CINCINNATI, Ohio – Kansas State made a furious rally to flip a double-digit deficit into a one-point lead with 1:16 to play, but junior Simas Lukosius’ 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds proved to be the difference, as Cincinnati earned a 74-72 win on Saturday night before 11,974 fans at Fifth Third Arena.
The last-second loss overshadowed another stellar performance by senior Tylor Perry, who led all scorers with 26 points on 7-of-10 field goals, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and a perfect 6-of-6 effort from the free throw line in 38 minutes of play. It marked his team-leading 10th 20-point game of the season, including his fifth in the last 9 games.
Perry scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half, including 11 in a key stretch for the Wildcats (17-12, 7-9 Big 12), in which, they used an 18-4 run to flip a 67-54 deficit with 6:51 to play into a 72-71 lead with 1:16 to play. Perry ignited the run with a 3-pointer then added a pair of free throws to go with 2 more triples, including the one that gave them the lead with 1:16 remaining.
K-State got a stop on the next possession, as senior David N’Guessan blocked Lukosius’ layup with 54 seconds before getting the defensive rebound. However, Perry couldn’t add to the lead as his 3-pointer hit off the back of the rim and senior Aziz Bandaogo corralled the rebound with 20 seconds. Cincinnati called a timeout to set up the final play, as Lukosius’ 3-pointer was good with 10.6 seconds.
The Wildcats had one last chance, but Perry lost the ball driving to basket with 2 seconds to play.
Perry was joined in double figures by sophomore Jerrell Colbert (15 points) and junior Cam Carter (13 points). Colbert finished with a career-high 15 points on 5-of-8 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws to go with a team-tying 7 rebounds. Carter scored in double figures for the team-leading 24th time.
The Bearcats (17-12, 6-10 Big 12) were led by 18 points from graduate transfer John Newman III, who replaced the team’s leading scorer Dan Skillings Jr. (11.9 ppg.) in the starting lineup. He was among 4 players in double figures, along with junior Day Day Thomas (14 points), Lukosius (13 points) and freshman Jizzle James (10 points).
K-State’s furious rally may not have been needed if not from a poor night taking care of the ball, as the Wildcats’ 19 turnovers resulted in an opponent season-high 29 points for Cincinnati. It marked the fifth time this season that the Wildcats have allowed 20 or more points off turnovers.
K-State trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half but were able to close to within 34-27 at the break due to strong free throw shooting, including a combined 6-of-6 effort from Perry and junior Arthur Kaluma. The Wildcats shot just 29.2 percent (7-of-24), including 22.2 percent (2-of-9) from the 3-point line, in the first half and turned the ball over 11 times resulting in 15 Bearcat points.
K-State connected on 42 percent (21-of-50) from the field, including 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from long range, and made 21 of 25 attempts from the free throw line. The Wildcats rebounded from their poor start to convert on 53.8 percent (14-of-26) of their field goals in the second half, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from 3-point range, to aid in the rally.
Cincinnati finished the night at 47 percent (31-of-68) shooting, including 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from 3-point range, while the Bearcats made 4 of 8 from the free throw line.
The loss continued the Wildcats’ struggles on the road, where they lost their seventh straight contest away from home to fall to 3-9 away from home and 2-7 in true road games.
This will be the only regular season meeting between the teams in 2023-24 with the unbalanced Big 12 schedule. Cincinnati has won 7 straight in the series and now leads 8-1 all-time.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team was particularly sharp to start the game, as Cincinnati took a 5-3 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:30 mark. The teams combined to shoot 3-of-13 from the field in the first 4 plus minutes, including 1-of-5 for K-State with 4 turnovers.
The offenses picked it up over the next few minutes, as the Bearcats took a 13-12 lead into the second media timeout with 11:45 to play. The Wildcats followed freshman Dai Dai Ames’ 3-pointer with a jumper from senior Will McNair Jr. and a 3-pointer from senior Tylor Perry to briefly lead 8-5. However, the home team responded with 8 of the next 10 points to pull back ahead.
Cincinnati continued its run with 6 of the next 8 points over the next few minutes to push its lead to 19-14. However, K-State was able to close the gap to 19-17 on the play of sophomore Jerrell Colbert, who converted on 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
The Wildcats stayed within 21-19 after a dunk by Colbert, but the Bearcats responded with a 7-2 run to push ahead 28-21 at the final media timeout with 4:30 to play. The lead grew to double figures at 32-21 after 2 more UC baskets, forcing a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang at the 3:09 mark.
K-State was able to slice into the deficit from the free throw line, as Perry and junior Arthur Kaluma went a combined 6-of-6 from the line to close to within 34-27 at the break.
K-State managed to make just 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from the field in the first half, including 22.2 percent (2-of-9) from 3-point line, compared to 40 percent (14-of-35) by Cincinnati, including 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from long range. Turnovers were also a major factor for the Wildcats, as 11 miscues led to 15 points for the Bearcats. Perry led all scorers with 9 first-half points.
K-State scored the first 4 points of the second half to get to within 34-31, however, Cincinnati responded with a 13-4 to go ahead 47-35 and force a timeout with Tang with 16:01 remaining.
The Wildcats were able to get to within striking distance at 55-49 on a 10-3 run before the second media timeout at the 11:29 mark behind the play of Perry and junior Cam Carter, who combined for 9 points. However, the Bearcats again had an answer to the run, scoring 9 of the next 12 points to pull back ahead by double figures at 64-52 with 7:12 remaining.
