MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State’s amazing streak in overtime games continued Monday night, as the Wildcats won their 12^th consecutive overtime game, including their Division I record seventh this season, with a 94-90 comeback win over a scrappy West Virginia team before 8,813 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
 
The 7 overtime wins are now the Division I single-season record, snapping a tie of 6 with Wake Forest (1983-84), Chattanooga (1988-89) and Lafayette (2007-08). The current 12-game overtime winning streak is the second-longest nationally behind Florida State, which has won 14 in a row dating to 2018.  
 
K-State (17-11, 7-8 Big 12) received a standout performance from senior Tylor Perry, who scored 9 of his season-high 29 points in overtime in helping lift the Wildcats to consecutive wins for the first time in more than month and keeping their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
 
Perry tied the game at 79-all with a pair of free throws with 15.4 seconds left in regulation then gave K-State the lead for good at 82-80 with his season-tying sixth 3-pointer with just under 4 minutes remaining in overtime. He added a layup with 50 seconds left then made 4 consecutive free throws to push the Wildcats ahead 93-90 with 8 seconds left. After a defensive rebound off a miss by senior RaeQuan Battle, junior Cam Carter finished off the night with a free throw with 4 seconds left.
 
Perry, who perhaps had his most efficient night as a Wildcat, scored his 29 points on just 12 shots, finishing 7-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, to go with a 9-of-10 effort from the free throws. He also added a game-tying 6 assists and 4 rebounds in nearly 42 minutes of action. It was his 28^th career 20-point game, including his team-leading ninth this season.
 
Perry was joined in double figures by Carter, who finished with a near double-double with 19 points and 8 rebounds, as well as junior Arthur Kaluma and senior Will McNair Jr., who each added 13 points. Senior David N’Guessan, playing against his teammate on the Dutch National Team Jesse Edwards, also nearly had a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds and 8 points.
 
West Virginia (9-19, 4-11 Big 12) was led by the sharpshooter Battle, who scored 24 of his team-high 28 points in the second half and overtime. Battle was one of two 20-point scorers for the Mountaineers, along with fellow senior Kerr Kriisa who added 25 points and a game-tying 6 assists. Senior Patrick Suemnick was the only other player in double figures with 10 points.
 
Battle has played his best against the Wildcats, dropping 27 points in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament while playing for Montana State then had 21 in the first matchup in Morgantown.
 
After watching a 25-point lead evaporate in the final 13:30 of regulation, K-State willed itself to overtime with some clutch shooting and stellar defense in the final minute. Trailing 79-75 with 1:02 to play, the Wildcats got a layup from McNair and 2 free throws from Perry to tie the game at 79-all with 15.4 seconds. The Mountaineers had one last chance, but Kriisa’s jumper missed as buzzer sounded.  
 
K-State seemingly had the game in control after a strong offensive start to the game, as the Wildcats led 63-38 after Carter knocked down a 3-pointer with 13:39 to play. The team led 48-26 at the half behind 50 percent (17-of-34) shooting, including 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from 3-point range.
 
However, Battle and Kriisa wouldn’t let West Virginia go away that easily, as the tandem combined for 36 points in the second half, in guiding the team to an improbably 39-11 run that gave the Mountaineers a 77-74 lead after a Kriisa 3-pointer with 2:13 to play.
 
The near collapse overshadowed another strong offensive performance by the Wildcats, which broke their Big 12 season-high for scoring for the second straight game with 94 points behind a 3-point barrage that saw them connect on 15-of-31 attempts, including 11-of-19 in the first half.
 
The 15 made 3-point field goals tie for the third-most in school history and are the second-most in a Big 12 game and the most since hitting 16 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2, 2019. Perry led the way with 6 makes, while freshman Dai Dai Ames tied a season-high with 3 triples.
 
K-State connected on 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field, including 48.4 percent (15-of-31) from 3-point range, and made 71.4 percent (25-of-35) of its attempts from the free throw line. However, after shooting 50 percent in the first half, the Wildcats managed to make just 33.3 percent (7-of-21) in the second half, including 27.3 percent (3-of-11) from 3-point range.
 
In the overtime period, K-State hit on 75 percent (3-of-4) from the field, including making its only 3-point attempt, and shot 80 percent (8-of-10) from the free throw line.
 
West Virginia finished the night at 39 percent (30-of-77) from the field, including 39.4 percent (13-of-33) from 3-point range, while making 65.4 percent (17-of-26) from the line. In contrast to the Wildcats, the Mountaineers made 50 percent (17-of-34) of their field goals in the second half, including 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the 3-point line, compared to 33.3 percent (11-of-33) in the first half.
 
With the win, K-State sweeps the season series from West Virginia for the first time since 2019. The Mountaineers still lead the all-time series, 16-12.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After West Virginia opened the game with the first basket, K-State scored 8 of the next 10 points to take an 8-4 lead at the first media timeout at the 15:22 mark. Junior Cam Carter had 5 points in the opening spurt, while senior Tylor Perry added a 3-pointer.
 
