Kansas State basketball vs Drake recap: Wildcats drop overtime heartbreaker

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It could have been the reset Kansas State basketball was looking for.

Instead, it turned into heartbreak.

Not only did the Wildcats rally from a 20-point first-half deficit to have a chance to win at the end of regulation, but they erased a five-point Drake lead in the extra period, only to watch the Bulldogs’ Bennett Stirtz knock down a 3-pointer with three second left for a 73-70 victory at T-Mobile Center.

Coleman Hawkins tied it for K-State with a 3-pointer at 12.2 seconds in the overtime, and after Stirtz connected, Max Jones’ desperation heave at the buzzer rimmed out.

With the loss, K-State fell to 6-4, and lost for the first time in 13 overtime games under coach Jerome Tang. Drake remained unbeaten at 10-0.

Hawkins led K-State with 16 points and five assists, while David N’Guessan finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, Jones 12 points and Dug McDaniel 10.

Mitch Mascari hit 8 of 10 3-pointers and led all scorers with 25 points, while Stirtz had 16 of his 22 in the second half and overtime.

K-State now goes on the road to face Wichita State on Saturday.

FINAL IN OVERTIME: Drake 73, Kansas State 70

Wildcats still have a chance

After trailing by six points with less than two minutes left, K-State is back within three and has the ball, down 70-67 with 27.2 seconds left.

K-State imploding in overtime

Drake converts a turnover to go up 70-64 with 1:44 left in overtime. Not what K-State wanted.

Wildcats’ 12-0 overtime record under Jerome Tang in jeopardy.

Drake grabs early lead in OT

Bennett Stirtz has scored all five Drake points in overtime and the Bulldogs lead 68-64 with 2:17 left. Coleman Hawkins 1 of 4 from the line for K-State.

END OF REGULATION: K-State 63, Drake 63

We’re going to overtime

Brendan Hausen’s 3-pointer misses and we remained tied 63-63 after regulation.

K-State with a chance at last shot

K-State calls timeout with 18.8 seconds left and the shot clock off. We’re tied at 63-63.

K-State up two inside one minute

Drake calls timeout with 41.6seconds left and K-State up 63-61.

Buckle up for a fun finish

With 3:21 left, K-State leads Draike 60-59. The Wildcats are shooting 66.7% in the second half, but have been outscored from the foul line, 7-3 in the period.

Max Jones has 12 points, Coleman Hawkins 11 and Dug McDaniel, David N’Guessan and CJ Jones nine each for K-State. Mitch Mascari 25 points and Bennett Stirtz 14 for Drake.

K-State up by three with 4:32 left

Dug McDaniel drains a 3-pointer to put K-State back in front, 60-57, at the 4:33 mark.

K-State grabs first lead after trailing by 20

K-State, which trailed 29-9 with just under six minutes left in the first half, got even for the first time at 49-49 on a Brendan Hausen 3-pointer with 10:23 left in the second half and took its first lead on a David N’Guessan lob layup from Dug McDaniel at the 9:04 mark.

But Mitch Mascari drilled his seventh 3-pointer and Drake is back in front, 52-51, with 8:10 to go.

Here come the Cats

K-State has made 6 of 7 shots in the second half, all from close range, to cut Drake’s lead to 43-40 on a CJ Jones transition basket on a nice feed from Max Jones.

Drake calls timeout with 14:11 left. The Bulldogs are just 2 of 6 shooting in the half and Mitch Mascari missed a 3-pointer for the first time in seven tries.

K-State within six at first media timeout

Kansas State has made all three second-half shots to cut Drake’s lead to 39-33 with 15:52 left, and Coleman Hawkins is going to the line. The Wildcats have attacked the basket with good results so far.

Drake’s three points in the half came after K-State coach Jerome Tang picked up a technical while seemingly asking for an and-one on a driving layup by Hawkins.

HALFTIME: Drake 36, Kansas State 27

K-State finally gets it going to close the half, trimming the Drake lead to nine with an 18-7 run. The Wildcats hit their last four 3-pointers of the period after missing the first seven.

The big story for Drake is Mitch Mascari with 18 points on 6 of 6 3-point shooting.

K-State shows signs of life, comes roaring back

K-State has made four straight shots, including three 3-pointers, and is on an 11-2 run to cut Drake’s lead to 31-20 with 2:39 left in the half.

The Wildcats also have forced three turnovers on defense during the stretch. That’s more like it.

Wildcats have no answer for Drake’s Mitch Mascari

With the shot clock winding down, Drake’s Mitch Mascari leans in for a 3-pointers — he’s now 5-for-5 — and K-State falls behind 29-9.

Things not improving for K-State

With 7:39 left in the half, K-State still hasn’t cracked double digits, trailing Drake, 25-8. Drake is 9 of 15 from the floor, including 4 of 7 from 3 — Mitch Mascari 4-for-4 — while the Wildcats are 4 of 15 and have been outrebounded 11-6 and turned the ball over four times.

Wildcats continue to struggle

Drake has hit 5 of 9 shots and has assisted on each basket, and leads 14-4 with 11:48 left in the half.

K-State is 2 of 10, 0-for-5 from 3, with three turnovers.

Mobi Ikegwuruka makes an appearance

Mobi Ikegwuruka, who had been sidelined with an injury, was the first Wildcat off the bench along with Dug McDaniel for David Castillo at the point two minutes into the game.

A terrible start for K-State

Drake races to a 9-0 lead, forcing Jerome Tang to burn a timeout with 15:27 left in the half. The Wildcats are 0 of 5 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and have turned the ball over twice.

Drake, on the other hand, is 4 of 6 with a 3-pointer and looks like the better team so far and it’s not close.

Freshman David Castillo gets his first start for K-State

The Kansas State point guard merry-go-round continues to spin. True freshman David Castillo gets his first career start tonight against Drake, making him the Wildcats’ third point guard to open a game this season.

CJ Jones started eight of the previous nine games and Dug McDaniel one. Interestingly, Castillo played just two minutes the last time out in the Wildcats’ 88-71 loss at St. John’s.

The other starters for the Wildcats tonight are the usual: guards Brendan Hausen and Max Jones, with Coleman Hawkins and David N’Guessan at forward.

Kansas State vs Drake game time today

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Kansas State vs Drake prediction

K-State is a slim favorite and desperate for a victory to build momentum heading into Big 12 play, but Drake has outscored its opponents by nearly 20 points per game and ranks second nationally in scoring defense. Give a slight edge to the Bulldogs.

Prediction: Drake 70, Kansas State 65

Kansas State vs Drake betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Tuesday afternoon: