G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

In a game with a series of ups and downs paralleling their season, the Kansas State women’s basketball team came up just short of a spot in the WNIT championship game with a 54-46 overtime loss to Utah (23-13, 8-10 Pac-12) in the tournament’s semifinal match up. The Wildcats (19-18, 5-13)  concluded an injury-riddled year in front of 2.750 fans in Bramlage Coliseum who came to pay witness to senior guard Brittany Chambers’ final game with the team. Chambers finishes her career ranked in the top 15 of several categories for Kansas State, including points, rebounds, and three point shots made.

Utah jumped out to an early lead and battered the Wildcats down low while extending its lead to 21-7 with six minutes left in the half. As has been mentioned multiple times on this site, K-State suffered five season-ending injuries this season that left the team short on depth and, well, height – coach Deb Patterson has been forced to deploy a four guard line up with one forward in the mix. The Utes start two players over 6’3″ – Taryn Wicijowski and Michelle Plouffe – who worked to exploit this advantage all night. K-State entered the locker at halftime down 26-17.

The Wildcats continued to struggle in the second half, falling behind by 12 with 13 minutes to play. And that’s when Haley Texada stepped up to the line. Texada scored seven of her 11 points in the final 10 minutes as K-State used a late run to outscore Utah 22-13 in the second half. With 35 seconds to play, Texada made what could have been the play of the night by stealing the ball from Cheyenne Wilson. This gave the Wildcats the final possession in a tie game with a chance to win. The ball naturally went to Chambers, who was largely silent by her standards all night with only 16 points. However, Chambers’ lay up attempt was thwarted with :07 seconds left, sending the game into overtime.

The 39-39 score at the end of regulation was a reflection of the gritty, defensive contest the Wildcats found themselves in. It also wore down a team that effectively features only six players every game. For a team that has lost five players, overtime is the last thing you want to encounter. Utah outscored K-State 15-7 in the final period, as the five Wildcat starters all surpassed 40 minutes in playing time and simply ran out of steam.

Utah’s tremendous size advantage showed on the boards, with the Utes holding a 41-25 rebounding advantage. However, K-State was able to keep the game close by forcing 18 turnovers while only committing eight. However, the Wildcats shot only 11 percent from behind the arc (3-27), the worst shooting performance of the season. Chambers, who had been shooting almost 50 percent from that distance during the tournament, only managed to connect on one of seven. In addition to her 16 points, she led the team with 10 rebounds (five offensive) and four assists.

Chambers tried to remain upbeat while reflecting on the season following the loss. “With everything that we have gone through,” Chambers said, “and the young players we have on the court we are very lucky and privileged to be playing in the postseason this far. It’s a credit to our coaches and a credit to our players working harder as the season went on and not giving in when we could have. It was a tough season. We found a way to make the postseason and then fought to make the Final Four of the WNIT. For the group we have, that is a successful season.”

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Brittany Chambers has done it again. K-State’s senior guard, who set a school record with 42 points in the first round of the Women’s NIT on Thursday, netted 28 on Monday as Kansas State defeated Illinois State 57-48 to advance to the round of 16. While ISU finished the season at 24-11, the win propelled Kansas State to 17-17 as the Wildcats are suddenly seeking a goal that seemed ridiculous a month ago – finishing the season with a winning record.

While the Wildcats relied primarily on the strength of Chambers’ scoring, Haley Texada provided the same offensive support the team has grown accustomed to by contributing 13 points, while no other players scored in double digits. The place everyone was able to contribute was on the boards. Due to injuries, K-State is forced to play essentially a six player rotation, and all six had at least five rebounds.

In fact, the Wildcats dominated the boards despite a visible (and statistical) height disadvantage. K-State outrebounded ISU 45-35, including 15 offensive rebounds. Some of those offensive rebounds came on erratic bounces from three point shots as the Wildcats chucked up 36 three point attempts while connecting on 11. Those 11 threes pushed K-State to 302 on the season, breaking the Big 12′s previous record of 300 set by Iowa State.

With the win, K-State will now face Ball State on Thursday at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan. Chambers will go for her eighth straight game of 20 points or more against the Cardinals.

