TEMPE, Ariz. (KStateSports.com) – Senior David N’Guessan paced four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 22 points, as Kansas State overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to run its winning to 4 games with a 71-70 win over Arizona State on Tuesday night before 6,868 fans at Desert Financial Arena.
The win gave K-State (11-11, 5-6 Big 12) gave consecutive road wins for the first time since defeating No. 6 Texas and No. 19 Baylor in January 2023. The 4-game winning streak is the longest by the Wildcats in Big 12 play since winning 4 in a row from Feb. 18 to March 1, 2023.
N’Guessan made perhaps his best play of the night with K-State clinging to a 71-70 late in the game, as he fouled Sun Devil freshman Jayden Quaintance as he was attempting to dunk the game-winning basket with 4.1 seconds remaining, forcing him to connect on 2 free throws to win the game. However, Quaintance missed on both attempts and junior Dug McDaniel corralled the rebound and threw it down court to senior Max Jones to run out the clock.
N’Guessan finished the night 8-of-11 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 from the free throw to go with a team-tying 8 rebounds in nearly 36 minutes of action. He posted his third career 20-point game, falling one point shy of his career-high 23 vs. Abilene Christian on Dec. 6, 2022, including his second this season. He now has a team-high 19 double-digit scoring games.
N’Guessan was joined in double figures by Jones (15 points), junior Brendan Hausen (12 points) and senior Coleman Hawkins (11 points). McDaniel flirted with the school’s first triple-double, finishing with 7 points, a team-tying 8 rebounds and a game-high 9 assists in 38 minutes. Hawkins also collected another impressive stat line with 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
The finish would not have been made possible if not for the Wildcats’ epic comeback from a 16-point first half deficit, as the Sun Devils jumped out to a 15-0 lead en route to an 18-2 lead after a 3-point play from senior Alston Mason with just 12 minutes to play before halftime.
However, K-State slowly chipped away at the deficit, scoring 17 of the next 25 points to close to within 26-19 and forced a timeout by ASU head coach Bobby Hurley at the 4:47 mark. After a 3-pointer put the Sun Devils up by 10, the Wildcats ended the half on a 16-3 run to go ahead 35-32 at the break. Five players contributed points in the run, including 5 in a row by Jones.
K-State carried the momentum into the second half, scoring 13 of the first 16 points to go ahead 48-35 and force another ASU timeout with just over 13 minutes to play. The Sun Devils closed to within 53-49 on a 14-5 run just before the under-8 media timeout, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Jones and Hausen pulled the Wildcats ahead 60-52 with just over 7 minutes to play.
ASU made one last run after Hausen’s 3-pointers, using an 11-2 run to go ahead 63-62 and force Tang to call a timeout with 3:24 remaining. The team traded the lead over the next few possessions before a 3-pointer by Hawkins and 2 free throws from N’Guessan gave K-State a 71-67 lead with 54 seconds. Alston was able to convert on a 3-point play to close the deficit to 71-70 with 42 seconds.
McDaniel’s 3-pointer with 14 seconds left was off the mark giving the Sun Devils’ one last opportunity. After a scrum on the floor allowed Quaintance a clear path to the basket, N’Guessan prevented the dunk and forcing him to the line, where he missed both free throws.
The 16-point deficit overcome to win was the largest-ever in conference road game and the second largest behind a 17-point deficit overcome at California on Dec. 29, 1995.
K-State connected on 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the field, including 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from 3-point range, while making 7 of 10 of its attempts from the free throw line. The Wildcats dished out 20 assists for the fourth time this season, including the first time in Big 12 play.
After falling behind 15-0, K-State outscored ASU, 71-55, in the final 33 minutes of the game. The Wildcats made 55.3 percent (26-of-47) of its field goals after starting 1-of-11 from the field.
The defense held ASU to 38.6 percent (22-of-57) shooting, including 32.4 percent (12-of-37) from 3-point range. The Sun Devils attempted 37 3-pointers, making 12, but lost the points in the paint battle, 30-16. The 16 paint points were the fewest by an opponent this season.
Mason scored a team-high 20 points to pace four Sun Devils in double figures to go with 6 assists. He was joined in double figures by seniors Basheer Jihad (15 points), B.J. Freeman (14 points) and Adam Miller (10 points). Quaintance had a game-high 10 rebounds.
With the win, K-State tied the all-time series with ASU at 5-all, including 2-2 in Tempe, in the first-ever meeting as conference foes. It marked the Wildcats’ first win in Tempe since a 101-74 victory on Dec. 14, 1977. The two teams will meet again in Manhattan on Feb. 23.
