After that solid start, the Wildcats got sloppy, and the Red Raiders took advantage.

"I thought we had a chance to play well against them," Texas Tech interim coach Chris Walker said. "If we made a couple layups . we make a couple free throws, I think we go up five in the first half, and it may be a different game."

The Red Raiders climbed within 15-12 as four Kansas State players committed a turnover each in a 4-minute spurt.

"One of the worst things that happened, we went up 12-4, and then we were a little giddy, we lost a little bit of focus, and to their credit they came right at us," Weber said.

A 3-pointer by Ty Nurse gave the Red Raiders their first lead of the game with 1:53 to play in the half but a buzzer-beater from the baseline by McGruder gave the Wildcats a 31-30 lead.

"They started knocking down shots, some contested shots and obviously some shots where confusion came up," Hannahs said. "They got hot in the second half, with a mixture of us missing a couple assignments.

"Basketball's obviously a game of runs, but once you let a team that good get on a run, it's hard to get back in the flow."

Kansas State forward Jordan Henriquez, usually a starter, did not attend the game because he was traveling to New York for his grandmother's funeral. Gipson started in his place.

"We needed somebody to step up since JO's not here, and I just made the effort to step up and play harder than I normally play, just made an effort to do it on offense and defense," Gipson said.