Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, January 18
Lawrence, Kan.
Noon CT
Kansas State University
7-10,1-5Big 12
74
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Kansas
13-4,4-2Big 12
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Kansas St.
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Kansas
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Opening Run Lifts 9/10 Kansas Past K-State, 84-74
Jan 18, 2025 | Men's Basketball
The Jayhawks opened the game on a 14-0 run before the Wildcats closed to 6 points.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas State showed fight and resilience against a top 10 ranked Kansas team before a sold-out crowd at Allen Fieldhouse, but the Wildcats could not quite dig itself out of a double-digit deficit to start the game in falling 84-74 on Saturday in Dillons Sunflower Showdown.
The Jayhawks (13-4, 4-2 Big 12) jumped out to a 14-0 lead despite two called timeouts by head coach Jerome Tang as the Wildcats missed their first 7 field goals before junior C.J. Jones' pull-up jumper gave them their first points at the 15:30 mark.
K-State (7-10, 1-5 Big 12) scraped to within 6 points (32-26) with 2:45 before halftime on a dunk by junior Ugonna Onyenso, but Kansas was able to take a 10-point lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the Wildcats trailed by as many as 15 points before closing to within 6 points on 3 occasions, including 72-66 after a jumper by junior Brendan Hausen with 4:01 to play. Despite getting two chances after a stop on defense, K-State couldn't close the gap any further as junior Dug McDaniel and senior Coleman Hawkins each had shots blocked.
K-State had one more opportunity down 76-70 with 1:45 to play after a pair of free throws from senior Max Jones, but Hausen's 3-pointer was off the mark, as Kansas sealed the game with a free throw from senior Zeke Mayo and a jumper by senior Hunter Dickinson for a 79-70 lead with 42 seconds left. The Jayhawks connected on 5 of 6 free throws to finish off the game.
The 10-point loss was closest at Allen Fieldhouse since a 73-72 setback in 2018.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures led by Hawkins' points/assists double-double of 15 points and a career-tying 10 assists to go with 7 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. It was his ninth career double-double, including his third at K-State, and his second double-double of points and assists. He is first Wildcat player to post a points/assists double-double at Allen Fieldhouse.
Hawkins was joined in double figures by fellow seniors David N'Guessan (13 points) and Max Jones (11 points). McDaniel and Onyenso each finished with 9 points, while freshman David Castillo added 6 points on a pair of free throws to go with 2 steals in a season-high 23 minutes.
Dickinson (25 points) and Mayo (24 points) combined for 49 points for the Jayhawks, who scored their 84 points on 55.4 percent (31-of-56) shooting, including 46 in the paint. Fellow senior Dajuan Harris Jr. added 15 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
K-State connected on 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field, including 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from 3-point range, and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the free throw line. The Wildcats turned the ball over a season-low 5 times, which was the lowest since the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Kansas now leads the second-longest active rivalry in Division I, 206-96, including 96-35 at home and 54-17 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have now won 19 straight in the series at home. The two schools have met every season since 1907.
K-State concludes its 2-game road trip on Wednesday when the Wildcats visit No. 25/24 Baylor (11-5, 3-2 Big 12) at 8 p.m., CT on ESPNU. The next home game will be Saturday, Jan. 25 against West Virginia (12-3, 3-1 Big 12) at 5 p.m., CT. Tickets can be purchased online at kstatesports.com/tickets or by phone (800) 221.CATS.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On the game…
"Life throws things at you, and you man up, and you believe in who you are and what you're about and you move on to the next thing. Because nobody stops. We don't have guys who hang their heads. These are high character dudes. And our last two practices were the best two practices of the year, and I expect the next ones to be better than the ones before, and we're just going to keep building and keep getting better. That's our goal, to continue to get better, and at some point, in time, it'll show the results on the scoreboard. But, it doesn't change the fact that we have this great love for each other and this great passion to see everybody be the best version of themselves."
On the improvement from the previous game…
"I thought we executed the game plan on how we wanted to attack them offensively and put them in some difficult situations. I thought that defensively we tried to do our part, but it's a credit to them. They had guys who made shots who haven't made shots, and that's basketball. But I liked how connected we were. I saw really positive body language out there. I saw guys moving forward the whole time, and so I like what I saw. I didn't like the results. I haven't liked the results (in the last five games). We got to keep getting better to get where we want to go."
On what changed after being down 14-0…
"I think we just adjusted to the environment. You can try and prepare for it and tell people about it, but if you haven't been here before, it stuns you. It does if you hadn't been there before. And so, I felt like they were in full speed, and we weren't yet. And then once we were able to get our legs under us, things settled down. We just can't have that (kind of start) because that's just what happens on the road. You have to settle down and adjust."