K-State begins a 2-game homestand on Saturday, as the Wildcats host No. 16/17 Kansas (16-6, 7-4 Big 12) in the second game of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at 1 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State then hosts No. 20/20 Arizona (15-6, 9-1 Big 12) on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., CT. 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. I’m just so blessed to be able to live life with these guys, the staff, and this is a great journey that we’re on. Even the tough times have been great. I told our staff when I first got the job, let’s find players that we don’t mind losing with. These guys were great through the losing streak and now we’re learning how to keep improving with wins. Because for every 1,000 men who can handle adversity there’s only one who can handle success. So, we’re going to try and be that one and just keep building on this. It was an incredible atmosphere, and the the fans got loud. I’ll tell you, Quaintance, that’s the loudest 1-for-7 I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t believe he was 1-for-7. It just felt like he was everywhere and doing everything. I know they’ve got some injuries and stuff, but Bobby’s doing a great job with his guys and we’re thankful for the win.”
On what changed that led to the first half comeback…
“Energy picked up. We opened the game, and four of our first six shots were threes. That’s not necessarily how we want to start the game. We have good three-point shooters, but it was not necessarily how we want to start the game. They just had more energy than us and we weren’t as focused as we needed to be.”
On the last defensive possession…
“I can’t wait to go watch it because I don’t know how we didn’t get the loose ball because I thought we had two guys on the floor on the ball and then I look up and all of a sudden, Jayden Quaintance is flying through the air with hand to hand. I’m saying to myself, how did that happen? I’m thankful that David N’Guessan didn’t give up on the play and fouled him. That’s a tough situation for a 17- year-old to be in. He’s a heck of a player and is going to be really good.”
On Dug McDaniel’s performance…
“Dug is playing at a high level right now, and what’s crazy is that he’s got three or four more levels he can get to. I’m so excited to watch his continued growth, but when you have three guards that had four plus rebounds, that really helps you. We’re a team rebounding team. We don’t have one guy that’s just going to get 20, so that was really important for us.”
FIRST HALF
Arizona State jumped out to a 10-0 start, making 3 of its first 5 field goals, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, forcing head coach Jerome Tang to call his first timeout less than 4 minutes into the game. The timeout didn’t help halt the start, as the Sun Devils scored 5 more points before senior Max Jones’ turnaround jumper gave the Wildcats their first points at the 13:03 mark.
The lead grew to 18-2 after a 3-point play from ASU right after the second media timeout at the 11:43 mark before junior Dug McDaniel and sophomore Mobi Ikegwuruka converted on back-to-back baskets. Jones connected on K-State’s first 3-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 20-9 at the third media timeout with just under 8 before the half.
A jumper by senior Coleman Hawkins pulled the Wildcats to within 20-11 out of the media timeout, but the Sun Devils knocked down 3-pointers in each of their next 2 possession to push back out to double figures. However, a 3-point play from senior David N’Guessan and a triple from junior Brendan Hausen closed the deficit to 26-19 and forced an ASU timeout at the 4:47 mark.
After the Sun Devils connected on a 3-pointer out of the timeout for a 10-point lead, the Wildcats rattled off 9 straight points capped by a pair of free throws from N’Guessan to close to within 29-28 with 2:21 to play. The home team hit another triple to provide some separation, but the Wildcats ended the half with 7 straight points to take a 35-32 lead at the break.
K-State connected on 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from the field in the first half, including 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from 3-point range, while ASU hit on 31.3 percent (10-of-32), including 28 percent (7-of-25) from long range. Jones and senior Adam Miller led all scorers with 10 points each.
SECOND HALF
K-State continued its momentum by scoring 7 of the first 10 points of the second half, including a 3-pointer from N’Guessan, to take a 42-35 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:47 mark. Both teams went scoreless before Hausen connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Wildcats ahead 48-35, forcing an ASU timeout with 13:02 remaining.
The Sun Devils were able to score 5 in a row to cut the deficit to 48-40 but N’Guessan hit a layup in the lane to pull the Wildcats ahead 50-40 at the under-12 media timeout. The home team continued to push, scoring 10 of the next 13 points to pull within 53-49 at under-8 media timeout.
On the last play before the media timeout, Miller was called for a Flagrant 2 technical and was ejected while McDaniel was accessed with a technical. K-State made 1 of its 2 free throws, while ASU made both free throws. Jones and Hausen connected on 3-pointers on the next 2 possessions to push the Wildcats ahead 60-52. However, the Sun Devils used an 11-2 run to retake the lead at 63-62 and forced a timeout by Tang with 3:24 to play.
