Kansas State men’s basketball forward Coleman Hawkins and point guard Dug McDaniel both scored in double figures, combining for 37 points and leading the Wildcats to a 70-67 upset home win over No. 16 Cincinnati in the Big 12 opener.
“Big 12 opener, second game, any game. Winning is hard, and anytime you can get one and get to play in front of your home crowd, that’s huge,” head coach Jerome Tang said to K-State Athletics.
Unlike the previous two games against Drake and Wichita State, K-State got off to a hot start as the aggressor and led 9-3 at the under-16-minute timeout. McDaniel, a Michigan transfer, notched his second start at K-State.
“I practice with these guys every day so I’m used to playing with them,” McDaniel said. “I made sure that I stepped up to the plate and let them know it wasn’t a bad decision [to start me].”
Tang was also very glad he started the junior guard as well, citing The Bible for helping him reach the decision.
“Dug is a really good player and he can continue to get better,” Tang said. “I’m very thankful God slapped me in the face and challenged me to set my ego aside.”
Hawkins scored the first basket of the game on a tough floater and followed it up by hitting a stepback three.
“I think we came out right away and threw the first punch,” Hawkins said.
When K-State needed a basket, they ran a lot of their offense through Hawkins, posting him up on the wing and letting him make a play. With Hawkins’ 6-foot-10 size, he poses matchup problems for opponent’s forwards.
When Hawkins wasn’t posting up, he was setting a screen for McDaniel so those two could play a two-man game and put a lot of pressure on Cincinnati’s defense. McDaniel’s quick burst getting downhill provided a lot of opportunities for him at the rim where he is an above-average finisher.
“We have a 6’10 guy [Hawkins] who can put the ball on the floor and make decisions. I feel like we can keep using him the right way and go a long way,” McDaniel said.
In the first half, Hawkins led all scorers with 12 points while McDaniel was right behind him with nine first-half points. A couple of good offensive possessions by the Wildcats before half gave them a 31-29 lead at the half.
Coming out of the break, Cincinnati got a quick basket to tie the game but the ‘Cats answered with a quick 12-3 run to take a 43-34 lead with 15 minutes to go in the contest.
However, Cincinnati didn’t go away lightly and worked its way back into the game, keeping it a one-possession game for most of the second half.
At the under-four timeout, K-State had a 59-56 lead with Hawkins at the line to shoot free throws. Hawkins made both to give the ‘Cats a five-point lead and get the crowd on their feet to make life hard on Cincinnati.
“I love when the crowd gets involved, I love to be able to intimidate our opponent and instill fear in them with how loud it gets,” Hawkins said.
Cincinnati was able to answer quickly with a three to quiet the crowd but K-State played well defensively in the final three minutes to keep Cincinnati from getting hot.
While Hawkins and McDaniel were the stars of the show, forward David N’Guessan also was very effective throughout the game. N’Guessan finished with 13 points including a late and-one layup which provided a huge momentum boost for K-State.
Also, in the final minute guard C.J. Jones, who was in the game for defense, found himself at the line and went 4/4 and helped ice the game for the Wildcats. His effort tonight on both ends was a big factor in the outcome.
Hawkins finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds, recording a double-double. He also had four steals defensively showing his worth as a two-way player.
“I feel like I was a bit more aggressive, I was kind of all over the place,” Hawkins said. “I was used as a ball handler a little bit, but I was just more aggressive which helped.”
The win for Kansas State ended a three-game losing streak and was exactly what K-State needed as Big 12 play got underway.
K-State travels on the road for a two-game road trip starting at TCU on Jan. 4. The game will take place at 3 p.m. and be televised on CBS Sports Network.