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Kansas State had big plans for this postseason. The Wildcats entered the NCAA tournament ranked #11 in the country with a share of the Big 12 conference championship in their back pocket and one of the best records in school history to complement a number four seed. Waiting like a snake in the grass was an underrated La Salle team that couldn’t miss early in the game and did just enough in the second half to thwart a comeback attempt and hold on for a 63-61 victory and date with #13 seed Ole Miss.

Nothing seemed to fall K-State’s way in the first half. Everything fell the way La Salle wanted it to. The Explorers started the game by hitting their first three shots – all threes. They completed six of eleven threes in the first 20 minutes, good for over 50 percent while executing superb ball movement. The four-guard team outrebounded K-State and destroyed the Wildcats in assist:turnover ratio. La Salle even got breaks they didn’t have to work for. On at least two instances the Wildcats simply threw the ball away. La Salle was playing a team out of sync, out of place, and seemingly out of time. K-State entered the locker room down 44-26 at halftime.

The 44 point allowance was insane. When Michigan scored 71 to beat K-State, the Wolverines had 29 in the first half. La Salle had 44. It’s insane. Yet it happened. And my vocabulary simply does not possess the reservoir to describe (in a family-friendly manner) how outrageous was the notion of being down 18 points at halftime to La Salle. The only thing I can do is angrily bold letters. Yet it happened.

The second half also happened. K-State stormed back with a vengeance straight out the gate, scoring 14 of the half’s first 17 points while using the tall Jordan Henriquez to exploit La Salle’s underutilization of F Jerrell Wright (remember this name), who spent much of the second half on the bench with four fouls. Henriquez had one of the best games of his playing career in his final performance wearing the K-State uniform. The senior scored 17 points, had five blocks, pulled down 12 rebounds, and was 7-10 from the field. Several of those were second half dunks, as Will Spradling and Angel Rodriguez discovered they could just lob the ball in the basket’s general direction, and their usually defensive-minded giant would throw it down.

The only aspect missing from Henriquez’s game was free throw shooting. A notoriously inconsistent free throw shooter, Henriquez got to the line eight times as the Explorers attempted to stop him by fouling. He made only three. Going 5-8 from the line ties the game and gives K-State the ball in overtime with all of the game’s momentum at its back. This is to take nothing away from Henriquez – he had a tremendous game, has been a valuable addition to the team throughout his career, and as of this writing is probably stuck in an emotional locker room forced to think, “what if…” The entire team finished 9-17 from the line, while La Salle was 14-16. That was the difference in this game.

Rodney McGruder, another senior playing his last game, was his typically productive self. McGruder played all 40 minutes; he did not receive a rest. He scored 13 points, had six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. He hit a clutch three to fuel a second half run, but also struggled mightily in the first half and finished 5-17 on the night.

Will Spradling played only 17 minutes, and appears to still be struggling to recover from the chest injury suffered against Texas a month ago. In his place, senior Martavious Irving played 27 minutes and contributed two points, two rebounds, and an assist. Shane Southwell provided 17 points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and one block. La Salle’s largest lead of the day was 19. K-State’s was two.

So do you remember that name you were supposed to remember? It was Jerrell Wright’s, the player that spent much of the second half on the bench with four fouls. It was also Wright that hammered the final nails in K-State’s coffin. Wright had three of his 21 points in the last 30 seconds, two of which gave La Salle the lead at 62-61 with half a minute left to play. Wright was already 6-6 from the field today, and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.

Wright only had 20 points and seven rebounds with 12 seconds left in the game. An Henriquez miss gave Wright the opportunity for his last rebound rebound. McGruder fouled Wright, who made his first free throw but missed the second giving K-State one final shot with eight seconds left and two points down. However, Angel Rodriguez’s last-second heave fell short and sent La Salle on to its next dance partner.

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Kansas State had hoped to reverse its regular season fortune by finally beating KU, taking home a Big 12 tournament championship and shot at a #2 seed in the process. Instead, the Wildcats returned home after suffering its third straight loss to Kansas this year, falling 70-54 in Kansas City.

The Wildcats struggled to find consistency in the first half while overlooking holes that developed in KU’s defense while swarming to the ball handler. The basketball often drew four defenders to one side of the court, but the offense failed to establish/find open players when this scenario developed. After a season of lauding Bruce Weber’s motion offense approach of “pass, pass, pass, shoot,” the approach left fans begging for set plays. The Wildcats finished with a season worst 16 points in the first half.

