for a four-point play and a driving dunk by Carlbe Ervin pushed the lead to 47-38 with eight minutes to play.
Then Xavier Sneed, Iwundu and Johnson had their moments to push the margin to 11 points with four minutes remaining. Baylor got as close as four points, but Brown's free throws in the final minute secured the win.
"They made the plays," Baylor coach Scott Drew said of the Wildcats. "They earned it."
Contact Ken Corbitt at (785) 295-1123 or @KenCorbitt on Twitter.
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