Texas A&M holds off Kansas State rally, beats Wildcats 78-68

Sometimes, one mistake is all it takes to lose a basketball game.

Kansas State learned that lesson the hard way during a 78-68 defeat against Texas A&M on Saturday at Reed Arena.

Just when it looked like the Wildcats were about to stop playing catch up and start seriously pushing the Aggies on their home floor, a seemingly minor gaffe evolved into a series of missteps that permanently swung the game Texas A&M’s way.

“It was a game changer,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “The numbers show it.”

Here’s how it went down: Wesley Iwundu made a driving layup, completing a 9-1 run and pulling K-State within one of Texas A&M at 43-42. He made the shot while being fouled and stepped to the free-throw line with an opportunity to tie the score with 13 minutes, 47 seconds remaining.

He missed, but things still appeared positive for K-State when it secured the rebound and tried to set up a play that could have given it the lead. Instead, point guard Kamau Stokes turned the ball over trying to pass to Iwundu at the top of the key, giving Texas A&M a fastbreak opportunity.

Iwundu committed a flagrant foul in hopes of preventing an open layup, meaning the Aggies were going to get two free throws and retain the ball.

They took advantage. Texas A&M guard Alex Caruso made both free throws and Admon Gilder followed with a three. Then the Aggies scored nine of the next 10 points for a 57-43 lead. Tonny Trocha-Morelos finished the run with an emphatic dunk with 8:32 remaining.

One moment, K-State was on the verge of tying the score. The next, Texas A&M was in total control.

“As a team we just didn’t push through at that moment,” said Iwundu, who led K-State with 23 points. “They stepped up and made plays. That is pretty much it.”

That’s how small the margin of error can be on the road.

“Anytime you get a swing like that it is going to make a big impact on the game,” Caruso said, “especially when two teams are competing as hard as we do. Sometimes I get lucky and I read the passing lane. I guessed right and (Iwundu) fouled me. I was just trying to make a play for my team. Making the free throws helped and then the three was big.”

Too big for K-State to overcome, though it did throw a late scare into Texas A&M, 8-2. After falling behind 64-45 with 6:02 remaining, the Wildcats, 7-2, switched to a full-court press and cut the lead down to five behind several eye-popping plays from Iwundu and forward D.J. Johnson.

Iwundu made an acrobatic layup in the final minutes and followed with a vicious dunk moments later. Johnson had a businesslike 14 points and six rebounds.

“We could never really put them away,” Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said.

“I definitely had confidence that we could come back and make it a good game,” Iwundu said. “As a team we have just got to execute better at the end. Maybe we could have a better outcome if we take care of the ball.”

Foul trouble also hurt K-State. Dean Wade and Stokes both missed long chunks in the first half with two fouls. And Wade, the man who hit the game-winning shot at Georgia last weekend, never appeared engaged in the game. He scored a career-low two points.

On defense, the Wildcats had no answers for Jalen Jones, a senior who had 25 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes. Jones normally starts but came off the bench Saturday.

“What happens when you bench a senior? How is he going to react?” Weber said. “He reacted with fire and vengeance. He probably played one of his best games of the year.”

For K-State, the loss will go down as a missed opportunity. Though the Wildcats are off to an encouraging start, they have lost both of their highest profile games — against North Carolina and Texas A&M — by double digits. A win Saturday would have validated their success.

Still, the result won’t go down as a deflating loss. The Aggies have also beaten Gonzaga and Texas this season. They were favored, and this is the best team Kennedy has coached since taking over the program. 

Weber described them as one of the most talented teams K-State will face this season — in or out of conference play.

At one point, it appeared the Wildcats were in position to win. But one mistake quickly became several, and the game was lost. They will get a week off to thank about that before taking on Colorado State Dec. 19 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita.

“There is a lot of disappointment,” Johnson said. “To know we were right there is more frustrating than anything. We know that if we change one or two mistakes that could have gotten us the win.”

TEXAS A&M 78, KANSAS STATE 68

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Percentages: FG .426, FT .688. Three-Point Goals: 5-20, .250 (Edwards 2-7, Brown 1-2, Iwundu 1-3, Stokes 1-5, Hurt 0-1, Wade 0-2). Blocked Shots: 2 (Johnson 2). Turnovers: 16 (Iwundu 4, Hurt 3, Stokes 3, Edwards 2, Johnson 2, Brown). Steals: 5 (Iwundu 2, Budke, Brown, Hurt). Technical Fouls: None.

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Percentages: FG .540, FT .680. Three-Point Goals: 7-14, .500 (Jones 2-2, Caruso 2-3, A. Collins 1-1, Gilder 1-2, Hogg 1-2, Trocha-Morelos 0-1, House 0-3). Blocked Shots: 3 (Trocha-Morelos 2, Davis). Turnovers: 13 (House 3, Trocha-Morelos 3, Davis 2, Hogg 2, Miller, Gilder, Caruso). Steals: 11 (Caruso 6, Gilder 2, Trocha-Morelos 2, House). Technical Fouls: None.

Half: Texas A&M 35-29. Att: 7,003. Officials: Antinio Petty, Tony Henderson, Lee Cassell.

AP-WF-12-13-15 0036GMT

This story was originally published December 12, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Texas A&M holds off Kansas State rally, beats Wildcats 78-68."