K-State also had one of its worst shooting halves all year en route to 16 points. The team completed only six of 27 shots for 22.2 percent shooting. It also committed a highly uncharacteristic eight turnovers – a number this squad typically sees at the end of the game. Rodney McGruder and Shane Southwell led the Wildcats with four points apiece at the half. Four.

The sloppy play of the first half was just as evident in the second. However, K-State managed to turn steals into points and scored the first five points of the period to pull within 24-21. However, Jeff Withey continued making life difficult for K-State. Withey made both free throws on one possession, and Henriguez fouled Withey on the next to allow KU to extend the lead. KU exploited the help defense of K-State with the tandem of Withey and Kevin Young all night. When one would get the ball under the basket, they would typically pull K-State’s defenders away from the other, leading to easy assists.

The Jayhawks went more than seven minutes before collecting their first foul in the second half and K-State had already collected six. The foul differential made the crowd on hand unhappy, as the announcers tried a little too hard to express their confidence in the officiating after two instances in which they verbally observed KU got away with missed calls – one that sent Henriquez to the bench for fouling Withey on a shot after Withey shoved Henriquez to collect a rebound.

The Wildcats started shooting better as the game wore on, but failed to get stops in the second half. Kansas shot 55.2 percent in the second half as fast break points, mental lapses, and sheer athleticism were on display that K-State struggled to limit. In addition, the Jayhawks recorded six blocks on the night by six different players as K-State failed to successfully penetrate the lane like it did against Oklahoma State. The most positive aspect of the second half was K-State only turned the ball over once after giving it up eight times in the first half. However, the Wildcats were out-rebounded (35-29), had half as many assists (17-8), and hit only 25 percent of their threes (6-24) while the Jayhawks knocked down an even 50 percent (7-14).

Rodney McGruder led all scorers with 18 points, and Angel Rodiriguez had 10. Will Spradling had zero points for the second night in a row on two shots, one from deep downtown. Once again he lasted fewer than 20 minutes and is obviously still battling a bruised sternum. He will undoubtedly enjoy the rest the next six days will offer. In his place, Martavious Irving saw 31 minutes of action and netted five points on two-of-nine shooting. Withey scored 17 for the Jayhawks and pulled down nine rebounds. The senior forward found himself attempting ten free throws, knocking down seven of them. Perry Ellis came off the bench to contribute 12 points on just six shots in 14 minutes for KU.

K-State was a dark horse contender for a #2 seed, and a #3 seed was likely with a win tonight. As the #11 ranked team in the media polls and #16 in the RPI, the Wildcats will likely be looking at a #4 seed – but the hope of playing their first two rounds in Kansas City where they defeated #5 Florida earlier this season have largely evaporated. Now there’s nothing left to do but what for the selection committee to make its determination tomorrow night.

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Kansas State finished the season with a split against Oklahoma State, and was looking for a win to prove it was the better team. Sitting at #11 in the country, the Wildcats were also looking for a statement against #14. They got both. A TV timeout over four minutes into the game came at a 0-5 K-State lead in a game that looked to be an absolute grind. However, K-State enjoyed a 12-2 run late in the first half and broke it open in the second, turning a 28-23 lead into a 37-25 advantage just over two minutes into the second half. The Wildcats eventually prevailed 68-57.

The battle between Marcus Smart and Rodney McGruder lost a bit of luster when Smart’s teammates failed to produce, putting the game on the back of Oklahoma State’s freshman. There’s no doubt this kid has a place in the NBA – he’s already flopping like Chris Paul – but McGruder outdueled him while guiding the Wildcats to a rematch with KU in the Big 12 conference championship game. Smart finished with 18 points on the night to McGruder’s 25, as McGruder also contributed seven rebounds and three assists.

Will Spradling left the game with five minutes left, escorted to the locker room by one of K-State’s trainers. He returned a short time later, and the cause or extent of the injury were not disclosed. However, anyone following the team knows he has been battling a bruised sternum for almost a month now, and two straight nights of playing have probably taken their toll. Will would return to the game after Oklahoma State threatened to come back with a late run. Spradling struggled on the night finishing zero for three with three fouls and zero points – although he did pull down four rebounds.

