The Texas Tech men’s basketball team was unable to earn an opening day bye at next week’s Big 12 Tournament as Kansas State handed the Red Raiders a 61-48 setback during the regular season finale for both teams Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

Texas Tech (18-13, 6-12 Big 12) was held to season-lows with 48 points on 16 field goals and a 35.3 shooting percentage. The Red Raiders have dropped 11 consecutive Big 12 road contests dating back to last season and lost 16 of their 18 games all-time at Kansas State (19-12, 8-10 Big 12).

Texas Tech will turn its attention to the Big 12 Tournament where the Red Raiders will meet Texas during Wednesday’s opening round at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. The Wildcats tucked away the No. 6 seed and will play Iowa State in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

“We just have to continue the process,” Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. “It is one of the many challenges in the first year as you are just trying to build something. Some days it looks pretty good and other days it does not. We will just get back to work. I think everybody in our program, from myself all the way down to our players, takes accountability on a day like today. It is just not good enough. We did not represent our university, and we did not represent ourselves well today. That is not taking anything away from Kansas State. They deserved to win the game. They played very well. They have a great coach and good players, but I did not think we played our best today.”

Keenan Evans secured 11 points, four rebounds and two steals. The 11 points enabled the junior guard to extend his streak to 19 straight games in double figures. His 16.9 points per game in Big 12 action is the highest for a Texas Tech player since Jarrius Jackson averaged 19.1 points per game in 2006-07.

Niem Stevenson added 11 points and five rebounds. He has dialed up 10-plus points in eight of his last 11 outings. The Evans-Stevenson duo had to work for their 22 points and combined for a 7-of-21 effort from the floor. 

Anthony Livingston tacked on nine points and five rebounds. He connected on three of Texas Tech’s six three-pointers for the game. All nine of Livingston’s points came in the first half.

Zach Smith picked up six points, six rebounds and two blocks followed by Justin Gray who registered five points, three rebounds and three steals.

Shadell Millinghaus, Aaron Ross and Devon Thomas rounded out the scoring for the Red Raiders with two points apiece.

Texas Tech finished with a 16-for-45 shooting clip and hit on 6-for-19 from three-point territory. The Red Raiders sank 10-for-14 at the foul line and scored all 12 of the game’s fastbreak points.

Kansas State went 22-of-50 from the field, 5-of-16 from beyond the three-point line and converted on 12-of-17 free throws. The Wildcats dominated the interior and possessed a healthy 28-12 advantage in paint points.

D.J. Johnson piled up a game-leading 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting whereas Wesley Iwundu tacked on 10 points and 10 rebounds on their Senior Day. Dean Wade managed 11 points, and Kamau Stokes impacted the game with a game-high seven assists.

The Wildcats started quickly with the game’s first nine points before Livingston put the Red Raiders on the board with the first of three treys during the opening half.

Down 11-6, Evans and Livingston buried triples 47 seconds apart to give Texas Tech its first lead at 12-11 with 13:37 remaining.

The Red Raiders stretched their lead and capped a 10-0 spurt with a pair of free throws courtesy of Stevenson and Gray to go ahead 16-11 with 11:12 to go.

Kansas State put together 19 of the next 22 points to turn the five-point margin into a 30-19 advantage. The lone bucket during that stretch was a Stevenson three-point play. The Wildcats capped the flurry with 10 straight points and held Texas Tech without a point for a 5:36 span.

The Wildcats relied heavily on the Iwudu-Johnson-Wade trio who accounted for 26 of the team’s 34 points and converted on nine of their 13 field goal attempts during the opening half. Kansas State took a 34-22 lead into the locker room.

The Red Raiders were unable to slice the deficit into single digits during the second 20 minutes. Texas Tech’s best opportunity came with 7:28 left. After a Stevenson one-handed slam in transition made it 52-40, Evans misfired on a three-pointer on the Red Raiders ensuing possession.

“I thought Kansas State outplayed us for 40 minutes today,” Beard said. “I didn’t think the first half was runs at all. They just whipped us. D.J. Johnson is one of the best players in the Big 12. He is very consistent and productive. I have a lot of respect for him, personally, for his story with battling injuries throughout his career. He is a good player.”

Texas Tech will meet Texas in the second game of Wednesday’s opening round at the Big 12 Tournament. Tipoff is on-tap approximately 8 p.m. from the Sprint Center in Kansas City. The game will televised by ESPNU along with being available online at www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. The winner of Wednesday’s opening round matchup will advance to face West Virginia in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the men’s basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/TexasTechMBB and @TexasTechMBB on Twitter and Instagram.

(Courtesy Texas Tech Sports Information Department)