On David Castillo's play in the last 2 games…
"I think the last couple games, he hasn't allowed whether the ball went in the hole or not to affect his energy and effort and then his focus. And so, he's growing past that, and then he's just getting more comfortable, getting more time under his belt out there in Big 12 games against really good players. It's starting to slow down a little bit for him so, but he could probably answer that way better than me. I trust him. I'm thankful he's here."
FIRST HALF
Kansas got off to a fast start, scoring the game's first 7 points, including an opening 3-pointer from Zeke Mayo, to force an early timeout from head coach Jerome Tang at the 17:51 mark. The timeout didn't thwart the momentum, as the Jayhawks ran off 7 more points to force a second timeout from Tang less than 2 minutes later with the Wildcats trailing 14-0.
Junior C.J. Jones was able to break the 0-of-7 start with a pull-up jumper on the next possession to give K-State its first points. Kansas scored 6 of the next 8 points to push the lead to 16 before baskets by junior Dug McDaniel and Jones cut the deficit to 20-8 at the second media timeout.
The Wildcats continued to fight through the deficit, scoring 7 of the next 11 points to trim the lead to 24-15 and prompt a timeout by head coach Bill Self at the 8:19 mark. The Jayhawks responded to the timeout with 5 straight points to push back ahead by 14. However, the visitors used a 7-0 run to close to within 32-24 and force another timeout by Self with 3:14 before halftime. During the run, senior Coleman Hawkins connected on the Wildcats' first 3-pointer, ending a 0-of-11 start.
The run grew to 9-0 out of the timeout on a dunk by junior Ugonna Onyenso to pull K-State to within 32-26, but Kansas responded with 7 straight points to go ahead by 13 with just over a minute to play. A 3-pointer by senior Max Jones got the Wildcats to within 39-29 at the break.
K-State overcame its early offensive struggles to shoot 44.8 percent (13-of-29) from the field, including a narrow 20-16 deficit in paint points. Six players scored in the opening half, including 7 points each from senior David N'Guessan and Hawkins.
Mayo led all scorers with 14 first-half points.
SECOND HALF
A pair of N'Guessan free throws closed it to single digits on the first possession, but Kansas decided to pound the paint with Hunter Dickinson, using a 10-4 run to push the lead to 51-36 and forced a timeout by Tang at the 15:27 mark.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Onyenso closed the deficit to 53-43 with just over 14 minutes to play, however, the Jayhawks answered with 4 in a row as they increased their lead to 59-47 at the second media timeout at the 11:56 mark. A 3-pointer by freshman David Castillo pulled the Wildcats to within 61-52 but the Jayhawks scored 4 of the next 6 points to again push into double figures at 65-54 at the third media timeout at the 7:21 mark.
A second Castillo 3-pointer ignited an 8-2 run that got K-State to within 70-64 and forced a timeout by Self with 4:39 left in the game. The lead stayed 6 at the final media timeout with 3:43 remaining.
Kansas converted from the line on back-to-back 1-and-1 opportunities to again push it to double figures at 76-66 with 2:27 to play. However, K-State answered back with Hawkins and Max Jones each hitting on their free throw chances to again close the deficit to 76-70 with 1:45 remaining.
Despite their best effort, the Wildcats could get no closer, as a Mayo free throw and a Dickinson jumper gave the Jayhawks a 79-70 lead with 42.6 seconds. Kansas finished it off from the free throw line, connecting on 5 of 6 attempts in the waning seconds.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
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, Instagram and Facebook
The Jayhawks (13-4, 4-2 Big 12) jumped out to a 14-0 lead despite two called timeouts by head coach Jerome Tang as the Wildcats missed their first 7 field goals before junior C.J. Jones' pull-up jumper gave them their first points at the 15:30 mark.
K-State (7-10, 1-5 Big 12) scraped to within 6 points (32-26) with 2:45 before halftime on a dunk by junior Ugonna Onyenso, but Kansas was able to take a 10-point lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the Wildcats trailed by as many as 15 points before closing to within 6 points on 3 occasions, including 72-66 after a jumper by junior Brendan Hausen with 4:01 to play. Despite getting two chances after a stop on defense, K-State couldn't close the gap any further as junior Dug McDaniel and senior Coleman Hawkins each had shots blocked.
K-State had one more opportunity down 76-70 with 1:45 to play after a pair of free throws from senior Max Jones, but Hausen's 3-pointer was off the mark, as Kansas sealed the game with a free throw from senior Zeke Mayo and a jumper by senior Hunter Dickinson for a 79-70 lead with 42 seconds left. The Jayhawks connected on 5 of 6 free throws to finish off the game.
