Texas
Kansas State basketball comes up empty down the stretch in 60-59 loss at Texas Tech
With the game on the line, Kansas State basketball turned to its closer, only this time things didn’t go his way.
Tylor Perry, whose late-game heroics had bailed the Wildcats out several times already this season, drove to the lane with the clock winding down, and pulled up for a contested jumper. The shot fell off the rim, and time expired as the ball went out of bounds, allowing Texas Tech to escape with a 60-59 Big 12 victory at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
The loss was the first in the conference for K-State, which fell to 12-4 overall and 2-1 in in the league. Tech improved to 14-2 with a 3-0 Big 12 mark.
Perry, who was instrumental in a run that put K-State up 33-22 at halftime, led all scorers with 16 points. Cam Carter added 15 points, Arthur Kaluma 10 and Will McNair nine with nine rebounds and five blocks for the Wildcats.
Joe Toussaint’s three-point play with 30.8 seconds left gave Tech its only lead of the second half, and he led a balanced Red Raider attack with 12 points. Warren Washington added 11 points, and Poo Isaacs and Darrion Williams 10 each.
Here are three takeaways for K-State, which returns home Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game against Baylor at Bramlage Coliseum.
Wildcats’ late collapse uncharacteristic
Kansas State, which more often than not had persevered by following its “five to grind” philosophy at the end of games, was unable to make that happen against, Texas Tech.
The Wildcats led 57-49 on Dorian Finister’s transition basket with 3:05 left, but it was Tech that finished strong, outscoring the Wildcats 9-2 over the last 3:05. Toussaint started the spurt and also finished it for the Red Raiders.
K-State ends first half on a tear
Kansas State’s offense was nowhere to be found early in the game, but what a finish to the first half. At one point the Wildcats had 10 points and 10 turnovers, and they trailed 22-13 when Kerwin Walton made a 3-pointer with 7:10 to go in the period.
That’s when Perry took over, knocking down four 3-pointers as the Wildcats scored the last 20 points of the half while shutting Tech out over the final seven minutes. McNair had a three-point play and Kaluma a 3-pointer during the run as well.
Turnovers hamper Wildcats early
Kansas State led Texas Tech by 11 at halftime, but just imagine what that would have looked like had the Wildcats not turned the ball over 12 times in the period.
The Wildcats have been prone to turning the ball over this season, but even so they have averaged just 14 per game.
It was no coincidence that only two of those turnovers came during the Wildcats’ run to close the half. They finished the game with 18.
Kansas State basketball subs make the most of limited bench minutes in West Virginia win
Kansas State basketball passes first Big 12 road test with 81-67 win over West Virginia
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
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Texas
Former Colorado defensive end Dayon Hayes transfers to Texas A&M
Former Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Dayon Hayes is set to continue his collegiate career at Texas A&M after transferring following a season-ending injury. Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defender, began his journey at Pitt, where he played from 2020 to 2023, accumulating 13 sacks and 80 tackles over four seasons.
At Pitt, Hayes showcased his potential in his sophomore and junior years, logging around 500 combined snaps and producing 30 pressures. His breakout came in 2023 when he amassed 44 pressures and a 13% pass rush win rate, ranking 12th in the ACC. Hayes also demonstrated solid run defense, posting an average tackle depth of 1.6 yards and recording 10.5 stops for loss. His ability to set the edge and prevent runners from escaping outside made him a critical piece of Pitt’s defense.
Following his success at Pitt, Hayes transferred to Colorado as a highly sought-after addition to Deion Sanders’ revamped Buffaloes roster. He made an immediate impact, registering two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in Colorado’s first three games. However, his promising start was cut short by a knee injury in the fourth game, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Deion Sanders says he won’t attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay
Despite the setback, Hayes’ strong early performance likely earned him a medical redshirt, granting him another year of eligibility. With his final collegiate season on the horizon, Hayes opted to join Texas A&M, bringing his pass-rushing skills to the SEC. The Aggies, coming off an eight-win season, are set to face USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. Hayes’ ability to pressure quarterbacks and defend the run should bolster Texas A&M’s defensive front, adding experience and depth to their edge rotation for the 2024 season.
Texas
D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas
ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.
But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.
Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.
“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”
Smithson Valley, from the San Antonio area, topped Highland Park 32-20 as the six-time state champion faded in the second half of the 5A Division I state title game Saturday afternoon.
In the second game of the day, eight-time state champion Southlake Carroll extended its title drought to 13 years with a 24-17 loss to Austin Vandegrift in the 6A Division II game.
“It’ll happen one day. I’m excited about what the future holds,” said Carroll coach Riley Dodge, who fell to 0-2 in state title games as a coach.
The Dallas area claimed three football state champions in 2023 with Anna winning the 4A Division I state title and Duncanville and DeSoto sweeping the 6A Division I and II state championships, respectively. The southern Dallas County schools also swept the 6A state championships in 2022, when South Oak Cliff won its second straight 5A Division II state title.
But this year, the rest of Texas didn’t let the Dallas area, a high school football mecca, run the table. Teams from each of the state’s major metros — Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio —- won a title in each division of the UIL’s two highest classifications.
Even before this week’s state championship games, 2024 seemed to mark a changing of the guard. Neither Duncanville, DeSoto nor Houston-area power Galena Park North Shore made it to AT&T Stadium this year. Nor did 12-time UIL state champion Aledo, the juggernaut west of Fort Worth that had won the last two 5A Division I state championships.
But North Crowley did, after knocking off both DeSoto and Duncanville this season. North Texas might not have dominated the competition as it has in recent years, but for a third straight season, the king of 6A reigns in Dallas-Fort Worth.
“When you get to this point, there’s only one team that’s standing that’s hoisting the trophy. And fortunately for us, this year it’s us and we just happen to be from 817,” North Crowley coach Ray Gates said. “We’re elated to be able to bring that type of recognition back to our community, just to let people know that when you talk about this area, when you talk about Metroplex football, you can’t forget about us.”
On Twitter/X: @t_myah
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Texas
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