K-State Tops Arizona State 71-66 to Open Big 12 Championship
Mar 11, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Coleman Hawkins paced four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 26 points.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Senior Coleman Hawkins scored a season-high 26 points to pace four Wildcats in double figures, as 10-seed Kansas State knocked off 15-seed Arizona State, 71-66, in the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Tuesday night at the T-Mobile Center.
With the win, K-State (16-16, 9-11 Big 12) advances to the second round on Wednesday night at 6 p.m., CT when the Wildcats will take on 7-seed Baylor (18-13, 10-10 Big 12). This will be the sixth meeting between the schools at the Big 12 Championship with K-State holding a 3-2 edge.
K-State earned the victory with strong performances on both ends of the court, as the Wildcats scored its 71 points on 50 percent (27-of-54) shooting, including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range, while holding the Sun Devils (13-19) to 38.3 percent shooting (23-of-60), including 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats are now 14-4 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
Hawkins, who collected his second 20-point game of the season, was just 4 points shy of his career-high of 30 points vs. Iowa in 2024, as he scored his season-high 26 points on 10-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 free throws to go with a team-tying 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. It was his ninth career 20-point game.
The senior was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniel (14 points), senior Max Jones (10 points) and junior Brendan Hausen (10 points).
Hawkins was key in K-State's fast start to the game, as he was responsible for 11 points in the Wildcats' 17-4 opening run. He connected on his first three 3-pointers, while he added a jumper just after ASU head coach Bobby Hurley had called a timeout at the 14:52 mark. However, the Sun Devils wouldn't go away, as they used a 15-2 run to tie the game at 19-all before taking their first lead at 24-21 on a 3-pointer by freshman Joson Sanon with 7:45 before halftime.
The Wildcats answered back 11 straight points to go back ahead 34-26 just after the final media timeout with 2:43 remaining, as the team ended the half with 17 of the final 24 points to go ahead 38-31 at the break. Hawkins was responsible for half of the 38 points, scoring his 19 points on 8-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
K-State led by as many as 14 points (58-44) in the early going of the second half after a 3-pointer by Jones with 9:43 to play. However, ASU stayed within striking distance using an 8-0 run over the next 2 minutes to close to within 58-52. The Sun Devils pulled to within 66-62 with 1:46 to play after 2 free throws from Mason and a jumper from Sanon.
With the momentum fading, junior Brendan Hausen connected on a jumper in the lane with 1:24 before senior David N'Guessan, who was hampered by foul trouble all night, helped finish off the victory in the last 36 seconds with a big 3-point play.
Senior Alston Mason, who played his high school basketball in Kansas City at Blue Valley Northwest, led four Sun Devils in double figures with 17 points. Senior Shawn Phillips Jr. had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while fellow senior Basheer Jihad and Sanon had 13 points each.
The win enabled K-State to tie the all-time series with ASU at 6 wins apiece in the school's first-ever meeting at the Big 12 Championship after splitting the 2 regular-season matchups.
K-State has now won back-to-back opening-round games at the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2020 and 2021. The Wildcats are now 21-15 in first-round games, including 5-3 as the tournament's No. 10 seed. The school is now 19-27 all-time at the Championship.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening Statement…
"First of all, want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the blessing I have to live life with these guys, this team at Kansas State, and we don't, don't take it for granted what we're allowed to do and at a at a really high level, and so, so really, really blessed proud of these guys, you know, in in single elimination tournaments at the end of the year, it's usually about who wants to stay together longer, right? Like, how much do we enjoy being around each other and love being around these guys, and they love being around each other. So, it was a lot of fun. Congratulations to Coach Hurley and his team. They did a great job in another Big 12 battle, and thankful to be on top."
On holding Arizona State to 38 percent shooting…
"I think we limited their dribble through their catch and shoot threes, and had to make them take dribble threes. So that was part of our scouting report, and the guys did a good job of that, and then some of it was they just missed shots. You know? I mean, that happens sometimes. So, credit to our guys for what they were able to do, but sometimes dudes just miss shots."
On David N'Guessan's 3-point play late in the game…
"Yeah, I told him in the locker room that he only played 17 minutes so he'll be fresh tomorrow, so he will be able to fly around. So excited about that."
