Nowell scores 23 as Kansas State beats Texas Tech 68-58

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K-State coach Jerome Tang joins student-section celebration

Jerome Tang runs into the student section and joins the celebration after a nice win over Texas Tech.

Jan 21, 2023, 11:03 pm

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- — This time, Markquis Nowell led the way for No. 13 Kansas State.

Nowell had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Kansas State beat Texas Tech 68-58 on Saturday.

The Wildcats posted a dramatic 83-82 overtime win against No. 2 Kansas on Tuesday. But Nowell had just four points on 2-for-8 shooting against the Jayhawks.

“I just try to come out and be aggressive ... just play my game,” Nowell said. “And when I did that, you know, shots was falling.”

Keyontae Johnson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 Big 12), who won for the 11th time in 12 games. Ismael Massoud scored 12 points.

“It’s coming easy when you play with people like Markquis and Keyontae,” Massoud said.

Kansas State trailed 33-28 at halftime. But the Wildcats used a 13-2 run to take a 50-47 lead with 9:26 remaining.

After Pop Isaacs hit a tying 3-pointer for Texas Tech, Kansas State went ahead to stay with a 10-0 spurt. Johnson capped the decisive stretch with two foul shots that made it 60-50 with 2:57 to go.

“We needed him,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said of Johnson. “We told him, ‘Hey you need to be more aggressive,’ ... because him taking a tough shot is sometimes better than somebody taking an open shot.”

Nowell helped close it out with six foul shots in the final 63 seconds.

“That’s what big teams do,” Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. “Credit goes to those guys. ... They executed really well.”

Isaacs and De'Vion Harmon each scored 13 points for Texas Tech (10-9, 0-7), which shot 32.4% (23 for 71) from the field. The Red Raiders also went 5 for 12 at the line, compared to 20 for 27 for the Wildcats.

Kansas State made four 3s to account for the team’s first 12 points, but Texas Tech closed the first half with an 11-2 run. Isaacs banked in a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer.

Kansas State shot 34.6% (9 for 26) from the field in the first half. It also committed eight of its 14 turnovers for the game.

“This is the best league in the country,” Nowell said. “Every game is a game that you got to play tough and for 40 minutes. There’s no weak teams in this league.”

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders struggled offensively and remained winless in the Big 12. They shot 27.5% (11 for 40) in the second half.

Kansas State: Coming off the big win against Kansas, the Wildcats pulled away with some strong second-half defense.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech: Hosts West Virginia on Wednesday night.

Kansas State: Visits No. 12 Iowa State on Tuesday night.

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