Also playing injured was Jordan Henriquez, who once again found himself on a stationary bike when not playing in order to keep his back loose. However, pain and stiffness could not prevent him from posting an incredible first half. Henriquez provided  six rebounds, four points, and three blocks in the first 20 minutes. He finished with eight points to go along with 11 rebounds, three blocks, and an assist over 22 minutes. Thomas Gipson once again struggled in coming off the bench for Henriquez. Gipson was brilliant at times in conference play and Bruce Weber found success in bringing him off the bench in the middle of the season. However, he has struggled of late with foul trouble while taking responsibility for opponents’ big men. He was whistled four times tonight and turned the ball over twice while only securing one rebound and two points.

K-State didn’t look great in the first half, but was definitely the better team over the second 20 minutes. Angel Rodriguez finally found his shooting touch after starting slowly, and finished with 17 on the night. Martavious Irving and Shane Southwell both contributed seven points, but their importance can’t be overstated. Each hit a huge three to spur runs when the rest of team had gone cold. Despite not starting, Irving logged 24 minutes to only 19 for Spradling. McGruder received 38 minutes, Rodriguez 37 minutes, and Southwell 35 in the game.

Both teams struggled to shoot well the entire game. Kansas State finished the night 22-56, hitting only 39.3 percent of its shots. Oklahoma State was even worse, hitting 18-57 for 30.5 percent. That mark was the worst of the season for the Cowboys. K-State reclaimed the free throw shooting that recently alluded the team, knocking down over 80 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe. As has been the case all year, the Wildcats both recorded more assists and committed fewer turnovers than their opponent, further contributing to their league-leading assist:turnover ratio and leading assist:turnover differential advantage.

There was a strong sense of excitement coursing throughout the Sprint Center towards the end of the game as Wildcat fans cheered on a team headed to the Big 12 Championship. The Wildcats will get another chance to defeat the Jayhawks tomorrow, having dropped both games during the regular season. With a win, the Wildcats will finish 28-6 and an argument to receive a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

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Angel Rodriquez finished the first half on the bench with two personal fouls, relegated to watching his team work its way to a six point halftime lead. He quickly made up for lost time by knocking down a three on his team’s first possession of the first half to help power Kansas State to a 66-49 victory. The shot made K-State seven of ten for threes, cleaning up on open shots allowed by Rick Barnes who maintained 2-3 zone throughout the night. However, Rodriguez quickly returned to the bench after picking up his third foul only two and a half minutes into the half.

Texas started the game leading 7-1, but K-State went on a 14-2 run to go up 15-9 just six and a half minutes into the game, building a game that was never relinquished. Bruce Weber’s treatment of Angel Rodriguez was largely an enigma. Rodriguez did a little bit of everything, scoring and forcing turnovers while on the court, but saw much more bench time than he’s become accustomed to this season. Although he had fouls early in the game, Rodriguez finished with just three. He still finished second on the team with 13 points, along with three rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

Texas Longhorns G Myck Kabongo (12) dribbles the ball as Kansas State Wildcats F D.J. Johnson (50) defends in the second half during the second round of the Big 12 tournament. Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Will Spradling and Jordan Henriquez both started the game despite injuries, but neither were able to contribute much offensively.  Henriquez began the second half on the bench, showing the strains of a tight back while spending much of the game on a stationary bike attempting to get lose. Both players made one out of four shots, Spradling a three and Henriquez a two, to finish with a combined five points.

With Rodriguez in foul trouble and Spradling still injured and suffering from a lack of conditioning, K-State’s bench continued to step up as it has all season. Martavious Irving continued his late season renaissance by pouring in six points while collecting five rebounds. Additionally, D.J. Johnson played his best game of the year. The freshman forward finished 4/4 shooting for eight points to go along with seven rebounds, tying McGruder for most rebounds among all players in the game while helping to fill in for Henriquez. The St. Louis native is averaging 2.2 points and 2.5 rebounds on the year.