The Wildcats’ momentum was slowed by a second foul on junior Arthur Kaluma, which allowed the Mountaineers to score 7 of the next 10 to tie the game at 11-all at the second media timeout with 12 minutes to go before halftime.
 
Freshman Dai Dai Ames keyed a 12-4 run by K-State with a pair of 3-pointers that gave the Wildcats a 23-15 lead just after the third media timeout with 7:26 to play. Kaluma added a pair of free throws, while senior Will McNair Jr. and David N’Guessan each had baskets in the run.
 
Following a 3-pointer by senior Kerr Kriisa, the Wildcats extended the lead to double figures at 29-18 on consecutive triples by N’Guessan and freshman R.J. Jones prompting a timeout by WVU head coach Josh Eilert at the 5:15 mark. After a basket by the Mountaineers, Kaluma added 5 quick points, including a 3-pointer, to extend the lead to 34-20 at the final media timeout with 3:45 to play.
 
K-State continued to build its lead to end the first half, outscoring WVU, 14-6, to take a 48-26 lead into the halftime break. The Wildcats hit 11 3-pointers in the first half, including 4 by Perry, who led all scorers with 12 points on 4-of-6 field goals.
 
The Mountaineers opened the second half with 5 quick points, including a 3-pointer by Kriisa, to cut the deficit to 48-31 and force a quick timeout by head coach Jerome Tang at the 19:03 mark. However, Perry was able to halt the momentum with his fifth 3-pointer and start an 8-2 run that pushed the lead back out to 56-33 just after the first media timeout with 16:28 remaining.
 
Carter was responsible for 7 points, including a 3-pointer, that pushed the lead to 63-38 and forced a timeout by WVU at the 13:30 mark. The timeout seemed to spark the Mountaineers, who started to chip away at the deficit, using a 20-9 run that closed the deficit to 72-58 with 7:42 to play. Senior RaeQuan Battle was responsible for 13 points in the run.
 
WVU continued to cut into the lead, using a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 72-67 with 4:35 remaining. After a pair of free throws by Perry ended the drought, the Mountaineers added 5 quick points to get to within 74-72 and forced a timeout by Tang with 3:16 to play. The timeout didn’t work as the Mountaineers tied it at 74-all then Krissa gave them the lead on a 3-pointer at 77-74 with 2:13 to play.
 
After a free throw by Kaluma, Kriisa made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 79-75 with 62 seconds left. McNair rebounded a 3-point miss by Kaluma and laid it in to pull K-State to within 79-77 with 51 seconds. Senior Jesse Edwards was fouled with 24 seconds but missed both free throws, allowing the Wildcats another opportunity as Kriisa fouled Perry with 15.4 seconds. Perry made both free throws to tie it at 79-all. Kriisa’s jumper missed as the buzzer sounded for overtime.
 
In the extra period, WVU broke the tie with a free throw by Edwards before Perry gave K-State the lead for good at 82-80 with his sixth 3-pointer with 3:57 to play. N’Guessan followed with a free throw before a layup by McNair extended the lead to 85-80 with 2:43 to go. Kaluma made 2 more free throws for a 87-81 lead before Battle knocked down his fifth triple to push within 87-84 with 1:48 remaining.
 
Perry’s driving layup made it 89-85 with 50 seconds left, but Battle came through again with sixth 3-pointer to get the Mountaineers within 89-88 with 35 seconds. Perry and Kriisa traded free throws before Perry made 2 more from the line to make it 93-90 with 8 seconds. Battle missed the tying 3-pointer, and the Wildcats corralled the rebound with 4 seconds. Carter was fouled on the inbounds pass and made 1 of 2 from the line for final margin, 94-90.  
 
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On the game…
“I told the guys in the locker room that when they go back to their apartment they need to get on their knees. And thank the good Lord because he’s the one that did this. It wasn’t us to staff the players. It was for some reason he shined favor on us and overtime and so we were blessed. It is a blessing. I love our guys. I mean it’s a tale of two halves. but for you guys, you’re probably thinking, those are the ‘Cats we thought they could be at sometimes, we’ve seen glimpses of it. And then the second half of you said yeah, those are ‘Cats we’re seeing a whole bunch of this year, too. But for West Virginia, they’re a team that can beat anybody in our conference at any place home or on the road, because they’re so talented and (interim head coach) Josh (Eilert) just hadn’t had his whole team together. And so, we saw a tale of two halves with them where they were not focused, not as motivated or whatever it was, and then the second half when they look like the team that everybody projected them to be at the start of the year. So blessed and thankful for the win, thankful for our students who showed up. Got to have a talk with professors who have exams on game nights and see if we can do something about that. But I just want to put a challenge out to our students. They text me, they hit me on Instagram, asked me to repost things to come by their sororities and fraternities and have dinner and speak and we show up, we do that. And when we have a home game, I need them to show up, right, they are a 10 to 15 point advantage when we have the five to seven thousand in there and it makes a difference, and we hadn’t had it the last couple games. Blessed that we were able to get the wins but if we’re gonna win the next home game, we need them to show up.”
 
