MANHATTAN, Kan. (KStateSports.com) – A 16-2 run midway the first half gave LSU all the momentum it would need, as the Tigers shot 50 percent from the field to hand Kansas State its first loss of the season with a 76-65 win on Thursday night before 9,507 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
In the return of former Wildcat Cam Carter, who led all scorers with 20 points, the Tigers (3-0) were stellar on both end of the court, dominating the glass 43-25 while holding the Wildcats (2-1) to just 37.7 percent (23-of-61) from the field, including 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3-point range.
LSU entered the game allowing just 60.5 points per game, including the nation’s best 3-point field goal percentage defense (11.8 percent; 4-of-24).
Senior David N’Guessan and junior Dug McDaniel led the Wildcats with 16 points each. Senior Coleman Hawkins and junior Brendan Hausen each scored 8 points, as Hawkins eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier in his career with a layup with 8:22 to play.
K-State got off to a fast start, jumping out to 7-2 lead behind 5 early points from N’Guessan. However, LSU quickly caught back up with 7 straight points to take its first lead at 9-7. The teams went back and forth over the next few minutes before the Tigers erupted for 23 of the next 28 points to jump ahead by 17 points (43-26) with 2 minutes left in the half.
The Wildcats got to within 10 points twice in the first few minutes of the second half before closing to 49-40 on a free throw by junior C.J. Jones and a layup by N’Guessan, but a 3-pointer from senior Jordan Sears ignited a 7-0 run that put the Tigers up 56-40 with 10:31 remaining.
The lead would not dip below 10 points the rest of the way.
K-State, which entered the game averaging 83 points on 50.8 percent shooting from the field, was held to season-lows in points, field goal percentage (37.7) and 3-point field goal percentage (23.8). The Wildcats connected on just 5 3-pointers after averaging 11.5 triples in the first 2 games.
N’Guessan scored his 16 points on 6-of-10 field goals, including a 3-pointer, and 3-of-6 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist, while McDaniel made 7-of-15 field goals, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, with a game-high 5 assists and 2 steals.
In addition to shooting 50 percent from the field, LSU used its rebounding advantage to score 34 points in the paint and 16 second-chance points, while the bench outscored K-State, 32-15, with two double-digit scorers (freshman Vyctorius Miller and junior Daimion Collins).
Carter finished 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line to tally his third consecutive 20-point game to start the season. He was joined in double figures by 15 points each from senior Jordan Sears and Miller and 12 from Collins.
Redshirt freshman Corey Chest grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds off the bench.
K-State concludes its homestand on Tuesday, Nov. 19 when the Wildcats play host to Mississippi Valley State (1-3) at Bramlage Coliseum. Tip is set for 7 p.m., CT. Tickets are available by calling the K-State Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221.CATS or online at kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
“First off, let me thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me this blessing of coaching these guys and for the journey that we’re going to be on. Secondly, I want to thank the fans for showing up. And the students were incredible. Fans were great, and I want to apologize that we didn’t give an effort that was worthy of wearing a K-State uniform, and that falls solely on my shoulders. I did not do a very good job of having our guys prepared today. [LSU] Coach [Matt] McMahon did an unbelievable job with his team, and this was an old good, old fashioned butt whooping, and so give them all the credit for tonight.”
On why the offense struggled tonight…
“I’ll just credit their defense. They seem to make everything difficult for us. I have to go watch the film and figure out the ‘why’, but it looked like everything that we tried to do, they made it difficult for us.”
On what he saw and liked from Dug McDaniel…
“Yeah, Dug did a great job with a start, and we got a ways to go. And because the point guards are like pitchers, they’re judged by wins and losses, and so we all have, but it’s not Dug’s fault. This is my fault.”
On the emotions of playing Cam Carter…
“You know, I love Cam Carter, and I’m so thankful for him, you know, for what he’s given to K-State. And, you know, it actually was a little bit more emotional than I thought it was going to be, you know, to see him and stuff, but then it sucked watching him play. But I’m happy for him. He gets to play at home. His family gets to see him play and, so you know, I felt like he gave us a lot while he was here. And, you know, I’ll be a cheerleader for him the rest of the way.”