On the fast start…
"I don't know. It's about making shots. You know, it's a make-or-miss game. And early on, we were able to get some good looks, and the guys rose up and made them and then when it became a grinder, we were able to play a grinder game. So, I was proud of him for that."
On Coleman Hawkins' performance…
"It was great. I mean, I loved his aggressiveness. I was nervous because he took off the knee brace, right? And but (trainer) Luke (Sauber) said it was okay. And so, I trust Luke. But you know, I you just want our guys to be healthy. That's what I want for him. And I loved his aggressiveness. I loved all the guy's aggressiveness. I thought, thought they took advantage of how we prepared for this in some of the things that we did and some of the things we didn't do. And so, I thought it gave him legs. And so, we're going to figure out how to get them legs for tomorrow."
FIRST HALF
K-State got off to a fast start, as the Wildcats hit their first 4 3-point attempts to jump out to a 12-1 and force a timeout by head coach Bobby Hurley at the 16:55 mark. Senior Coleman Hawkins had 3 of the first 4 3-pointers to open the game. After an answer from ASU, senior Max Jones made it 5 of 5 from beyond the arc, as the Wildcats opened a 15-4 lead at the first media timeout.
After Hawkins made it 17-4 on a step through jumper, ASU started to cut into the deficit, scoring 9 of the next 11 points to make it 19-13 at the second media timeout with 11:25 in the half. The run continued as senior Alston Mason connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it at 19-all with 9:55 on the clock.
With the score tied at 21-all, the Sun Devils grabbed their first lead on a 3-pointer by freshman Joson Sanon then led 26-23 after a pair of free throws following a technical on junior Dug McDaniel. However, a second-chance layup by Jones keyed a 9-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 32-26 lead at the final media timeout at the 2:43 mark.
A dunk by junior Ugonna Onyenso extended the run to 11-0 and the lead to 34-26, before ASU answered with 5 of the next 7 points to close the gap to 36-31 with 14.4 seconds left. Following a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang, freshman David Castillo was fouled on a drive to the basket with 0.8 seconds and calmly hit 2 free throws to give K-State a 38-31 lead at the half.
Hawkins led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
SECOND HALF
The teams nearly traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half, as McDaniels, Hawkins and senior David N'Guessan accounted for 9 of the first 15 points that extended the lead to 47-37 at the first media timeout with 15:05 remaining.
K-State extended the lead to 58-44 following a 3-pointer from Jones with 9:43 to play, but ASU responded with 8 straight points to cut the deficit to 58-52 just after the third media timeout with 7:44 on the clock. McDaniels ended the run, as his 2 free throws started a stretch where he scored 6 of the next 8 points to extend the lead to 66-58 at the final media timeout with 3:19 remaining.
The Sun Devils made a pair of free throws out of timeout to pull within 66-60 before calling a timeout with 1:57 to play. They made it 66-62 on a jumper by Sanon, but junior Brendan Hausen was able to answer with a jumper in the lane for a 68-62 lead. Following an ASU layup, N'Guessan connected on a 3-point play to push K-State ahead 71-64 with 37.2 seconds left.
Mason's layup was good after a goaltend review with 31 seconds to close the deficit to 71-66 but the Wildcats were able to run out the clock, as Mason's 3-pointer was off the mark and Jones grabbed the rebound in the closing seconds.
McDaniel led all players with 12 of his 14 points coming in the second half.
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.
With the win, K-State (16-16, 9-11 Big 12) advances to the second round on Wednesday night at 6 p.m., CT when the Wildcats will take on 7-seed Baylor (18-13, 10-10 Big 12). This will be the sixth meeting between the schools at the Big 12 Championship with K-State holding a 3-2 edge.
K-State earned the victory with strong performances on both ends of the court, as the Wildcats scored its 71 points on 50 percent (27-of-54) shooting, including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range, while holding the Sun Devils (13-19) to 38.3 percent shooting (23-of-60), including 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats are now 14-4 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
Hawkins, who collected his second 20-point game of the season, was just 4 points shy of his career-high of 30 points vs. Iowa in 2024, as he scored his season-high 26 points on 10-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 free throws to go with a team-tying 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. It was his ninth career 20-point game.
The senior was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniel (14 points), senior Max Jones (10 points) and junior Brendan Hausen (10 points).
