Aug 16, 2023 | Men's Basketball
The rising senior nearly had another double-double with 10 points and 8 rebounds vs. Croatia
ISTANBUL, Turkiye – Senior David N'Guessan continued his strong play for The Netherlands with a near double-double in an 89-81 loss to Croatia to end pool play at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament Turkiye in Sinan Erdem Arena on Wednesday (August 16).
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With the loss, the Orange Lions (1-2) fell one point short of advancing out of Group D to the semifinals on Friday (August 18). Croatia (3-0) and Sweden (2-1) advanced out of the group to final phase, where they will meet host Turkiye (3-0) and Ukraine (2-1) out of Group C with the finals set for Sunday (August 20).
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After going scoreless in the win over Belgium on Tuesday (August 15), N'Guessan responded with 10 points and a team-tying 8 rebounds in 22 minutes in a start against Croatia. He went 4-of-8 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range. He was one of three Dutch players to register double figures.
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A native of De Lier, The Netherlands, N'Guessan finished the 3-game tournament, averaging 9.0 points on 55.6 percent (10-of-18) shooting, including 50 percent (2-of-4) from 3-point range, with 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 26.6 minutes per game. He was second in rebounding and third in minutes, while he was fifth in scoring.
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N'Guessan opened the tournament with a near double-double of 17 points and a team-high 9 rebounds in the Orange Lions' 91-89 overtime loss to Sweden in the first game of the tournament on August 13. He finished the game with a team-best +24 efficiency rating, as he connected on 6-of-9 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, to go with a team-highs in both rebounds (9) and blocks (3) in nearly 35 minutes of action.
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N'Guessan was officially announced to the Dutch National Team on August 12, joining 12 others for the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. He was among four current collegians on the team, including West Virginia's Jesse Edwards, Cleveland State's Tristan Enaruna and Nebraska's Rienk Mast.
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The Pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Istanbul is one of five such tournaments around the world, including Tallinn, Estonia and Gliwice, Poland; Damascus, Syria; Lagos, Nigeria and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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The winners of the five pre-qualifying tournaments will join 19 nations from the 2023 FIBA World Cup (which includes Team USA) to create a field of 24 nations for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, which are scheduled for June and July 2024. A total of 40 nations will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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The rest of the Wildcats are in the midst of a historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abi Dhabi. After winning their first game of the tour – a 94-87 win over the Israeli Select Team – on Tuesday (August 15), they arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday evening (August 16). They will play a second game against Mexico on Thursday (August 17) at 8 a.m., CT / 5 p.m., local at Etihad Arena.
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How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Instagram and Facebook.
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With the loss, the Orange Lions (1-2) fell one point short of advancing out of Group D to the semifinals on Friday (August 18). Croatia (3-0) and Sweden (2-1) advanced out of the group to final phase, where they will meet host Turkiye (3-0) and Ukraine (2-1) out of Group C with the finals set for Sunday (August 20).
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After going scoreless in the win over Belgium on Tuesday (August 15), N'Guessan responded with 10 points and a team-tying 8 rebounds in 22 minutes in a start against Croatia. He went 4-of-8 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range. He was one of three Dutch players to register double figures.
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A native of De Lier, The Netherlands, N'Guessan finished the 3-game tournament, averaging 9.0 points on 55.6 percent (10-of-18) shooting, including 50 percent (2-of-4) from 3-point range, with 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 26.6 minutes per game. He was second in rebounding and third in minutes, while he was fifth in scoring.
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N'Guessan opened the tournament with a near double-double of 17 points and a team-high 9 rebounds in the Orange Lions' 91-89 overtime loss to Sweden in the first game of the tournament on August 13. He finished the game with a team-best +24 efficiency rating, as he connected on 6-of-9 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, to go with a team-highs in both rebounds (9) and blocks (3) in nearly 35 minutes of action.
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N'Guessan was officially announced to the Dutch National Team on August 12, joining 12 others for the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. He was among four current collegians on the team, including West Virginia's Jesse Edwards, Cleveland State's Tristan Enaruna and Nebraska's Rienk Mast.
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The Pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Istanbul is one of five such tournaments around the world, including Tallinn, Estonia and Gliwice, Poland; Damascus, Syria; Lagos, Nigeria and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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The winners of the five pre-qualifying tournaments will join 19 nations from the 2023 FIBA World Cup (which includes Team USA) to create a field of 24 nations for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, which are scheduled for June and July 2024. A total of 40 nations will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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The rest of the Wildcats are in the midst of a historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abi Dhabi. After winning their first game of the tour – a 94-87 win over the Israeli Select Team – on Tuesday (August 15), they arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday evening (August 16). They will play a second game against Mexico on Thursday (August 17) at 8 a.m., CT / 5 p.m., local at Etihad Arena.
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How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Instagram and Facebook.
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