MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Andrew Jones scored 24 points and No. 13 Texas held off Kansas State 80-77 on Tuesday night.
Greg Brown added 17 points and Courtney Ramey had 14 for the Longhorns (12-5, 6-4 Big 12), who snapped a three-game skid.
“I’m just proud of our guys for hanging in down the stretch,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “Credit to Kansas State because of the shots they made tonight.”
Mike McGuirl missed a 3-point attempt from half court in the waning seconds for the Wildcats (5-16, 1-11), who have lost 11 straight. Kansas State hasn’t won since Dec. 29.
“I told the guys after that I wish I had some magical words to make them feel better,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “We played against one of the best teams in the country and they played at a high level.”
Nijel Pack scored 22 points and McGuirl had 18 for the Wildcats.
Texas’ Matt Coleman III missed a dunk after a steal by Jones in the final minute but converted four straight free throws down the stretch.
“I think we are learning how to win again,” Smart said. “That was a big emphasis coming into today.”
The Longhorns tied a season high with 13 3-pointers, making their first six attempts and finishing at 56.5% from beyond the arc. Kansas State was also solid from 3-point range, making 9 of 22 (40.9%), and both teams shot 26 for 51 (51%) overall.
“I was really leaning on my teammates lately after quarantine,” Jones said. “I feel like individually I’ve been doing well scoring, but no wins. So, I’m trying to get everyone involved because I just want to win.”
Brown was limited by foul trouble in the second half. He was given a technical early in the period for his fourth foul.
BIG PICTURE
Texas: Snapping the losing streak was good news from the Longhorns, but they still haven’t beaten a team other than Kansas State since Jan. 9.
Kansas State: The Wildcats can be encouraged that they stayed in the game until the final buzzer. It was their first conference game since Jan. 2 they didn’t lose by double digits.
UP NEXT
Texas: Hosts TCU on Saturday.
Kansas State: At No. 23 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
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