TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — David Collins scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds and South Florida beat Wichita State 54-41 on Tuesday night after holding the Shockers to 15 first-half points, but scoring just 24 of their own in the second half.

It was the fewest points the Bulls have allowed in a first half since the 15 scored by Ohio on Nov. 16, 2018. Their 24 points were the fewest they have scored in a second half since scoring 27 against Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 29, 2018.

LaQuincy Rideau scored 11 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had four steals for South Florida (13-6, 3-4 American Athletic Conference), which shot 30 percent and made 6 of 19 3-pointers.

South Florida led 12-2 on T.J. Lang’s 3 while the Shockers made just 1 of 12 shots on 8-percent shooting with 11:54 left. Rideau’s free throws capped a 5-0 run for a 30-15 halftime lead.

The Shockers closed to 37-31 on Jamarius Burton’s layup after an 11-0 run, but Alexis Yetna and Collins each hit 3s and the Bulls led 50-39 with 3:19 to go.

Markis McDuffie scored 11 points for Wichita State (8-10, 1-5), which has lost six of its last seven and has yet to win on the road this season.

Barry Brown Jr. had 15 points, Dean Wade had 13 and Kansas State’s defense shut down No. 14 Texas Tech

MANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) — Barry Brown Jr. had 15 points, Dean Wade had 13 and Kansas State’s defense shut down No. 14 Texas Tech in a 58-45 win Tuesday night.

The Big 12’s top-ranked defenses combined to force 30 turnovers. The Wildcats (15-4, 5-2) held Texas Tech to 33-percent shooting and never led the Red Raiders get their offense rolling.

Jarrett Culver led Texas Tech (15-4, 4-3) with 17 points. Tariq Owens had 12.

The Red Raiders struggled to contain Brown in the first half. He had two step-back 3-pointers and 11 points. Wade was a mismatch as well, with Red Raider big man Norense Odiase called for three fouls in the first half. He only played five minutes.

Owens scored seven points off the bench in Odiase’s absence, keeping Texas Tech in it. Kansas State led 32-24 at the half.

The Wildcats led 46-38 midway through the second half before Wade made two free throws and Xavier Sneed hit a 3. The Red Raiders got back within eight but couldn’t get any closer.

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech has lost three straight games after starting 4-0 in conference play. They will need to get the ship going back in the right direction soon.

Kansas State has won five straight and looks to be one of the best teams in the Big 12.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech will be home Saturday against Arkansas in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

K-State plays at Texas A&M on Saturday.

The Chiefs have fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton after a second-half collapse in the AFC championship game, including an overtime period in which Kansas City failed to stop the New England Patriots on what turned out to be the only possession

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs have fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton after a second-half collapse in the AFC championship game, including an overtime period in which Kansas City failed to stop the New England Patriots on what turned out to be the only possession.

The Patriots won the game 37-31 to reach their third consecutive Super Bowl.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced the firing in a statement Tuesday, one day after he said he was evaluating all aspects of the team. Reid declined to address Sutton specifically.

Sutton had been the defensive coordinator since 2013, when he joined Reid’s initial staff in Kansas City. The longtime college and NFL assistant had previously spent more than a decade with the New York Jets, including a stint as defensive coordinator.

Reid did not say whether his replacement would be promoted from within his current staff.

Dedric Lawson had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Devon Dotson hit the clinching free throws with 5.9 seconds left and ninth-ranked Kansas held on to beat No. 24 Iowa State 80-76 on Monday night

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Dedric Lawson had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Devon Dotson hit the clinching free throws with 5.9 seconds left and ninth-ranked Kansas held on to beat No. 24 Iowa State 80-76 on Monday night.

Marcus Garrett added 16 points and Lagerald Vick had 14 for the Jayhawks (16-3, 5-2 Big 12), who blew a late lead at West Virginia over the weekend but this time slammed the door down the stretch.

Iowa State (14-5, 4-3) got within 72-71 on a driving layup by Marial Shayok with 1:44 to go, but Garrett followed a swap of empty possessions with a layup. Michael Jacobson hit a free throw for the Cyclones, but Lawson’s 3 from the top of the key made it 77-72 with 22.3 seconds left.

Shayok added the last of his team-high 26 points for Iowa State, and after Dotson made the second of two free throws, Tyrese Haliburton made two of his own to get within 78-76 with 7.5 seconds left.

Dotson was immediately fouled on the inbound and this time he made both of his free throws.

It allowed the Jayhawks to escape with a split of the season series after getting blown out at Hilton Coliseum earlier this month. It also kept Kansas from falling a game behind the Cyclones in what has already become a jammed race for the Big 12 championship.

Dotson finished with 11 points for Kansas. Talen Horten-Tucker had 16 for the Cyclones, while Jacobson finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Nick Weiler-Babb had 10 points.

The Cyclones took the lead in the opening minutes of the first half and never really relinquished it, even though the Jayhawks kept making brief runs that threatened to push them ahead.

Iowa State maintained control with crisp passing, balanced offense and enough rebounding, while the Jayhawks relied heavily on Lawson, who had 15 points and eight boards at the break.

The fact that Kansas was always a possession or two from taking the lead ramped up the nervous energy inside Allen Fieldhouse, turning it into a powder keg. And it finally erupted when Lagerald Vick slammed an ally-oop in transition to give the Jayhawks a 55-53 lead with 10:23 to go.

