Kansas State suffers 47-46 upset loss to Tulsa
TULSA, Okla. — Martins Igbanu made a big play, and then partied with some of his classmates.
Igbanu connected for a go-ahead jump hook with 1:51 remaining, and Tulsa edged No. 16 Kansas State 47-46 on Saturday.
Curran Scott scored 14 points for Tulsa (7-3), and Igbanu had nine points and six rebounds. The Hurricane got their second straight victory against the Big 12, also topping Oklahoma State 74-71 on Wednesday.
Kansas State had one last chance in the final seconds, but Barry Brown Jr. rimmed out a floater on a drive into the lane. Several tips misfired and the Tulsa students stormed the court to celebrate.
"To see the students come storming the court was very exciting," Igbanu said. "I've watched that happen for a lot of other teams on television and always wanted to be a part of something like that. They gave us great energy tonight."
Xavier Sneed had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Wildcats (6-2) shot 30.5 percent (18 for 59) from the field. They also committed 16 turnovers.
"I can't even put into words how proud I am of the effort and intensity we played with," Tulsa coach Frank Haith said. "We fought our butts off and executed so well. It was at a high, high level and I'm really proud of how we did it."
Kansas State star Dean Wade finished with two points on 1-for-6 shooting. Brown and Kamau Stokes combined to shoot 4 for 24.
The Wildcats also struggled with Tulsa's matchup zone last season, shooting 31.6 percent (18 for 57) in a 61-54 loss.
"Tulsa is so good at rotating and keeping you contained," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "You have to make some shots and I thought we had some open ones tonight. But every time you think you have something going, you're just not able to get in any comfort zone and rhythm."
The Hurricane also struggled offensively, shooting 38 percent (19 for 50) and committing 15 turnovers. They were outrebounded 42-34 by the Wildcats.
Tulsa opened a 45-40 lead on a long 3-pointer by Jeriah Horne with 4:19 left. But Kansas State came right back.
Sneed made two 3-pointers to help the Wildcats to a 46-45 lead with 2:24 left, setting the stage for Igbanu's big play.
"They have one of the top defenses in the nation," Haith said. "You had to work hard for everything and finish through contact. Fortunately we made one more play than they did."
LOOKING BACK
It was Tulsa's first win against a ranked team since an 82-77 victory against No. 16 Southern Methodist in Dallas on Feb. 10, 2016. It was its first victory over a ranked team at home since a 77-67 win against No. 9 Wichita State on Nov. 17, 2015.
MORE POWER
Weber was not pleased with the performance of the 6-foot-10 Wade.
"He wasn't aggressive enough," he said. "He's the biggest guy out there and he didn't use his strength or length to finish around the hoop. But he's a good player and he'll battle through this."
BIG PICTURE
Kansas State: The Wildcats made 4 of 32 3-pointers in the 2017 loss and were slightly better against the zone this time at 5 of 19. Kansas State played physical defense without fouling in the second half, committing just one team foul.
Tulsa: The Hurricane is proving to be one tough team at home, having won 13 consecutive games at the Reynolds Center and 22 of 24 overall.
UP NEXT
Kansas State has a week off before opening a four-game nonconference homestand against Georgia State on Dec. 15.
Tulsa concludes its 2018 home nonconference slate against New Orleans on Thursday.