The Wildcats blistered Texas from behind the arc, and at one point were seven of ten in three point shooting. The team cooled eventually, hitting nine of 21 on the night, but still finished at 41.5 percent from downtown as Rick Barnes refused to scrap a 2-3 zone that encouraged K-State’s sharpshooters to pull the trigger from long range. (Side note: this is another example of why Rick Barnes is an awful coach. K-State is somewhat offensively challenged inside – although its guards do like to drive on the basket. Still, when you have a height advantage and the other team is on fire, you should probably man up at some point).

Kansas State is now 26-6 on the season, and looks determined to make a run at a three seed. Texas finishes the year with a losing record – 16-17 – and will likely be left out of the postseason. The Jug fails to find tears to weep. The Wildcats now await the winner of Baylor-Oklahoma State tonight. A win there sends them to the conference championship game Saturday. Should they win that game, the Wildcats will have finished 28-6 on the season while laying claim to both the Big 12′s regular season and tournament championships. Should they pull off this feat by way of victory over KU, would the Wildcats deserve a two seed?

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Kansas State needed a win to keep to ensure at least a piece of the Big 12 title, with a chance to win it outright this afternoon. Now the Wildcats must await the outcome of KU’s trip to Baylor to see if they can share the league’s regular season trophy. The Wildcats (15-6, 14-4) fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys (23-7, 13-5) by the score of 76-70, unable to maintain a late lead. OSU’s Le’Bryan led all players as he helped his team dominate the inside, exploiting defensive breakdowns for easy lay-ins on multiple possessions.

Momentum was a fickle thing in this game. The teams exchanged blows in the first half, though K-State was largely playing catch up and went into halftime down 36-30. However, the Wildcats exploded in the second half and rode a 20-5 run to a 50-41 lead with 13 minutes left to play. The streak started just 13 seconds into the half when Angel Rodriguez found Shane Southwell for a three to make the score 36-33. However, Oklahoma State roared back with a 15-5 run of its own and a three-point play by the freshman phenom Marcus Smart made the game 56-53 with 6:21 to play. Then, on consecutive plays Angel Rodriguez found Thomas Gipson inside for easy put-ins, and a three-point play by Rodney McGruder brought K-State up by four, 61-57. However, it was all Oklahoma State from there.

Southwell, who picked up two fouls early in the game, fouled out with 90 seconds left that put Markel Brown on the line and allowed Oklahoma State to extend its lead to 67-62. The rest of the game turned into a foulfest, as K-State attempted to work its way back into the game by putting OSU on the line, but the Cowboys were almost perfect with their free throws and Bruce Weber’s squad never had a window to work its way back into the game. OSU made 13 of 14 free throws in the last 90 seconds, starting with the foul on Shane Southwell.

Will Spradling played as anticipated, but Martavious Irving received the start and Spradling was limited to 19 minutes and six points. After suffering a bruised sternum two weeks ago, Spradling has been unable to practice and his conditioning has been negatively impacted. Rodney McGruder led the Wildcats with 22 points, but needed 15 shots to make six baskets and had three turnovers to only one assist. The only other real bright spot was Thomas Gipson, who continued his stellar play off the bench by contributing 15 points on seven of ten shooting and six rebounds. Gipson did an effective job utilizing the shot fake to get open shots under the basket and once drew a foul in the process. Angel Rodriguez had ten points, five rebounds, and six assists, but also had four turnovers and finished 3-16 on the day, missing all four three point attempts. Additionally, Rodriguez reminded many of his freshman in the final minutes, being whistled for two unnecessary fouls (although the legitimacy of those fouls was debatable), and had a very costly turnover on a possession when K-State needed a score with 40 seconds left and down 71-62. The entire team broke down in trying to contain Le’Bryan Nash, as he often caught K-State’s players out of position on his scores. Smart finished with 21 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals.

Regardless of the outcome of the KU-Baylor game, the Wildcats will receive the #2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament while Oklahoma State is #3. Tournament play starts Wednesday the 13, and the Wildcats will play the winner of TCU/Texas at 6 p.m. at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Assuming a win, they would then face the winner of Baylor and Oklahoma State  for a spot in the championship game. Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Kansas are among the potential opponents in that game.