After the lead grew to 67-54 on an old-fashioned 3-point play, K-State rattled off 10 straight points, including 8 from Perry, to get to within 67-64 with 4:39 remaining. Cincinnati got 2 of the next 3 baskets to take a 71-66 lead into the final media timeout with 3:25 to play.
On the next possession, Carter was fouled on a corner 3-pointer, making all 3 free throws, to close the deficit to 71-69 before Perry knocked down his sixth triple of the night that gave the Wildcats’ first lead of the second half at 72-71 with 1:16 to play.
K-State got a stop on the next possession, as senior David N’Guessan blocked Lukosius’ layup with 54 seconds before getting the defensive rebound. However, Perry couldn’t add to the lead as his 3-pointer hit off the back of the rim and senior Aziz Bandaogo corralled the rebound with 20 seconds. Cincinnati called a timeout to set up the final play, as Lukosius’ 3-pointer was good with 10.6 seconds.
The Wildcats had one last chance, but Perry lost the ball driving to basket with 2 seconds to play.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On the game…
“Another great Big 12 environment. I’m blessed, honored and thankful to God for the opportunity to coach this group of guys and compete in this great league. Every night, it’s like this. And, it’s tough when you’re on the short end of it. But we wouldn’t want to do anything else. To compete against the best coaches, the best players in the best conference in America. So, hats off to Cincinnati, they did a great job. They could’ve given up the lead, but they didn’t. They could have stopped, but they didn’t. They made a big play. And that’s what happens in this league players make plays. And so, hats off to them.”
On the rebounding advantage…
“Yeah, that was definitely an emphasis. (Head coach) Wes (Miller) does a great job. He has a tough team. I mean, they’re relentless to the glass. And so, it was a major focus for us to be able to compete with them on the boards. They rebound 37 percent of their misses, and we had no chance of winning if we allowed them to do that.”
On how much of an affect Dan Skillings Jr. not being in the lineup…
“An injury to a team usually doesn’t affect them as much in the first game because the other team is not prepared for them. Players have a sense of freedom. There’s a rallying cry to get behind each other, next man up kind of thing. That type of injury usually takes its toll in game two, game three, as people are prepared for it. It hurts in practice and rotations. He’s a terrific player. I’m sorry he wasn’t able to play and hope he get better.”
On the turnovers…
“We just didn’t value the ball. They do a good job of being in the gaps and raking on the second dribble. And we knew that, but we just didn’t executive very well.”
On the next steps after such a devasting loss…
“The biggest game of the season is Tuesday, right? This would have been a Quad 1 win, I believe. I’m not sure where we’re at in that for them. But it’s a big win for them in their quest to get to the NCAA Tournament. I said before the game whoever won the game would get in the NCAA Tournament. So, I believe that they’re an NCAA Tournament team especially when Skillings is healthy. For us, we still have two top 10 teams that we get to play. I have said all along that if you get to nine wins in this league, you deserve to get in the NCAA Tournament. So, everything we want is still in front of us.”
TEAM NOTES
- K-State (17-12, 7-9 Big 12) used a furious 18-4 run to take a 72-71 lead with 1:16 remaining, but Cincinnati got a big 3-pointer from junior Simas Lukosius to earn a 74-72 lead on Saturday night at Fifth Third Arena… The loss was the seventh straight on the road.
- K-State is now 3-8 away from home, including a 2-6 mark in true road games… The team won their first 2 road games before losing 7 in a row.
- Cincinnati won the first meeting as Big 12 opponents to extend its winning streak to 8 games and take an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series… K-State is now 0-3 all-time at Cincinnati… It was the first matchup since the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
- K-State scored its 74 points on 42 percent (21-of-50) shooting, including 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from 3-point range, and 84 percent (21-of-25) from the free throw line.
- Cincinnati scored an opponent-high 29 points off 19 K-State turnovers.
- K-State held a 37-27 rebounding edge, including 12 offensive boards that resulted in 16 second-chance points… The Wildcats have now outrebounded their opponents in 17 of 29 games.
- K-State used a starting lineup of senior Tylor Perry, freshman Dai Dai Ames, junior Cam Carter, junior Arthur Kaluma and redshirt sophomore Jerrell Colbert… It marked the eighth straight game using this lineup and just the fifth different lineup this season… Carter has now started all 65 games in his K-State career… Carter and Perry have started all 29 games… Kaluma earned his 27th start… It was the 11th start for Ames and the eighth career start for Colbert.
PLAYER NOTES
- Three players scored in double figures led by a game-high 26 points from senior Tylor Perry… He was joined in double figures by a career-high 15 points from sophomore Jerrell Colbert and 13 points from junior Cam Carter.
- Perry scored his 26 points on 7-of-10 field goals, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and 6-of-6 free throws to go with 3 assists and 4 rebounds in 38 minutes… It marked his 29th career 20-point game, including his team-leading 10th this season… He now has 79 career double-digit scoring games, including 22 this season.
- Perry tied his season-high 6 made 3-pointers for the fourth time this season.
- Perry has now led the team in scoring in 15 games.
- Colbert scored his career-high 15 points on 5-of-8 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws to go with a team-tying 7 rebounds in 18 minutes… It marked just his second double-digit scoring game.
- Carter scored his 13 points on 4-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, and 3-of-3 free throws to go with 4 rebounds, one assist and one steal in 38 minutes… He now has 34 double-digit scoring games, including a team-tying 24 this season.
UP NEXT
K-State begins the last week of the regular season with a trip to Lawrence, Kan., to take on No. 7/9 Kansas (21-8, 9-7 Big 12) in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at 8 p.m., CT on ESPN.
