Kansas State basketball guard Tylor Perry finds a way, even when 3-pointers don't fall
MANHATTAN — Say what you will about Tylor Perry. When it comes to shooting, Kansas State's super-senior point guard has never been gun shy.
That is what made his performance Saturday in a heartbreaking 75-72 loss to TCU at Bramlage Coliseum all the more remarkable.
For the first time in 25 games as a Wildcat, Perry did not knock down a single 3-pointer — he was 0-for-6 — and yet he finished with a team-high 24 points. In all seven previous games in which he scored 20 or more, he made at least two.
Yes, the Wildcats lost for the second time at home this season and for the sixth time overall in their last seven games to fall to 15-10 with a 5-7 Big 12 record. And they face another test on a short turnaround Monday when they travel to Austin for an 8 p.m. game against Texas (16-9, 5-7) at the Moody Center.
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But for Perry the TCU game showed that he is not a one-dimensional scorer. Instead of forcing the issue against a trapping Horned Frogs defense determined to chase him off the line, he began attacking the basket, something he hesitated to do early in the season.
"I've been around college basketball for a long time, so you've got to find different ways to score the ball," he said. "But it just wasn't enough, no matter how many points I had. We didn't get the job done."
Perhaps not, but unlike other games this year when his struggles from the perimeter have rendered him ineffective, Perry made TCU pay by taking a different tack.
"TP is a fighter, and I was really proud of him because of how they were guarding him," K-State coach Jerome Tang said of Perry, who was 6 of 7 inside the arc, mostly from the paint, and also converted all 12 of his free throws. "It was hard for him to get off shots, but it didn't stop him from putting his head down and getting to the lane and taking the contact.
"And he finished a couple of and-ones, and so I'm really proud of him for that."
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It was a dreadful night all around from the perimeter for K-State, which went 1-for-15 from three. But Perry, who only failed to make one three times in two years at North Texas, had the self-awareness against TCU to do something about it.
"I think teams are obviously trying to take the three away from me," said Perry, whose 3-point success rate this season is just 30.6%, though he connected at a 41% at North Texas. "I haven't really been shooting it well off the bounce, and so instead of settling, I was trying to get to the paint.
"I think they're fanning out to my teammates when I do get down there, so it's opening lanes for me."
It also has put Perry on the foul line, where he has been rock-solid, shooting 91.6% for the season. And perhaps his newfound aggressiveness will translate to more open 3-point looks for all the Wildcats, who are shooting 30.4% as a team.
"It wasn't just him," Tang said of Perry after the TCU game. "As a team, we didn't shoot it well from three."
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball guard Tylor Perry expands his scoring arsenal
