Kansas State 66, Texas Tech 45

Saturday, March 10th 2007, 2:43 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Lance Harris scored 20 points as Kansas State polished its NCAA tournament credentials with a 66-45 win over Texas Tech in the Big 12 Conference tournament quarterfinals.

Cartier Martin added 17 points for Kansas State, which advanced to play #2 Kansas in Saturday's semifinal. The Wildcats lost twice to their in-state rival this season, and Kansas has won 34 of the last 35 games in the series, dating to February 1994.

Despite a 4th-place finish and 10-6 league record, skeptics remained about whether Kansas State deserved what would be its first NCAA tournament berth since 1996. The Big 12's top three finishers -- Kansas, Texas A&M and Texas -- are considered tournament locks.