KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tylor Perry scored 17 points, including a pair of clinching free throws in the final minute, and Kansas State held on to beat in-state rival Wichita State 69-60 on Thursday night at the T-Mobile Center.
Cam Carter added 15 points, David N'Guessan had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Arthur Kaluma scored 11 for the Wildcats (9-3), who bounced back from a lousy shooting night in a loss to Nebraska to beat the Shockers for the fifth consecutive time.
“These games are always tough for a lot of different reasons,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “The game before Christmas, you're always concerned — Did your guys go home and not tell you? Some are flying out tomorrow morning and you wonder if they're already home for Christmas or not. But I just thought our guys were locked in.”
Quincy Ballard scored 12 points to lead Wichita State (8-4). Colby Rogers and Xavier Bell added 12 apiece.
The game, played just across the state line in Missouri, was a reunion for Tang and Wichita State counterpart Paul Mills. The duo were part of Scott Drew's original staff at Baylor, helping to turn one of the worst programs in the Big 12 into a perennial power.
“I really wanted to win,” Mills said with a smile. “You may have a friend on the other side but your loyalty is to your players.”
Kansas State was relentless getting to the rim in the first half, and the result was a bunch of fouls and a parade of free throws.
Mills was forced to juggle some atypical lineups in the closing minutes to protect five Shockers with two fouls apiece, and the Wildcats went 13 of 18 from the foul line over the first 20 minutes to take a 33-29 halftime lead.
“We shot a ton of free throws, and we shot it well from the free-throw line,” Carter said, “so why not keep doing it?”
Kansas State eventually established breathing room early in the second half on a five-point trip down floor. Carter was fouled and converted a three-point play, and Perry made both free throws after a technical foul on Wichita State's bench.
"It was about just staying together for 40 minutes. It’s a long game,” Perry said. “We knew it would be game of runs.”
Perry added a couple of 3s a few minutes later as the Wildcats pushed their lead to 58-47 with 7 1/2 minutes to go. And despite Ballard's best effort in the paint, the Shockers never could cut far enough into their deficit to give Kansas State a scare.
“We just have to be more disciplined," Mills said. “You can't foul, obviously, and give yourself a chance. You can't have a lot of turnovers and give yourself a chance.”
UP NEXT
Wichita State plays No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 30 at the T-Mobile Center.
Kansas State returns home to play Chicago State on Jan. 2.
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