The 10-point loss was closest at Allen Fieldhouse since a 73-72 setback in 2018.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures led by Hawkins' points/assists double-double of 15 points and a career-tying 10 assists to go with 7 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. It was his ninth career double-double, including his third at K-State, and his second double-double of points and assists. He is first Wildcat player to post a points/assists double-double at Allen Fieldhouse.
Hawkins was joined in double figures by fellow seniors David N'Guessan (13 points) and Max Jones (11 points). McDaniel and Onyenso each finished with 9 points, while freshman David Castillo added 6 points on a pair of free throws to go with 2 steals in a season-high 23 minutes.
Dickinson (25 points) and Mayo (24 points) combined for 49 points for the Jayhawks, who scored their 84 points on 55.4 percent (31-of-56) shooting, including 46 in the paint. Fellow senior Dajuan Harris Jr. added 15 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
K-State connected on 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field, including 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from 3-point range, and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the free throw line. The Wildcats turned the ball over a season-low 5 times, which was the lowest since the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Kansas now leads the second-longest active rivalry in Division I, 206-96, including 96-35 at home and 54-17 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have now won 19 straight in the series at home. The two schools have met every season since 1907.
K-State concludes its 2-game road trip on Wednesday when the Wildcats visit No. 25/24 Baylor (11-5, 3-2 Big 12) at 8 p.m., CT on ESPNU. The next home game will be Saturday, Jan. 25 against West Virginia (12-3, 3-1 Big 12) at 5 p.m., CT. Tickets can be purchased online at kstatesports.com/tickets or by phone (800) 221.CATS.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On the game…
"Life throws things at you, and you man up, and you believe in who you are and what you're about and you move on to the next thing. Because nobody stops. We don't have guys who hang their heads. These are high character dudes. And our last two practices were the best two practices of the year, and I expect the next ones to be better than the ones before, and we're just going to keep building and keep getting better. That's our goal, to continue to get better, and at some point, in time, it'll show the results on the scoreboard. But, it doesn't change the fact that we have this great love for each other and this great passion to see everybody be the best version of themselves."
On the improvement from the previous game…
"I thought we executed the game plan on how we wanted to attack them offensively and put them in some difficult situations. I thought that defensively we tried to do our part, but it's a credit to them. They had guys who made shots who haven't made shots, and that's basketball. But I liked how connected we were. I saw really positive body language out there. I saw guys moving forward the whole time, and so I like what I saw. I didn't like the results. I haven't liked the results (in the last five games). We got to keep getting better to get where we want to go."
On what changed after being down 14-0…
"I think we just adjusted to the environment. You can try and prepare for it and tell people about it, but if you haven't been here before, it stuns you. It does if you hadn't been there before. And so, I felt like they were in full speed, and we weren't yet. And then once we were able to get our legs under us, things settled down. We just can't have that (kind of start) because that's just what happens on the road. You have to settle down and adjust."
On David Castillo's play in the last 2 games…
"I think the last couple games, he hasn't allowed whether the ball went in the hole or not to affect his energy and effort and then his focus. And so, he's growing past that, and then he's just getting more comfortable, getting more time under his belt out there in Big 12 games against really good players. It's starting to slow down a little bit for him so, but he could probably answer that way better than me. I trust him. I'm thankful he's here."
FIRST HALF
Kansas got off to a fast start, scoring the game's first 7 points, including an opening 3-pointer from Zeke Mayo, to force an early timeout from head coach Jerome Tang at the 17:51 mark. The timeout didn't thwart the momentum, as the Jayhawks ran off 7 more points to force a second timeout from Tang less than 2 minutes later with the Wildcats trailing 14-0.
Junior C.J. Jones was able to break the 0-of-7 start with a pull-up jumper on the next possession to give K-State its first points. Kansas scored 6 of the next 8 points to push the lead to 16 before baskets by junior Dug McDaniel and Jones cut the deficit to 20-8 at the second media timeout.
The Wildcats continued to fight through the deficit, scoring 7 of the next 11 points to trim the lead to 24-15 and prompt a timeout by head coach Bill Self at the 8:19 mark. The Jayhawks responded to the timeout with 5 straight points to push back ahead by 14. However, the visitors used a 7-0 run to close to within 32-24 and force another timeout by Self with 3:14 before halftime. During the run, senior Coleman Hawkins connected on the Wildcats' first 3-pointer, ending a 0-of-11 start.
The run grew to 9-0 out of the timeout on a dunk by junior Ugonna Onyenso to pull K-State to within 32-26, but Kansas responded with 7 straight points to go ahead by 13 with just over a minute to play. A 3-pointer by senior Max Jones got the Wildcats to within 39-29 at the break.