On Tylor Perry’s perseverance …
“We’re asking a lot of him. And he’s delivering and he’s playing. He’s studying, he’s practicing, he’s preparing, like a kid who wants to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in his career. And so, I mean, we’re asking, we’re stretching him, and he’s really been stretched and he’s embracing it. And, you know, he asked me the other day, was I on Markquis Nowell, as much as I am on him. And the answer is, I was on Markquis a whole lot more by the way, but he’s just embracing being coached and trying to do whatever he can. Leaving it all on the court for his team.”
 
On Tylor Perry’s performance tonight …
“I mean, not just the points, but, you know, the six assists, the four rebounds, and then the clutch free throws down the stretch. Like we knew at the end of the game that if we let them shoot at three it looked like everything was going in. So, it didn’t make any sense. Most rule of thumb is six or less seconds and you foul up three, and I was like, forget that crap. I mean, every time I looked up RaeQuan Battle was hitting a three and so it was just going to foul, and I thought, you know, tough guys make free throws at the end of games. It doesn’t matter what your shooting percentages, and I knew that we could foul them. And even if they made both, we were going to make two on the other end because of TP.”
 
On what was off in the second half…
“Well, they shot 50 percent (in the second half), 69 percent from three and whereas in the first half, it was 16 percent from three and 33 percent from two, so credit goes to West Virginia. We got to look at it as a staff and figure out some things we could have done differently. So, there was a time where I thought we were playing not to lose. We got a little tight and you know whether it was my play calls or just our demeanor into huddles, I’ll have to look at all of that. But you know, I was thankful we got to overtime, and I liked the look in their eyes when the buzzer sounded. We knew we’re going to overtime; I was looking at guys that knew they were going to win.”
 
TEAM NOTES

• K-State (17-11, 7-8 Big 12) won back-to-back games, as the Wildcats earned their seventh overtime win of the season with a 94-90 victory over West Virginia.
• The 7 overtime wins are now the Division I single-season record, snapping a tie with Wake Forest (1983-84), Chattanooga (1988-89) and Lafayette (2007-08)… The current 12-game winning streak in overtime is the second-longest nationally behind Florida State, which has won 14 in a row dating to 2018.
• K-State is now 12-0 in overtime games under head coach Jerome Tang.
• K-State is now 83-47 all-time in overtime games, including 77-37 in single overtime, 39-14 at home and 20-9 at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State improved to 14-3 at home this season, including 13-3 at Bramlage Coliseum… Tang is now 28-4 at Bramlage Coliseum, including 14-3 in home Big 12 games.
• K-State sweeps the season series from West Virginia for the first time since 2019… The Mountaineers still lead the all-time series, 16-12, including 15-11 in the Big 12 era.
• K-State set its season-high in Big 12 play for the second straight game with 94 points on 45.8 percent (27-of-59) shooting, including 48.4 percent (15-of-31) from 3-point range, and 71.4 percent (25-of-35) from the free throw line.
• K-State is now 8-0 under Tang when scoring 90 or more points, including 2-0 this season.
• K-State’s 15 made 3-point field goals tie for the third-most in school history and the most since hitting 16 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2, 2019.
• K-State outrebounded West Virginia, 48-41, including 15 offensive rebounds that resulted in 11 second-chance points… The Wildcats have now outrebounded their opponent in 16 of 28 games… They have also grabbed 40 or more rebounds in 10 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 seventh straight game using this lineup and just the fifth different lineup this season… Carter has now started all 64 games in his K-State career… Carter and Perry have started all 28 games… Kaluma earned his 26th start… It was the 10th start for Ames and the seventh career start for Colbert.

 
PLAYER NOTES

• Four players scored in double figures led by a season-high and game-high 29 points from senior Tylor Perry… He was joined in double figures by junior Cam Carter (19 points), junior Arthur Kaluma (13 points) and senior Will McNair Jr. (13 points).
• Perry scored his season-high 29 points on 7-of-12 field goals, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, and 9-of-10 free throws to go with game-tying 6 assists and 4 rebounds in nearly 42 minutes… It marked his 28^th career 20-point game, including his team-leading ninth this season… He now has 78 career double-digit scoring games, including 21 this season.
• Perry tied his season-high with 6 made 3-pointers for the third time this season.  
• Perry has now led the team in scoring in 14 games.
• Carter scored his 19 points on 4-of-13 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 9-of-10 free throws to go with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal in 43 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 33 career games, including 23 this season.
• Kaluma scored his 13 points on 3-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal in 27 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 64 career games, including a team-best 24 this season.
• McNair scored his 13 points on 6-of-8 field goals and 1-of-4 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a block in 27 minutes… He now has double figures in 24 career games, including 10 times this season.
• K-State is now 9-1 when McNair scores in double figures.
• Senior David N’Guessan registered his team-leading sixth double-digit rebounding game with a game-high 10 rebounds to go with 8 points in 35 minutes.
• Freshman Dai Dai Ames narrowly missed double figures, scoring 9 points on 3-of-6 field goals, including a season-tying 3-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with 3 rebounds.

 
UP NEXT
K-State opens the month of March with a trip to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats (16-11, 5-9 Big 12) for the first time as Big 12 opponents on Saturday at 6 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now.