MANHATTAN, Kan. (KStateSports.com) – Kansas State used another fast start to overwhelm an opponent, as the Wildcats raced out to a 15-4 lead en route to a wire-to-wire 85-57 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday night before 8,542 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (9-11, 3-6 Big 12) collected consecutive wins for the first time in 2025 by turning in its best offensive performance of the Big 12 season to avenge an early loss to Oklahoma State (10-10, 2-7 Big 12). The 85 points are the most through their first 9 league games, as the Wildcats connected on 52.6 percent (30-of-57) from the field, including 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from 3-point range, while making 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the free throw line.
The defense wasn’t bad either, as K-State held OSU to 57 points on 39.6 percent (21-of-53) shooting, including 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from 3-point range, while forcing an opponent-high 21 turnovers. The Wildcats scored 28 points off those miscues, including 22 in the first half. The 57 points were the fewest allowed a Big 12 opponent and were one point shy of the season low.
K-State used its fast start to build a 22-point halftime lead (45-23) before expanding the advantage to as many as 32 points behind a 12-0 run less than 5 minutes into the second half. OSU never got closer than 24 points the rest of the way. It marked the second straight game that the Wildcats built a 20-point lead at halftime, as they have outscored their last 2 opponents, 87-51, in the first half.
The 28-point victory was the second largest of the season and the largest in Big 12 play under head coach Jerome Tang. It is the largest Big 12 win since an 85-46 win over Oklahoma State at home on Feb. 23, 2019.
Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by a team-high 18 points from junior Brendan Hausen, who went a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range. He was joined in double figures by fellow seniors Coleman Hawkins (15 points) and Max Jones (14 points) and junior Dug McDaniel (10 points). Sophomore Mobi Ikegwuruka finished with his best game of the season with 8 points to go with 3 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in 12 minutes off the bench.
Hausen is the seventh player in school history to go 5-of-5 or better from 3-point range and the first since Denis Clemente went 6-of-6 from beyond the arc at Texas on Jan. 31, 2009. Hausen’s only misses came inside the arc, going 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from free throw line. He has now made at least 5 3-pointers in 4 games, including twice in Big 12 play.
Hawkins enjoyed a stellar all-around performance, as he grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds to go with his 15 points, 6 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 33 minutes.
Fifth-year transfer forward Marchelus Avery led all scorers with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-8 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 6-of-7 free throws off the bench. He was joined in double figures by graduate guard Bryce Thompson.
K-State begins a 2-game road swing on Saturday with a trip to No. 3/3 Iowa State (17-3, 7-2 Big 12) at 1 p.m., on ESPN2. This will be the first of 2 meetings with the Cyclones this season. The Wildcats won’t return home until their matchup with No. 11/11 Kansas (15-5, 6-3 Big 12) on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tickets can be purchased online at kstatesports.com/tickets or by phone (800) 221.CATS.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
“First of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for this blessing. It’s a joy coaching these dudes and where we’re at right now, but it was work to get here. We’re getting ready to start February here in a little bit, and we always refer to that as the dog days of February. But I don’t feel like the dog days [are ahead of us], I feel energetic and refreshed. The team looks energetic and refreshed. Our practices are super competitive, and I think it’s showing out there. I’ve been saying for a while that we’re getting better and we’re getting close, and we’re still not as good as we can be. We still have room for improvement. But I’m thankful that we were able to show we could improve, and that is a blessing.”
On what feels different about this team since the previous back-to-back winning streak…
“All of us had to develop a level of humility. We needed help, we needed to get better, and we had to make changes. I see guys who have realized that they need each other. So, when you’ve got some humility to you, and are thankful for the opportunity you have, you play with a different energy. I think you can see how much fun they’re having out there with each other.”
On tonight’s defensive game plan…
“Keep them out of the paint and keep them out of transition. They are incredible in transition and in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. The last time we played them, they owned the paint, and [their] big fella, Abou [Ousmane], looked like an all-conference guy. So, we knew we couldn’t let him get touches, because once a good player touches the ball, good things are going to happen. So [the game plan] was also to limit his touches.”
On the energy levels in practice earlier in the week on Monday and Tuesday…
“We got exactly what we wanted to see Monday and Tuesday. The addition of [Memphis transfer] Tyreek Smith being here and practicing with us, another athletic, strong body, he just raised the level of energy to another level. I thought Tuesday might have been our most fun practice because of how competitive it was. And the guys enjoyed the competitiveness, and you could see it. Now we got to take it to another level.”
On the simplified game plan
“There was a common theme as I met with individual players to see where they were at and where they felt we were at. One of [the themes] was that they were confused about things. I’m listening to the game [BYU/Baylor] last night, and King McClure is calling the game, and he says, ‘They’ve got to change up their ball screen coverage.’ Because when I was at Baylor, we had three or four different ball screen coverages. And I texted him and said, ‘That’s because we had three and four-year players in the program.’ At that time, there was one guy on the floor that had been at Baylor multiple years, and he texted back and said, ‘That’s a great point.’ So, I shared that story to say that we thought we were being simple with what we were providing them, but there was still confusion. So, I went to my staff and said, ‘We’ve got to make it even simpler and limit the number of voices that were speaking at practice.’ I have great coaches, and I want them to coach, but this group needed less distractions, and they’ve embraced it.”
FIRST HALF
K-State got off to another quick start, as the Wildcats scored the game’s first 10 points to take a 15-4 lead into the first media timeout at the 14:46 mark. Seniors Max Jones (6 points) and Coleman Hawkins (5 points) combined for 11 of the team’s first 15 points.
A 7-3 run by Oklahoma State cut the deficit to 18-11 but Hawkins was able to connect on a 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer to push the K-State lead back to double figures at the second media timeout with 11:45 to play.
