Pullen scores 25 points for No. 11 K-State in 76-74 victory over No. 24 Baylor

Pullen has 25 points to lead No. 11 K-State

WACO, Texas — Jacob Pullen made two free throws with 8.2 seconds left and scored 25 points, lifting No. 11 Kansas State to a 76-74 victory over No. 24 Baylor on Tuesday night.

Only three days after having their school-record 14-game home court winning streak snapped in a loss to Oklahoma State, the Wildcats (17-3, 4-2 Big 12) put an end to Baylor’s 11-game winning streak that was also a school record.

Baylor (15-4, 2-3) still had one more chance after Pullen’s two free throws. But LaceDarius Dunn, who struggled all night, lost the handle in the lane after driving the court and then recovered in time to throw up a wild one-handed shot that never had a chance.

Dunn finished 3-of-13 shooting with only nine points, following a five-game stretch when he had at least 20 points four times before scoring 15 in the last game. He had 33 points with nine 3-pointers in a victory over the Wildcats last year.

The margin was never more than four points for either team in the final 17½ minutes in a game that featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes.

Denis Clemente scored 17 points while Rodney McGruder had 10 for K-State, which is 4-0 against Top 25 teams this season.

Tweety Carter had his second consecutive 23-point game for Baylor, while Anthony Jones had 12 points and nine rebounds. Epke Udoh was only 2-of-10 shooting for eight points, but had 14 rebounds.

Kansas State went up 66-62 with just under six minutes left when Pullen was fouled and made three free throws.

Carter then missed two free throws for Baylor, but got fouled again after stealing a pass and made two. After K-State missed a shot, Dunn was fouled driving to the basket and hit both free throws to tie the game at 66 with 4:40 left.

A minute later, Pullen hit a 3-pointer. He hit another one falling down with 1:04 left to stretch the lead to 74-70.

But Carter made a quick jumper and Pullen turned it over on the Wildcats’ next possession, leading to the tying basket that Dunn was credited for after Curtis Kelly was called for goaltending with 20 seconds left. Dunn then fouled Pullen at the other end to set up the game-winning free throws.

The Wildcats were coming off that 73-69 loss in which they shot a season-low 36 percent the same week they handed then-No. 1 Texas its first loss. They hit 28 of 57 (49 percent) against Baylor, which had eight shots blocked after a five-game stretch when there were none against the Bears.

Baylor heads to sixth-ranked Texas on Saturday, continuing a brutal Big 12 stretch which began last week with an 81-75 loss at No. 2 Kansas. K-State plays the Jayhawks next.

The Bears led 28-25 with 3:42 left in the first half after Anthony Jones, their 6-foot-10 forward, made a layup before missing the free throw. That came a minute after he drained a 3-pointer.

But the Wildcats had a 12-6 run over the final 2:40 of the first half, taking a 39-36 halftime lead after 3-pointers by Clemente and McGruder.

Clemente hit another 3-pointer early in the second half and the Wildcats stretched the lead to 44-38 before Baylor scored six points in just over a minute — converting two K-State turnovers into points. Dunn’s fastbreak layup off a steal made it 44-all.