The teams traded the lead over the next few possessions with Tang calling his second-to-last timeout after ASU took a 67-66 with 1:42 to play. Out of the timeout, Hawkins connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key before N’Guessan hit a pair of free throws for a 71-67 lead with 54 seconds. However, the Sun Devils converted on a 3-point play to pull within 71-70.
After McDaniel missed on a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left, N’Guessan made his best play of the night with K-State clinging to the one-point lead, as he fouled Quaintance as he was attempting to dunk the game-winning basket with 4.1 seconds, forcing him to hit 2 free throws to win the game. However, Quaintance missed both attempts and McDaniel grabbed the rebound and threw it down court to Jones to run out the clock.
N’Guessan scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the second half.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State (11-11, 5-6 Big 12) ran its winning streak to 4 games with a thrilling 71-70 win at Arizona State on Tuesday night at Desert Financial Arena.
- The 4-game winning streak is the longest such streak in Big 12 play since winning 4 in a row (Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma) from Feb. 18 to March 1, 2023.
- K-State has now won back-to-back road games for the first time since winning at No. 6 Texas and No. 19 Baylor in January 2023.
- The 16-point deficit overcome to win was the largest-ever in conference road game and the second largest behind a 17-point deficit overcome at California on Dec. 29, 1995.
- The series between K-State and Arizona State is now tied 5-all, including 2-2 in games played in Tempe… This was the first Wildcats win in Tempe since a 101-74 victory on Dec. 14, 1977… This was the first of 2 Big 12 meetings.
- 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 12th time and the 11th straight game… Hausen, M. Jones, Hawkins and N’Guessan have now started the first 22 games… All 22 of Hausen’s career starts have come at K-State.
- Hawkins now has 104 career starts (Illinois/K-State), M. Jones now has 103 career starts (Tampa/Cal State Fullerton/K-State), N’Guessan now has 61 career starts (all at K-State) and McDaniel now has 64 career starts (Michigan/K-State).
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 71 points on 46.6 percent (27-of-58) shooting, including 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from 3-point range, while hitting on 70 percent (7-of-10) from the free throw line.
- K-State is now 11-3 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
- K-State connected on 10 made 3-pointers on 26 attempts… It marked the eighth time this season that the Wildcats have scored double-digit 3-pointers.
- K-State dished out 20 assists for the fourth time this season and the first time in Big 12 play.
- K-State outscored ASU, 30-16, in the paint… The Wildcats are now 7-5 when outscoring their opponents in the paint… The 16 paint points were fewest allowed an opponent.
- K-State held ASU to 38.6 percent (22-of-57) shooting, including 32.4 percent (12-of-37) from 3-point range… The Sun Devils attempted an opponent-high 37 3-pointers.
- K-State held a 38-34 advantage on the glass, including 8 offensive rebounds… The Wildcats are now 8-3 when outrebounding their opponent.
- K-State led 35-32 at the halftime and is now 11-4 on the season when leading at the half.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by season-high 22 points from senior David N’Guessan… He was joined in double figures by senior Max Jones (15 points), junior Brendan Hausen (12 points) and senior Coleman Hawkins (11 points).
- K-State is now 8-4 this season and 45-12 under head coach Jerome Tang when 4 or more Wildcats score in double figures.
- N’Guessan scored his season-high 22 points on 8-of-11 field goals, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 free throws to go with team-tying 8 rebounds in 36 minutes… It was his third career 20-point game, including his second this season… He now has 44 career double-digit scoring games, including ga team-best 19 this season.
- Jones scored his Big 12-high 15 points on 6-of-12 field goals, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range, to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes… He now has 78 career double-digit scoring games, including 13 this season… He has double figures in 8 of the last 9 Big 12 games, including 4 straight games.
- Hausen scored his 12 points on 4-of-8 field goals, all from 3-point range, to go with 4 rebounds and an assist in 30 minutes… He now has 27 career double-digit scoring games, including 15 this season… He now has 4 or more 3-pointers in 9 games.
- Hawkins scored his 11 points on 4-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 1-of-2 free throws to go with 7 assists, 6 rebounds and a steal in 36 minutes… He now has 59 career double-digit scoring games, including 14 this season.
- McDaniel dished out a game-high 9 assists, along with a team-tying 8 rebounds, to go with 7 points in 38 minutes.