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The University of Kansas made a statement last night, downing Texas Tech by the score of 79-42. Hoping to make a similar statement tonight, the Wildcats started hot but struggled to maintain a sizable distance after halftime. Angel Rodriguez led the team with 21 points to go along with 10 assists for the double-double. And on a senior night in which Martavious Irving received his first start of the season, a group of his family members that drove all the way from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Manhattan watched the senior clock 36 minutes while nailing three of six 3s for 15 points on the night to go along with three rebounds and five assists. It was the first time they were ever able to see him play in Bramlage Coliseum.

The line going into the game was K-State by 22, and it certainly looked like the makings of a blow out in the early going. A monster slam by Rodney McGruder on the fast break following a steal by Rodriguez made the game 24-11 after 12 minutes of play, and it appeared as though the rout was on. In fact, the only thing TCU seemed capable of doing was hitting the occasional lucky shot while goading Wildcat players into bad fouls. Kansas State went into the locker room with a 15 point halftime lead, 42-27.

The second half was a different story, as TCU went on a 12-2 run to start the period. Kyan Anderson’s layup with 11 minutes left in the game made it a four point contest, 52-48. Anderson was electric on the night, exploding for 29 points on 66 percent shooting while also contributing five assists. The Wildcats gradually built their lead back from there, but TCU refused to ever go away over the course of the night.

The crowd was absolutely electric, providing a fitting send-off to Irving, McGruder, and Jordan Henriquez. While McGruder contributed 13 points of his own to go along with four rebounds, five assists, and a steal, Henriquez struggled to find his groove. He finished with one missed bucket and zero points, although he gave the team two offensive rebounds (five total) to slightly offset the three fouls he picked up over only 18 minutes. Freshman forward D.J. Johnson saw more playing time in the first half than fans are used to, and he demonstrated some solid raw talent, but raw’s the optimal word in that sentence.

Overall, the team didn’t seem to lack hustle. K-State didn’t take a defensive possession off, but they were often pulled out of place and did a subpar job maintaining their assignments. Provided deep open looks, the Horned Frogs connected on 6-13 threes. Fouls remained an issue, as K-State was whistled 19 times to only 14 for Texas Christian. The Wildcats only attempted seven free throws all night, while TCU had 22 opportunities. High foul totals were common during the Frank Martin era as well, but those teams played extremely physical defense and goaded their opponents into just as many personal fouls. The foul troubles have to be fixed if this team wants to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

The amazing stat you may have missed? Kansas State had 31 field goals on the night. The team had 27 assists. That’s a pass preceding 87 percent of all baskets. Bruce Weber’s motion offense is supposed to do this, but even he was probably to see that impressive statistic after the game. The Wildcats head to #13 Oklahoma State on Saturday to conclude the regular, with a share of the Big 12 title on the line.

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Baylor came in needing a win to boost its resume, sitting squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble. K-State needed a win to keep pace with KU for first in conference play. With K-State (24-5, 13-3) leading Baylor (17-12, 8-8) by the score of 34-33 at halftime and 59-57 with only two to play, both teams’ fans had their stomachs in knots all night. When Baylor tied the game 59-59 with 1:23 to go, the arena went crazy. And in a pressure-packed game that featured a little bit of everything, a minor miracle shot allowed #13 Kansas State to hold on and keep its hopes of a Big 12 title alive.

This was the most exciting game K-State has played in the 2012-13 season. Period. The 52-50 victory at Oklahoma doesn’t come close. With 1:05 to play, Angel Rodriquez dished over to Rodney McGruder for a jumper that put K-State up 61-59. With 36 seconds left, Jordan Henriquez fouled Pierre Jackson to pick up his fifth personal, which sent him to the bench. Jackson nailed both free throws as Thomas Gipson came in and K-State surveyed how to manage its final possession with the game tied, 61-61. A time out with 7.7 left in the game (and seven flat left on the shot clock) for Bruce Weber to draw up the team’s final play, followed by another time out by Baylor, simply prolonged the anxiety. During the downtime, the officials changed the shot clock at least twice, alternatively saying it was and wasn’t in effect. And then it got crazy. Shane Southwell airballed a last second shot that went out of bounds. On the inbound, Baylor’s Jacob Neubert lobbed the ball across the court and over everyone’s head. Now K-State has the ball and the shot clock, officially, is not in effect. Because there’s only one second left on the clock. One. And with one second left, another time out is called to draw up another play. And Angel Rodriguez, after searching for an open teammate, found Rodney McGruder on the right wing for the catch-and-shoot. And McGruder, on his only three of the night, nails the shot to send the Wildcats to their fifth straight win.

