Iowa State wins; Buffs hand Mountaineers big setback

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas rallied for a 96-94 overtime victory over UCF late Wednesday to advance to the third round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.

Kansas will meet Arizona Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Earlier Wednesday, Joshua Jefferson had 19 points, Dishon Jackson added 10 points and 15 rebounds, and No. 12 Iowa State leaned on its big men to beat Cincinnati 76-56 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.

Tamin Lipsey scored 16 before leaving late with an apparent groin injury and Milan Momcilovic had 13 for the No. 5 seed Cyclones (24-8), who will play fourth-seeded BYU in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last week’s double-overtime thriller.

Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert returned from a muscle strain that had kept him out of three of the past five games, including a win over Kansas State to end the regular season. He had three points in 11 first-half minutes but did not play after halftime.

His availability, along with Lipsey’s status, loom important as the Cyclones chase another Big 12 title.

Jizzle James led the No. 13 seed Bearcats (18-15) with 17 points, but he missed his final six shots, which helped allow Iowa State finish the game on an 11-0 run. Josh Reed added 10 points and Day Day Thomas finished with nine.

The Cyclones overcame 17 turnovers by dominating the glass, outrebounding the Bearcats 41-23. That led to a 36-16 advantage in points in the paint, where Cincinnati’s 7-foot Aziz Bandaogo and 6-foot-8 Dillon Mitchell combined for just four points.

Cincinnati closed within 51-47 with 10:40 to go, but Iowa State scored on its next three trips to regain control.

The Cyclones play the 17th-ranked Cougars in the quarterfinals Thursday.

COLORADO 67, WEST VIRGINIA 60

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Elijah Malone scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, helping No. 16 seed Colorado deal No. 8 seed West Virginia’s at-large NCAA Tournament hopes a massive blow with a 67-60 victory in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.

RJ Smith added 13 points for the plucky and persistent Buffaloes (14-19), who beat TCU in the opening round and now get a shot at second-ranked Houston — the top seed in the tournament — in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.

The Mountaineers (19-13) were leading 46-37 with under 10 minutes to go when they turned it over on seven straight possessions. Colorado seized the momentum and ran off 15 points to take a 52-46 lead with 5 1/2 minutes left.

West Virginia fought back to within 56-53 with 2:13 left, but Malone scored again in the paint and Smith buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key, giving the Buffaloes a cushion they were able to hold until the finish.

Javon Small had 23 points to lead the Mountaineers, who began the day No. 41 in the NET rankings, thanks in large part to their strong schedule. They have six Quad 1 wins, which is an important factor considered by the NCAA selection committee.

Now, the Mountaineers have a long and tense wait for Selection Sunday.

BAYLOR 70, KANSAS STATE 56

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — VJ Edgecombe had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Norchad Omier added 12 points and 14 boards, and seventh-seeded Baylor rolled to a 70-56 victory over No. 10 seed Kansas State in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night.

Jayden Dunn also scored 18 points for the Bears (19-13), who built a 20-point lead early in the second half and then cruised into a quarterfinal matchup with ninth-ranked and No. 2 seed Texas Tech on Thursday night.