Story byKSNT Topeka‘Cats claw back, sweep Houston in regular seasonAmy AcevedoThu, January 22, 2026 at 5:19 AM UTC·1 min readMANHATTAN (KSNT) – The K-State Wildcats (11-9, 4-3 Big 12) came back after trailing in the first half and fended off a late surge from the Houston Cougars (6-13, 0-8 Big 12) to grab a 69-65 win. The ‘Cats got off to a slow start, with 10 turnovers in the first half and no offensive rebounds. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementK-State turned things around in the second half shooting 59.3% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. In the first two quarters, the Wildcats shot just 37% from range and had zero made threes. Nastja Claessens set the tone in the ‘Cats return to Bramlage with 16 points, six rebounds and an assist. Tess Heal was close behind with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists.“I like the fact that we’re getting different contributions from different players,” K-State women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie said.