Lindell Wigginton and Horten-Tucker had chances to stop the run, but they combined to miss three straight foul shots. It eventually reached 14-0 when K.J. Lawson scored on a scooping layup, giving the Jayhawks a 61-53 advantage with 8 1/2 minutes left in the game.

Foul trouble soon became a problem for both teams.

Ochai Agbaji, who provided a big lift off the bench in the first half, fouled out for Kansas on a loose ball with 6:32 to go. Horten-Tucker soon picked up his fourth, and the Cyclones’ Cameron Lard was on the floor for about a minute before fouling out with no points and two rebounds.

Kansas still led 69-62 when Wigginton knocked down a 3-pointer. Jacobson added a free throw, then made a spectacular defensive play before hitting a 3 of his own to knot the game 69-all.

From there, it call came down to the final couple minutes.

TITLE REUNION

Four members of the Jayhawks’ 2008 national championship team were seated behind the Kansas bench in an impromptu reunion: Sasha Kaun, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins and Brandon Rush. All of them but Kaun have their names hanging in the rafters of the Phog.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa State’s hot shooting staked the Cyclones to an early lead, but a series of timeouts by coach Steve Prohm did little to slow down the Jayhawks during their big second-half run. And when Iowa State had chances to stop it at the foul line, a series of misses cost dearly.

Kansas improved to 14-2 at Allen Fieldhouse under coach Bill Self, and is now 38-3 since the 2013-14 season when coming off a loss. The Jayhawks also avoided falling to 4-3 to start Big 12 play for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

UP NEXT

Iowa State visits Mississippi on Saturday in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

Kansas travels to Rupp Arena on Saturday to play No. 8 Kentucky.

By C.D. DESALVO
Hays Post

Hays High girls dominate Orange and Black Classic
The Hays High girls went into the Orange and Black Classic in Colby with a 4-3 record and won three games over the weekend to win the tournament. Hays outscored its three opponents 177-105 with victories over Goodland 59-36, Scott City 68-50 and Colby in the championship game 50-19.

The 19 points allowed against Colby is a tournament record in a championship game. Coach Alex Hutchins was awarded the Tom Bowen Coach’s Award. Kallie Leiker was named to the All-Academic team. Savannah Schneider and Brooke Denning each made the All-Tournament team. You can listen to highlights and the coach interview by clicking here.

The Hays High boys finished fourth at the Orange and Black Classic with an 83-53 victory over Christian Heritage out of Oklahoma. Hays shot a season-high 52 percent from the field and season high 44 percent from three making a season-high 12 three pointers. You read about the recap of the game, including highlights and the coach interview here.

Both the girls and boys take on Salina Central at home on Friday.

TMP boys finish 2nd at the MCL Tournament
The TMP boys played Phillipsburg in the championship game of the MCL tournament for the second straight year on Saturday, falling 60-46 to the Panthers. Jared Mayers lead the way for the Monarchs with 16 points including this dunk:

Jared Mayers TMP with the steal and slam #sportsinkansas pic.twitter.com/xuyfbRiJqe

— Sports in Kansas (@sportsinkansas) January 20, 2019

The TMP girls finished third at the MCL tournament with a 45-39 victory over Smith Center Saturday.

Osborne boys win back-to-back NPL tournaments, Thunder Ridge girls win NPL again
The Osborne Bulldogs grabbed the win over St. John’s/Tipton Catholic to win the NPL tournament last week. Osborne improves to 12-0 and is currently ranked No. 10 in a loaded 1A class.

The Thunder Ridge Lady Longhorns won their sixth NPL tournament title in a row with a 47-26 win over Osborne.

OVERTIME

Plainville’s Dewey having a stellar junior season
Plainville’s Aubree Dewey is averaging 29.9 points, 3.7 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 1.3 blocks a game. Dewey, a 5-foot-6 junior, had a career high 38 points against Ellsworth in December. She has scored 30 or more points in seven games this year. Plainville is 6-5 but have lost four of those five games by less than 10 points. Plainville is coached by former Fort Hays State star Kate Lehman.

Have highlights you want to share for next week’s Hoops Highlights? Email them to C.D. DeSalvo. Photos are encouraged!

FHSU Athletics

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Fort Hays State’s Isaiah Luellen and Reese Cokeley placed at the Roger Denker Open, hosted by the University of Central Missouri on Sunday (Jan. 20). They were the only two Tigers to participate in the tournament.

Luellen was the champion of the 165-pound bracket. After a first round bye, he cruised into the semifinals with a 19-4 technical fall over Stephen Duffy of Concordia University. A 9-5 decision over Martell Boone from the University of Missouri pushed him into the finals, where he defeated another University of Missouri wrestler, Peyton Mocco, by an 11-4 decision. Luellen moved to 19-3 on the year, all in tournament action. This is the third tournament win for Luellen this year, going along with the Dan Harris Open, UNK Holiday Inn Open.

After helping the team to a Kansas Cup title last Sunday, Cokeley finished in a tie for fifth in the 141-pound class. He recorded a fall in 4:01 in the first round over Caleb Osborn of Truman State University. He then edged Daide Agnew of Central Missouri by a score of 8-7 in the quarterfinals. Nick Nasenbeny from the University of Missouri got the best of Cokeley in the semifinals by a score of 7-0, then Cokeley had to bow out of the tournament by medical forfeit in the consolation semifinals. Both wrestlers making the fifth-place match were unable to wrestle, so Cokeley shared the placement with George Benoit of Grand View.