WACO, Texas — Ismael Massoud hit a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in overtime and Kansas State extended its winning streak to eight games with a 97-95 victory Saturday night at No. 19 Baylor, where new Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang was on staff the past 19 seasons.
Markquis Nowell had 32 points for the Wildcats (14-1, 3-0 Big 12), and his 14th assist of the game was on the go-ahead 3 by Massoud. Baylor then called timeout and appeared to be trying to set up a game-ending shot before Adam Flagler, who had 23 points, was surrounded by three defenders when he lost the ball out of bounds with 6.1 seconds left.
Keyontae Johnson added 24 points and nine rebounds for K-State, which matched its best overall start since 1958-59, and is 3-0 in the Big 12 for the first time in 10 seasons. The Wildcats were coming of their single-game scoring record in a 116-103 win at sixth-ranked Texas on Tuesday night.
The Bears (10-5, 0-3) hadn't lost their first three Big 12 games since 2003-04, Scott Drew's first season as their coach. Baylor blew a 17-point lead in its Big 12 home opener three nights earlier and lost when TCU hit a go-ahead shot with 4 seconds left.
Keyonte George had 22 points for the Bears, and Flo Thamba had 14.
Baylor welcomed Tang back to Waco with a pregame video of highlights from his time with the Bears, and he got a nice ovation before being presented with his Big 12 regular-season championship ring from last season. He was part of 397 wins that included the 2021 national title.
It was the first time that Drew faced one of his former assistants. Tang had been with him since the start of his tenure with the Bears.
Nowell made the first of his two free throws when he was fouled after the inbound pass with five seconds left. Flagler grabbed the rebound and the Bears had one more shot, but Caleb Lohner's 3 was off the mark as the game ended.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
When the new AP Top 25 comes out Monday, Kansas State should be ranked for the first time since being 18th in the final poll of the 2018-19 season. Baylor could be unranked for the first time since that same season. The Bears were 16th in 2019-20 preseason poll, starting their current stretch of being in 65 consecutive polls, including 11 as the No. 1 team.
UP NEXT
Kansas State hosts Oklahoma State on Tuesday night.
Baylor plays three of its next four games on the road, first at West Virginia on Wednesday night.
