Columbia. Mo. ? Bob Huggins gave Kansas State players extra incentive to end a three-game losing streak when he informed them he’s never lost four games in a row, as a coach or player.
David Hoskins helped the Wildcats avoid that fate, scoring all but four of his 18 points in the final 10:47 of an 85-81 victory over Missouri on Saturday.
“I did not want to be a part of that,” Hoskins said. “That’s what everybody was talking about.”
Missouri, which squandered a 16-point lead in a loss to Iowa State in its last home game a week ago, nearly rallied from the same deficit. The Tigers, who trailed 56-40 with 13:36 to go, cut the gap to two on J.T. Tiller’s three-pointer with 1:58 left before Kansas State wrapped it up at the free-throw line by going 10-for-12.
Clent Stewart scored a career-best 19 points and Lance Harris had 16 for the Wildcats (11-6, 1-2), who gave Huggins his first Big 12 victory and kept Missouri’s Mike Anderson winless in conference play.
Huggins is unaccustomed to scuffling, producing 14 straight NCAA tournament teams.
“When he loses, he’s miserable,” Hoskins said. “He’s much more fun to be around when he’s winning, so that’s what we try to do.”
Marshall Brown had a career high 28 points for the Tigers (11-5, 0-3), who have lost three in a row and five of seven. But Brown, who topped his previous career high of 24 at Texas on Wednesday, blew a dunk with 34 seconds to go that would have cut the gap to three points.
“You think it’s a sure thing,” Brown said. “Those are plays that we’ve got to convert. I put the loss on my shoulders.”
Kansas State’s lead was down to two points again before Cartier Martin, who had 15 points, made a pair of free throws with seven seconds to go. The Wildcats were 37-for-43 from the line, Hoskins enjoying a perfect 12-for-12 day, while Missouri went 23-for-30.
“That was the game right there,” Anderson said. “That’s a lot of free throws, and you’re talking about somebody else’s home turf.”
Kansas State dominated in rebounding with a 41-17 advantage, including 23-5 in the first half while taking a 10-point lead. That bulge enabled the winners to overcome a season-worst 24 turnovers against Missouri’s full-court press.
“When you throw it out of bounds like we do, it’s really important,” Huggins said. “You have to figure out how to get the ball back.
“That was one of our points of emphasis coming into the game, but so was not throwing it out of bounds.”
Stefhon Hannah, a junior college transfer who committed to Missouri after his mother refused to sign his letter of intent to Kansas State, was held to seven points. Hannah is the Tigers’ leading scorer with a 16-point average, and this was only his second game below double figures.
