Editor’s note: Fixed Kaluma’s position in the caption and his points on the night.

Kansas State men’s basketball has now lost seven of its past eight games after losing to an also-struggling Texas team. The Longhorns were one step ahead all game long, winning 62-56.

Both teams had a hard time scoring from 3, as K-State went 1-6 and Texas went 2-6 from the arch 10 minutes into the game. The Longhorns found other ways to score, the scoreboard proving it as Texas went up 14-7.

The Texas defense did not allow easy points. Longhorns forward Dillon Mitchell had two blocks early into the game. Mitchell extended the Texas lead by scoring a layup and dunk on back-to-back possessions. His efforts helped keep Texas ahead 18-11. 

The Longhorns kept its one-step in front of the Wildcats, finishing 27-22 going into the half.  

K-State battled back continuously as guard Tylor Perry drained a 3-pointer and forward David N’Guessan knocked down a layup to make the score 33-31, Soon after, the Wildcats struggled scoring the ball, going on a three-minute scoring drought. 

Texas, on the other hand, turned it up. The Longhorns extended its lead to nine, going up 40-31.

Things became physical in the second half. K-State guard Dai Dai Ames picked up his second flagrant foul of the game, grabbing Texas guard Chendall Weaver’s face when attempting a block and wound up ejected. After this, a brief altercation was seen between Ames and the Texas bench quickly handled by the officials.  

As seen all season with K-State, the Wildcats never went away, going on a 6-0 run fueled by a four-point play from forward Arthur Kaluma and a layup from center Will McNair Jr. The effort put the score at 54-48 with about two minutes of the game left. 

The Wildcats tried their absolute best, managing to bring the game within four. Unfortunately for K-State, the Longhorns put on a defensive clinic, walking away with the win 62-56. 

Kaluma finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Perry would follow him, scoring 13 and racking up three steals. N’Guessan would have the third most points, with 12.

The Wildcats will desperately seek a win, preparing for a BYU rematch in Bramlage Coliseum at 1 p.m. Saturday.