Kansas State men’s basketball earned its first win since Feb. 11, snapping a four-game skid by knocking off Colorado 65-56.
K-State (14-15, 8-10 Big 12) led for more than 38 minutes over Colorado (11-18, 2-16) and earned its first win in the series since 2010.
Forward David N’Guessan helped lead the Wildcats to victory while surpassing 1,000 career points in college.
“I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as I can,” N’Guessan said of his college career nearing completion. “I want to win and go make a run in the Big 12 tournament.”
N’Guessan started his impressive night early, scoring the first five K-State points. Turnovers seemed to be served to K-State on a silver platter, as Colorado could not keep the basketball safe.
K-State consistently converted at the free-throw line as well, going 9-9 from the line in the first half.
N’Guessan had a big one-handed dunk to give K-State an 18-7 lead, and guard Brandon Hausen extended the lead with back-to-back three-pointers. The Buffalos scored 22 points total in the first half, which was its second lowest scoring first half this season.
The Wildcats finished the night with 20 points off turnovers, but most of the points came in the first half, with K-State totaling 16 points off Colorado mistakes. In K-State’s past two games, the team has managed to score 46 points off turnovers.
“We’re not the biggest team and we’ve struggled to score especially without Coleman,” head coach Jerome Tang said. “So, we have to get turnovers and get out in transition.”
Point guard Dug Mcdaniel and N’Guessan had a solid connection all game, which allowed McDaniel to finish his night with seven assists. The second half saw K-State’s lead grow to almost 20 points. McDaniel and fellow guard Max Jones hit a three to give the Wildcats a 52-35 lead.
Colorado had flashes of hope with three minutes left, cutting the lead to just eight points. K-State continued its stellar defense, though, securing the win 65-56.
N’Guessan led the team with 21 points, eight rebounds, and two steals. McDaniel had 10 points and seven assists. Hausen finished with 11 points and Jones had nine points.
“(N’Guessan’s) energy, his output, his production has been so consistent,” Tang said. “It’s pretty cool we were able to help him score 1000 career points.”
K-State looks to finish its season strong as only two games remain on the schedule. Next up is Cincinnati, as the Bearcats and Wildcats will duel it out at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