Hawkins was key in K-State's fast start to the game, as he was responsible for 11 points in the Wildcats' 17-4 opening run. He connected on his first three 3-pointers, while he added a jumper just after ASU head coach Bobby Hurley had called a timeout at the 14:52 mark. However, the Sun Devils wouldn't go away, as they used a 15-2 run to tie the game at 19-all before taking their first lead at 24-21 on a 3-pointer by freshman Joson Sanon with 7:45 before halftime.
The Wildcats answered back 11 straight points to go back ahead 34-26 just after the final media timeout with 2:43 remaining, as the team ended the half with 17 of the final 24 points to go ahead 38-31 at the break. Hawkins was responsible for half of the 38 points, scoring his 19 points on 8-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
K-State led by as many as 14 points (58-44) in the early going of the second half after a 3-pointer by Jones with 9:43 to play. However, ASU stayed within striking distance using an 8-0 run over the next 2 minutes to close to within 58-52. The Sun Devils pulled to within 66-62 with 1:46 to play after 2 free throws from Mason and a jumper from Sanon.
With the momentum fading, junior Brendan Hausen connected on a jumper in the lane with 1:24 before senior David N'Guessan, who was hampered by foul trouble all night, helped finish off the victory in the last 36 seconds with a big 3-point play.
Senior Alston Mason, who played his high school basketball in Kansas City at Blue Valley Northwest, led four Sun Devils in double figures with 17 points. Senior Shawn Phillips Jr. had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while fellow senior Basheer Jihad and Sanon had 13 points each.
The win enabled K-State to tie the all-time series with ASU at 6 wins apiece in the school's first-ever meeting at the Big 12 Championship after splitting the 2 regular-season matchups.
K-State has now won back-to-back opening-round games at the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2020 and 2021. The Wildcats are now 21-15 in first-round games, including 5-3 as the tournament's No. 10 seed. The school is now 19-27 all-time at the Championship.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening Statement…
"First of all, want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the blessing I have to live life with these guys, this team at Kansas State, and we don't, don't take it for granted what we're allowed to do and at a at a really high level, and so, so really, really blessed proud of these guys, you know, in in single elimination tournaments at the end of the year, it's usually about who wants to stay together longer, right? Like, how much do we enjoy being around each other and love being around these guys, and they love being around each other. So, it was a lot of fun. Congratulations to Coach Hurley and his team. They did a great job in another Big 12 battle, and thankful to be on top."
On holding Arizona State to 38 percent shooting…
"I think we limited their dribble through their catch and shoot threes, and had to make them take dribble threes. So that was part of our scouting report, and the guys did a good job of that, and then some of it was they just missed shots. You know? I mean, that happens sometimes. So, credit to our guys for what they were able to do, but sometimes dudes just miss shots."
On David N'Guessan's 3-point play late in the game…
"Yeah, I told him in the locker room that he only played 17 minutes so he'll be fresh tomorrow, so he will be able to fly around. So excited about that."
On the fast start…
"I don't know. It's about making shots. You know, it's a make-or-miss game. And early on, we were able to get some good looks, and the guys rose up and made them and then when it became a grinder, we were able to play a grinder game. So, I was proud of him for that."
On Coleman Hawkins' performance…
"It was great. I mean, I loved his aggressiveness. I was nervous because he took off the knee brace, right? And but (trainer) Luke (Sauber) said it was okay. And so, I trust Luke. But you know, I you just want our guys to be healthy. That's what I want for him. And I loved his aggressiveness. I loved all the guy's aggressiveness. I thought, thought they took advantage of how we prepared for this in some of the things that we did and some of the things we didn't do. And so, I thought it gave him legs. And so, we're going to figure out how to get them legs for tomorrow."
FIRST HALF
K-State got off to a fast start, as the Wildcats hit their first 4 3-point attempts to jump out to a 12-1 and force a timeout by head coach Bobby Hurley at the 16:55 mark. Senior Coleman Hawkins had 3 of the first 4 3-pointers to open the game. After an answer from ASU, senior Max Jones made it 5 of 5 from beyond the arc, as the Wildcats opened a 15-4 lead at the first media timeout.
After Hawkins made it 17-4 on a step through jumper, ASU started to cut into the deficit, scoring 9 of the next 11 points to make it 19-13 at the second media timeout with 11:25 in the half. The run continued as senior Alston Mason connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to tie it at 19-all with 9:55 on the clock.