The Wildcats went ahead 25-11 on a rare 4-point play by junior Brendan Hausen, but the Cowboys responded with 7 in a row to cut the deficit to 25-18. However, a quick 5-0 run from junior Dug McDaniel, including a steal and runout layup, made it 30-18 with just under 8 before halftime.
The 5-0 run by McDaniel turned into an 11-0 run by K-State, as senior David N’Guessan made 1-of-2 free throws followed by a 3-pointer from Jones and a dunk from sophomore Mobi Ikegwuruka that forced a timeout by OSU at the 4:45 mark. The Cowboys gained some momentum with 5 straight points out of the timeout, but the Wildcats responded with a 9-0 run to end the half and take a 45-23 lead into the locker room.
K-State scored its 45 first-half points on 53.3 percent (16-of-30) shooting, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from 3-point range, while making 6 of 7 attempts from the free throw line. The Wildcats scored 22 points off 16 Cowboy turnovers.
Jones (11 points) and McDaniel (10 points) combined for 21 points, while Hawkins added 8 points to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
SECOND HALF
After OSU opened the second half with a layup, K-State rattled off 12 straight to increase the lead to 57-25 after Hausen hit 2 of 3 free throws. The Cowboys were able to use a 10-2 run to again cut into the deficit but a third 3-pointer from Max Jones and a layup from C.J. Jones made it 64-37 at the second media timeout with 12 to play.
The teams traded baskets over the next 4 minutes before a 10-4 run by the Wildcats expanded their lead to 80-48 at the final media timeout of the half with 3:28 to play. Four players contributed points in the run, including 3 each by Hawkins and Hausen and 2 each by Ikegwuruka and freshman David Castillo. Tang slowly emptied his bench in the final minutes, as the Cowboys scored 9 of the final 14 points for the final 85-57 margin.
K-State scored its 40 second-half points on 51.9 percent (14-of-27) shooting from the field, including 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from beyond the arc. Hausen scored 11 of his 18 points after halftime, while OSU’s Marchelus Avery led all scorers with 15 second-half points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State (9-11, 3-6 Big 12) won consecutive games for the first time in the calendar year 2025 with an 85-57 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday night at Bramlage Coliseum… It marked the first time the Wildcats have won back-to-back games since wins over Longwood on Nov. 25 and UAPB on Dec. 1.
- K-State is now 438-151 all-time at Bramlage Coliseum, including 177-121 in league play.
- K-State now leads the all-time series, 88-60, including 45-18 at home and 17-12 at Bramlage Coliseum… The Wildcats have now 4 straight at home in the series… Oklahoma State still has a 25-21 record in the Big 12 era… The teams split the season series with each winning on their own home court.
- K-State used a starting lineup of junior Dug McDaniel, junior Brendan Hausen, senior Max Jones, senior Coleman Hawkins and senior David N’Guessan for the 10th time and the ninth straight game… Hausen, M. Jones, Hawkins and N’Guessan have now started the first 20 games… All 20 of Hausen’s career starts have come at K-State.
- Hawkins now has 102 career starts (Illinois/K-State), M. Jones now has 101 career starts (Tampa/Cal State Fullerton/K-State), N’Guessan now has 59 career starts (all at K-State) and McDaniel now has 62 career starts (Michigan/K-State).
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 85 points on 52.6 percent (30-of-57) shooting, including 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from 3-point range, while hitting on 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the free throw line.
- The 28-point victory was the second largest of the season and the largest in Big 12 play under head coach Jerome Tang. It is the largest Big 12 win since an 85-46 win over Oklahoma State at home on Feb. 23, 2019.
- The 85 points were the most in Big 12 play and the third-most scored all season.
- K-State connected on better than 50 percent from the field in each half for the second time this season and the first time in Big 12 play… The Wildcats hit on 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field in the first half and 51.9 percent (14-of-27) in the second half.
- The 45 first-half points were the most scored in Big 12 play, which came on 53.3 percent (16-of-30) shooting, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from 3-point range.
- The 22-point halftime lead was the third largest of the year.
- K-State connected on 12 made 3-pointers on 23 attempts… It marked the sixth time this season that the Wildcats have scored double-digit 3-pointers.
- K-State scored 28 points off 21 Oklahoma State turnovers… The 28 points off turnovers were the second highest of the season… The 21 turnovers were the most by an opponent.
- The rebounding battle was tied at 31-all, as second-chance points were knotted at 9-all.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Four Wildcats scored in double figures, including a team-high 18 points from junior Brendan Hausen… He was joined in double figures senior Coleman Hawkins (15 points), senior Max Jones (14 points) and junior Dug McDaniel (10 points).
- Hausen scored his 18 points on 5-of-6 field goals, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 free throws in 26 minutes of action… He now has 25 career double-digit scoring games, including 13 at K-State… It marked the fourth time this season he has connected on 5 or more 3-pointers.
- Hausen is the seventh Wildcat to go 5-of-5 or better from 3-point range in school history and the first since Denis Clemente went 6-of-6 from beyond the arc at Texas on Jan. 31, 2009.
- Hawkins scored his 15 points on 6-of-10 field goals, including 1-of-4 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 free throws to go with a team-high 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 33 minutes… He now has 57 career double-digit scoring games, including 12 this season.
- Jones scored his 14 points on 5-of-8 field goals, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and 1-of-1 free throw in 26 minutes… He now has 76 career double-digit scoring games, including 11 this season.
- McDaniel scored his 10 points on 4-of-12 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 6 assists and 3 steals in 31 minutes… He now has 47 career double-digit scoring games, including 10 at K-State.
- Sophomore Mobi Ikegwuruka scored a season-high 8 points on 3-of-4 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws to go with 3 rebounds and 3 steals in 12 minutes off the bench.
