Jacob Pullen sees his Kansas State team operating on the road like
a corporation.
It seems the approach is working as the No. 5 Wildcats have
lost just one of seven conference games away from home.
"For us, we have to handle this as business," Pullen said
after scoring 21 of his 28 points in the first half to lead Kansas
State to an 83-64 victory over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. "If
you're McDonald's or Wendy's, you don't want Wendy's selling more
than McDonald's if you're McDonald's. And so we have to make sure
that we stay in front. So we handle stuff as a business, as a
corporation for all our road trips."
Kansas State (23-4, 10-3) won its sixth straight overall to
remain alive for a possible tie for the Big 12 championship with
No. 1 Kansas.
Wildcats coach Frank Martin said Pullen was psyched up before
the game.
"There was something about his body language and about the
message he kept repeating to the team in the locker room and on the
bus," Martin said. "I've been around him enough to where I'm
starting to have reads on him. And I had the feel that he was
really, really zoned in today."
Martin is pleased with his team overall.
"As a team, we've moved forward, which is huge because you
don't want to be in neutral," he said. "They're a fun group of
guys. They come in, they listen, they work. They make it easy for
us to coach because they care. When you're around people that care,
it makes your job a lot easier."
John Roberson scored 15 points for Texas Tech (16-11, 4-9),
which lost its fourth straight, three of them to Top 25 teams in
the past week.
Kansas State trailed only at the game's outset and held off
brief spurts by Texas Tech late in the first half.
The Red Raiders pulled within 43-37 on two free throws by
Darko Cohadarevic early in the second half but never threatened
after that.
Jamar Samuels had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Kansas State,
while Denis Clemente added 14 points, ending a run that had seen
him score at least 21 points in four of the last five games.
Kansas State, which won in Lubbock for the first time since
1986, could still share the Big 12 title with the Jayhawks. Kansas
would have to lose its three remaining games and the Wildcats would
have to win their final three. They play March 3 at Kansas.
Texas Tech played Kansas State differently than other teams
this season, Martin said.
"And our guys took a while to comprehend what was there and
what wasn't there, and we stayed the course," he said. "As the game
evolved, we started to understand the things we can get and not
get."
Texas Tech shot poorly throughout, hitting on just 37.5
percent of their 56 field goal attempts. The Wildcats hit on 47.5
percent of their 59 attempts.
Pullen finished 9-of-14 from the field and had three
3-pointers. He had five assists and three steals.
"That kid is an all-conference, first-team guard," Texas Tech
coach Pat Knight said. "He's good. He can score."
Roberson and Nick Okorie both got their fourth foul with more
than 11 minutes remaining and the Wildcats took advantage. Kansas
State went up 57-42 with just over 10 minutes remaining after
scoring on five straight possessions, which included making 6 of 7
free throws.
The Wildcats missed only six of 26 free throws attempts and
finished 7-of-19 from beyond the arc.
Cohadarevic's putback pulled Texas Tech within 67-58 with 6
minutes remaining but Clemente answered with two 3s in the next
minute to put the Wildcats up 75-59 with 4:06 remaining.
Before 5 minutes had elapsed Clemente had 10 of Kansas
State's 14 points. He finished the half with 21 points.
The Wildcats went up 21-12 before the Red Raiders went on a
9-2 run, including a field goal and two free throws by Okorie, to
pull within 27-25. But Kansas State kicked up the pace and closed
the half on a 12-4 run to lead 39-29.
Roberson and Mike Singletary, the Red Raiders' top two
scorers, went a combined 1 of 8 from the field in the first half.
Knight said his team needs to rebound before playing at
Nebraska on Saturday. The goal now is to play in the NIT.
"I have to be careful," he said. "These kids' confidence is
fragile. I worry about that."