On what bothered him the most…
“The rebounding. And you know this, and I, once again, this falls solely on my shoulders, right? Like, you know, you start looking at teams who have won the national championship in the past and stuff like that. And when I was at Baylor, we were 247th in the country in defensive rebounding, right? And so, you decided, okay, well, we can make up for it by being a better shooting team or not turning the ball over, those types of things. But at the end of the day, man, you gotta rebound, right? You can’t get pounded on the glass the way they pounded us on the glass and, you know, they’re athletic, right? But everybody in the Big 12 is athletic too, so it’s an area that needs to improve. And the great thing about it is that it can be corrected.”
FIRST HALF
K-State jumped out to a 7-2 lead behind 5 early points from senior David N’Guessan, who connected on his second 3-pointer of the season from the corner. However, LSU quickly caught up with 7 straight points to take its first lead at 9-7. From there, the teams traded the lead over the next few possessions before the Tigers used a 9-2 run to go ahead 27-21 at the 8:04 mark.
A N’Guessan old-fashioned 3-point play got K-State to within 27-24, but LSU rattled off 9 straight points, including 5 from former Wildcat Cam Carter, to push its lead to double figures at 36-24 and force a 30-second timeout by head coach Jerome Tang with 4:37 before halftime.
A dunk by junior Ugonna Onyenso finally broke the 12-0 run, as LSU extended its lead to 39-26 at the final media timeout of the half. The dunk didn’t thwart the momentum, as the Tigers scored on their next 2 possessions to push ahead 43-26 and force another Tang timeout with 1:56 to play.
A Hausen 3-pointer and 2 free throws from sophomore Macaleab Rich closed the deficit to 43-31 at the halftime break. Junior Dug McDaniel and N’Guessan led the Wildcats with 10 points each, while Carter paced all scorers with 12 points.
LSU connected on 51.5 percent (17-of-33) from the field, including 22 points in the paint, in the first half, while holding K-State to just 36.4 percent (12-of-33) shooting, including 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from 3-point range. The Tigers held a 21-12 advantage on the glass.
SECOND HALF
The Wildcats twice closed to within 10 points, first on a 3-pointer by Hausen and secondly after a pair of free throws by senior Coleman Hawkins, but the Tigers had an answer each time to go back up 49-37 at the first media timeout.
A free throw by junior C.J. Jones and a layup by N’Guessan closed the deficit to 49-40, but a 3-pointer by senior Jordan Sears ignited a 7-0 run that pushed LSU back ahead 56-40 near the midway point of the half.
A pair of free throws by freshman David Castillo and back-to-back layups by McDaniel once again got K-State to within 10 points at 56-46, forcing a timeout by LSU at the 9:14 mark. But Carter struck again with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to push the Tigers ahead 59-46.
The Wildcats would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- The loss was the first of the season and just the second non-conference loss at home under head coach Jerome Tang.
- K-State is now 183-57 in non-conference play since 2006-07, including 144-17 at home and 128-14 at Bramlage Coliseum.
- K-State now leads the series, 2-1, as LSU wins its first matchup after losing games in 2022 and 2023.
- K-State is now 31-5 under head coach Jerome Tang at Bramlage Coliseum.
- 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 first time this season… It marked the first career start for McDaniel at K-State, while Hausen, M. Jones, Hawkins and N’Guessan have now started the first 3 games.
- Hawkins now has 85 career starts (Illinois/K-State), M. Jones now has 84 career starts (Tampa/Cal State Fullerton/K-State), McDaniel now has 53 career starts (Michigan/K-State), N’Guessan now has 42 career starts (all at K-State).
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 65 points on 37.7 percent (23-of-61) shooting, including 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3-point range, and connected on 70 percent (14-of-20) from the free throw line.
- It marked a season-low for both field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.
- Both teams scored 34 points in the paint, while LSU held the advantages in second-chance points (16-10), fast-break points (12-6) and bench points (32-15).
- LSU held a 43-25 rebounding advantage, including 11 offensive rebounds.
- K-State managed a season-low 7 turnovers, which were the fewest in a game since turning the ball over 5 times vs. Michigan State in 2023 NCAA Tournament.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Two Wildcats scored in double figures, including 16 points each from senior David N’Guessan and junior Dug McDaniel… It marked the third straight double-digit scoring game for N’Guessan and the first for McDaniel while at K-State.
- N’Guessan now has 28 career double-digit scoring games, including 17 at K-State, after his 16-point performance on perfect 6-of-10 shooting.
- McDaniel earned his 38th career double-digit scoring game with his 16 points, which came on 7-of-15 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range… He also dished out a team-high 5 assists to go with 2 steals in 36 minutes.
- Senior Coleman Hawkins eclipsed 1,000 career points in the second half.