With the score tied at 21-all, the Sun Devils grabbed their first lead on a 3-pointer by freshman Joson Sanon then led 26-23 after a pair of free throws following a technical on junior Dug McDaniel. However, a second-chance layup by Jones keyed a 9-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 32-26 lead at the final media timeout at the 2:43 mark.
A dunk by junior Ugonna Onyenso extended the run to 11-0 and the lead to 34-26, before ASU answered with 5 of the next 7 points to close the gap to 36-31 with 14.4 seconds left. Following a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang, freshman David Castillo was fouled on a drive to the basket with 0.8 seconds and calmly hit 2 free throws to give K-State a 38-31 lead at the half.
Hawkins led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
SECOND HALF
The teams nearly traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half, as McDaniels, Hawkins and senior David N'Guessan accounted for 9 of the first 15 points that extended the lead to 47-37 at the first media timeout with 15:05 remaining.
K-State extended the lead to 58-44 following a 3-pointer from Jones with 9:43 to play, but ASU responded with 8 straight points to cut the deficit to 58-52 just after the third media timeout with 7:44 on the clock. McDaniels ended the run, as his 2 free throws started a stretch where he scored 6 of the next 8 points to extend the lead to 66-58 at the final media timeout with 3:19 remaining.
The Sun Devils made a pair of free throws out of timeout to pull within 66-60 before calling a timeout with 1:57 to play. They made it 66-62 on a jumper by Sanon, but junior Brendan Hausen was able to answer with a jumper in the lane for a 68-62 lead. Following an ASU layup, N'Guessan connected on a 3-point play to push K-State ahead 71-64 with 37.2 seconds left.
Mason's layup was good after a goaltend review with 31 seconds to close the deficit to 71-66 but the Wildcats were able to run out the clock, as Mason's 3-pointer was off the mark and Jones grabbed the rebound in the closing seconds.
McDaniel led all players with 12 of his 14 points coming in the second half.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State (16-16) opened play in the Big 12 Championship with a 71-66 win over Arizona State (13-19) at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Tuesday night.
- K-State is now 39-45 all-time at the Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to 1977, including 19-27 at the Big 12 Championship… The Wildcats are now 21-15 in first-round games, including a 5-3 mark as the tournament's No. 10 seed.
- K-State has now back-to-back opening round games at the Big 12 Championship.
- The series between K-State and Arizona State is now tied 6-all, in this, the first matchup at the Big 12 Championship… The road team won both regular-season 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 19th time this season… Hausen, M. Jones and N'Guessan have now started all 32 games.
- M. Jones now has 113 career starts (Tampa/Cal State Fullerton/K-State), N'Guessan now has 71 career starts (all at K-State), McDaniel now has 74 career starts (Michigan/K-State) and Hawkins now has 111 career starts (Illinois/K-State).
- All 32 of Hausen's career starts have come at K-State.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 71 points on 50 percent (27-of-54) shooting, including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range, while hitting on 75 percent (9-of-12) from the free throw line.
- K-State is now 14-4 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
- K-State hit on 50 percent or better from the field for the ninth time this season and the first time since the Kansas game on Feb. 8, 2025.
- K-State out-scored Arizona State, 36-24, in the paint.
- Arizona State posted a 20-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
- K-State held a 36-35 advantage on the glass, but Arizona State had 12 offensive rebounds that enabled the Sun Devils to post a 13-8 edge in second-chance points.
- K-State led 38-31 at the halftime, as the Wildcats are now 15-4 when leading at the half.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by a season-high 26 points from senior Coleman Hawkins… He was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniels (14 points), senior Max Jones (10 points) and junior Brendan Hausen (10 points).
- Hawkins scored his 26 points on 10-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 free throws to go with a team-high 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in 38 minutes… It marked his ninth career 20-point game, including his second this season… He now has 61 career double-digit scoring games, including 16 this season.
- McDaniel scored his 14 points on 5-of-13 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws to go with 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 32 minutes… He now has 57 career double-digit scoring games, including 20 this season (14 in Big 12 play).
- Jones scored his 10 points on 4-of-7 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, to go with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 38 minutes… He now has 82 career double-digit scoring games, including 17 this season.
- Hausen scored his 10 points on 4-of-6 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, to go with 3 rebounds and 1 steal in 35 minutes… He now has 32 career double-digit scoring games, including 20 this season.
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.
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