K-State overcame its early offensive struggles to shoot 44.8 percent (13-of-29) from the field, including a narrow 20-16 deficit in paint points. Six players scored in the opening half, including 7 points each from senior David N'Guessan and Hawkins.
Mayo led all scorers with 14 first-half points.
SECOND HALF
A pair of N'Guessan free throws closed it to single digits on the first possession, but Kansas decided to pound the paint with Hunter Dickinson, using a 10-4 run to push the lead to 51-36 and forced a timeout by Tang at the 15:27 mark.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Onyenso closed the deficit to 53-43 with just over 14 minutes to play, however, the Jayhawks answered with 4 in a row as they increased their lead to 59-47 at the second media timeout at the 11:56 mark. A 3-pointer by freshman David Castillo pulled the Wildcats to within 61-52 but the Jayhawks scored 4 of the next 6 points to again push into double figures at 65-54 at the third media timeout at the 7:21 mark.
A second Castillo 3-pointer ignited an 8-2 run that got K-State to within 70-64 and forced a timeout by Self with 4:39 left in the game. The lead stayed 6 at the final media timeout with 3:43 remaining.
Kansas converted from the line on back-to-back 1-and-1 opportunities to again push it to double figures at 76-66 with 2:27 to play. However, K-State answered back with Hawkins and Max Jones each hitting on their free throw chances to again close the deficit to 76-70 with 1:45 remaining.
Despite their best effort, the Wildcats could get no closer, as a Mayo free throw and a Dickinson jumper gave the Jayhawks a 79-70 lead with 42.6 seconds. Kansas finished it off from the free throw line, connecting on 5 of 6 attempts in the waning seconds.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State (7-10, 1-5 Big 12) lost to No. 9/10 Kansas, 84-74, on Saturday afternoon in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Allen Fieldhouse.
- The current 5-game losing streak is the longest under head coach Jerome Tang.
- K-State is now 0-5 away from home, including 0-3 in Big 12 road games… The team has lost 14 consecutive road games.
- Kansas now leads the all-time series, 206-96, including 96-35 at home and 54-17 at Allen Fieldhouse… The Jayhawks have now won 19 straight in the series at home.
- 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 seventh time and the sixth straight game… Hausen, M. Jones, Hawkins and N'Guessan have now started the first 17 games… All 17 of Hausen's career starts have come at K-State.
- Hawkins now has 99 career starts (Illinois/K-State), M. Jones now has 98 career starts (Tampa/Cal State Fullerton/K-State), N'Guessan now has 56 career starts (all at K-State) and McDaniel now has 59 career starts (Michigan/K-State).
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 74 points on 45.8 percent (27-of-59) shooting, including 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from 3-point range, while hitting on 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the free throw line.
- It marked the fifth time in 6 Big 12 games shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range.
- K-State posted a season-low 5 turnovers, which were the fewest since the Michigan State game in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
- K-State took advantage of 10 Kansas turnovers to post a 13-5 edge in points off turnovers.
- Kansas held a 35-25 advantage on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds that it used to post a 17-8 margin on second-chance points.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Three Wildcats scored in double figures led by 15 points from senior Coleman Hawkins, 13 points from senior David N'Guessan and 11 points from senior Max Jones.
- Hawkins scored his 15 points on 5-of-14 field goals, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line to go with a career-tying 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in playing all 40 minutes… He now has 55 career double-digit scoring games, including 10 at K-State.
- It was Hawkins' ninth career double-double, including his third at K-State… It was his second points/assists double-double of his career behind his triple-double vs. Syracuse on Nov. 29, 2022, while playing at Illinois… It was the 27th points/assists double-double in school history, including the first by a Wildcat at Allen Fieldhouse.
- N'Guessan scored his 13 points on 5-of-7 field goals, including 0-of-1 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line, to go with 5 rebounds in 20 minutes… He now has 40 career double-digit scoring games, including a team-leading 15 this season.
- Jones scored his 11 points on 3-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 32 minutes… He now has 74 career double-digit scoring games, including 9 at K-State.
- Junior Ugonna Onyenso scored his Big 12 high with 9 points on 4-of-4 field goals and 1-of-1 free throws to go with 2 rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.
- Freshman David Castillo played a season-high 23 minutes, posting 6 points, 2 steals and a an assist… It snapped a streak of 18 consecutive misses from 3-point range with his back-to-back 3-pointers in the second half.
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, Instagram and Facebook
Team Stats
KState
KU
FG%
.458
.554
3FG%
.231
.375
FT%
.737
.762
RB
25
35
TO
5
10
STL
5
1
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballW
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballW
/ Men's Basketball
C
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