A stat that immediately stands out is free throw shooting – K-State had been hitting 74 percent in conference play but only made 64 percent tonight. Hitting ten of 14 rather than nine would have completely changed the complexion of the game, putting K-State on the line as Baylor was busy fouling in order to get the ball back. Fouls once again favored the opponent – K-State was whistled 18 times to 13 against Baylor. Yet the defense that has defined this team once again ruled the day. KSU was able to snag nine steals while forcing 15 turnovers on the night as Shane Southwell and Angel Rodriguez both had plays reminiscent of cornerback Nigel Malone; intercepting passes and running the length of the court without ever breaking stride.

The three pointer with one second left pushed McGruder to a team high 18 points to go along with three rebounds, four assists, and three steals for the senior. The team needed every bucket, as Will Spradling only played five minutes to start before heading to the bench for the rest of the game. The team has not made an official statement, but the chest injury he suffered against Texas last Saturday appears to be severely impeding his play. He finished 0-1 on the night, and must be in pain – Spradling has returned to play in games that he suffered a broken nose and bruised sternum, so to come out tonight there must be a lingering issue. Fortunately, Martavious Irving stepped up beautifully in his place, giving Bruce Weber 34 solid minutes while contributing 11 points. Nine of those points were in the first half as Irving was three-of-four in the first twenty minutes to help the Wildcats to their slim halftime lead.

Baylor’s PG Pierre Jackson, who came into the game leading the conference with just over 19 points per game, matched McGruder with 18 points despite encountering early foul trouble (he went to the bench in the first half with three fouls, but didn’t pick up another the rest of the game). Coach Drew Scott made a decision before the game started to put his best athlete on McGruder, and Jackson struggled to keep McGruder from the basket without fouling early on. The situation caused Baylor to experiment with the zone to start the second half when Scott wanted Jackson on the floor without having to guard McGruder, and the result was a defense that K-State sliced and diced by scoring the first seven points of the period.

With Henriquez back from New York and his grandmother’s funeral, Thomas Gipson wasn’t called on to carry the load in the post. Gipson only logged 16 points and hit two of his seven shots, finishing with four points and three fouls – a surprise given how well he has performed recently. Angel Rodriguez contributed 13 points, while Henriquez had 10 in only 17 minutes of action. The Wildcats host downtrodden TCU on Tuesday before a visit to #15 Oklahoma State to finish the regular season. Hold on to your hats, because it looks like we’re due for a wild finish in the Big 12.

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Playing its first of a 19-game homestand this afternoon against Oakland University (0-4), Kansas State (4-3) survived a late comeback attempt to down the Golden Grizzlies, 4-2. Sophomore Nate Williams faced 30 batters over 7.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits while walking three and striking out five. Senior Tanner Witt finished with three hits and one run to lead the offense.

Witt put the Wildcats on the board early, recording a single and stealing second in the first inning. He was driven home by Shane Conlon, who ended the inning stranded on second. K-State then scored two runs in the fourth. RJ Santigate came out swinging, knocking the first pitch he saw into far left center for a double. Blair Debord then grounded out at first, but advanced Santigate to third. A single by Austin Fisher brought Santigate home. Tanner Witt, with his third at-bat of the game, doubled to advance Fisher to third. Conlon then grounded out, but advanced Witt to third while bringing Fisher home. Jared King popped out to end the inning.

The teams then traded runs later in the game, with Oakland scoring one in the sixth, Kansas State one in the seventh, and Oakland the game’s final run in the eighth. In the eighth, Oakland’s first batter reached base on an error and reached home three hitters later. However, the Grizzlies left two on base in the inning, started the ninth with two straight strike outs, and never threatened again. The two teams play a double-header on Sunday, starting at noon. The game’s first pitcher for K-State will be lefty Joe Flattery(0-1, 10.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 3 BB, 2 K). Right-handed Matt Wivinis (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 10.0 IP, 1 BB, 10 K) will start the second game.