Tang Stays Step Ahead, No. 9 Baylor Loses to K-State 68-64 in OT

MANHATTAN, Kansas — The No. 9 Baylor Bears (14-3, 3-1) gave up late leads in both regulation and overtime to fall to Jerome Tang’s Kansas State Wildcats (13-4, 3-1) by a score of 68-64.

Langston Love led the Bears offense with 15 points, but it was a dismal night for the team at that end of the court.

Baylor shot 32.9% from the field and a brutal 17.9% from deep (5-for-28). While the missed shots led to a whopping 23 offensive rebounds, the Bears only mustered 18 second-chance points.

In the first half, the teams traded early runs of 7-0 (Baylor) and 9-0 (Kansas State) before going largely bucket for bucket. 

The green and gold stole a halftime lead of 31-26 thanks to a pair of scores in the last 30 seconds of the half.

That was the only good end-of-period sequence for the Bears tonight.

Late in the second half, Baylor earned a 9-0 run that looked to be the knockout punch, but key misses and mistakes allowed K-State to go on an 8-2 run to force overtime.

Joshua Ojianwuna and Jayden Nunn both missed what could have been game-clinching attempts and committed poor fouls late.

The Bears could have easily won or lost at the end of regulation with KSU’s Tylor Perry missing a free throw to take the lead and Nunn missing an open three at the buzzer.

In overtime, Baylor took a 64-59 lead with 1:12 to play, but again squandered it in demoralizing fashion.

After holding the Wildcats to 4-for-18 from deep in regulation, KSU knocked down two massive threes in the last 72 seconds. One cut the deficit to two, and the other was an and-one to take a two-point lead.

The Bears had every chance to avoid overtime, and even more chances to salvage a win in the extra period. They just could not get the job done.

Poor shooting and timely defensive mistakes were the main themes of the night.

For extra context, Baylor finished 9-for-19 from the free-throw line.

Aside from Love, Jalen Bridges had 11 points (just two in the second half and zero in OT) while Yves Missi and Ojianwuna combined for 16 points. 

Ojianwuna flashed at points in the game, but his inconsistency cost the Bears big time when he was tasked with being the center on the floor down the stretch.

Baylor is now on a three-game losing streak to K-State that coincides with the hiring of former Baylor associate head coach Jerome Tang. The Cats also now lead the all-time series 26-25.

Baylor will get back on the court Saturday in Austin to face the Longhorns. That game is set to start at 11 AM and will be broadcast on ESPN.