K-State Rallies In Second Half, Beats Oklahoma State, Stays Atop Big 12

Arthur Kaluma scored 23 points, Cam Carter added 15 points – including the go-ahead basket in the final minute – and the Kansas State Wildcats rallied back from a ten-point second-half deficit to defeat the Oklahoma State Cowboys 70-66 at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday, January 20.

Trailing 54-44 with 10:13 to play, K-State fought back and regained the lead with 3:31 to play when Carter banked in a three-pointer from the top of the key. Oklahoma State tied it at 66 on a Javon Small drive with 53 seconds remaining, setting the stage for more Carter heroics. On a baseline out-of-bounds play with 1.2 seconds on the shot clock, Carter rose to tip in a lob pass from Tylor Perry and give the Cats the edge with 24 ticks left. OSU turned the ball over on their next possession, and Carter buried a pair of free throws with eight seconds left to ice the game.

Cam Carter @camryncarter23
Comes up Clutch to give K State a 2 pt lead with 24 secs left!

Follows it up with 2 free throws and K State gets the W pic.twitter.com/MF8iEbBnae

— Coach Rory Poplion (@CoachRoryP) January 21, 2024

K-State shot 52.1 percent for the game (25-48) but had to claw their way back after a hot start to the second half allowed the visiting Cowboys to push a four-point halftime lead to double figures. The Wildcats didn’t lead from the 7:51 mark of the first half until Carter’s three with 3:31 remaining.

Kaluma’s 23 points led all scorers, and his seven rebounds led the Wildcats. Will McNair joined Kaluma and Carter in double-figures with 10 points. All nine of Perry’s points came in the second half. Oklahoma State was led by Eric Dailey’s 15 points. Small and John-Michael Wright had 11 points apiece.

K-State improves to 14-4 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12 with the win. They’re tied with Texas Tech for first place in the Big 12 standings after five games, with five other teams a game back at 3-2. Oklahoma State is 8-10 overall and winless in five Big 12 contests. K-State is back in action Wednesday night at Iowa State.