MANHATTAN, Kan. (KStateSports.com) – Behind a team-high 18 points from freshman Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State snapped a 6-game losing streak with a near wire-to-wire 66-54 win over Kansas State on Sunday afternoon before 9,121 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (13-14, 7-9 Big 12) saw its losing streak hit 3 games with the loss, as the Wildcats played without their all-everything senior Coleman Hawkins, who is the only Division I player to average 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
Arizona State (13-14, 4-12 Big 12) had its own missing piece, as head coach Bobby Hurley dismissed the Sun Devils’ leading scorer B.J. Freeman (13.7 ppg.) prior to the road trip. However, it was Hawkins’ presence that was clearly felt more as K-State was held to a season-low 54 points on 33.3 percent (22-of-66) shooting, including 19.2 percent (5-of-26) from 3-point range.
The Wildcats were paced by senior David N’Guessan, who collected his eighth career double-double, including his team-leading fifth of the season, with game-highs in both points (20) and rebounds (13). It marked his second 20-point, 10-rebound performance of the season and the first since the season opener with New Orleans. He was joined in double figures by junior C.J. Jones, who scored 10 points 4-of-11 field goals. Jones earned the start in place of the injured Hawkins.
Quaintance was one of three Sun Devils to score in double figures, as he finished 8-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block in 26 minutes. He enacted some semblance of revenge with his performance, as he missed the game-winning free throws with 4.1 seconds left in the 71-70 loss to the Wildcats on Feb. 4.
Quaintance was joined in double figures by junior center Shawn Phillips Jr., who posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman guard Amier Ali had 11 points off the bench, connecting on 4-of-8 field goals, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
ASU used a quick start to grab the momentum, jumping out to a 12-6 lead before the first media timeout, including 5 points from Quaintance. K-State responded with 8 of the next 12 points to pull to within 16-14 at the second media timeout at the 10:37 mark. However, the Sun Devils rattled off 7 straight points out of the timeout as part of a 15-5 to run take a double-digit lead. Jones scored 7 of his 10 points in a 9-3 run to end the first half, as the Wildcats closed to within 41-28 at the break.
A 7-0 run out of halftime quickly extended ASU’s lead back to double figures less than 3 minutes into the second half. K-State pulled to within 50-40 near the midway point but ASU scored 7 of the next 10 points to go up 57-43 with third media timeout with 7:35 to play. The lead grew to as many as 21 points (66-45) after a dunk by Phillips with 1:46 remaining before the Wildcats ended the game with 9 straight points for the 66-54 final score.
For the game, ASU connected on 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field, including 36 percent (9-of-25) from 3-point range, compared to 33.3 percent (22-of-66) shooting for K-State on just 19.2 percent (5-of-26) from beyond the arc. The Wildcats out-rebounded the Sun Devils, 43-33, including 17 offensive rebounds that resulted in just 9 second-chance points.
After both teams hit on exactly 40.6 percent (13-of-32) in the first half, ASU made 54.5 percent (12-of-22) of its field goals in the second half, including 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from 3-point range, compared to 26.5 percent (9-of-34) shooting for K-State, including just 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from beyond the arc. The Wildcats’ second-half field goal percentage marked a season-low.
The teams split their 2 meetings as conference opponents with K-State winning the first matchup, 71-70 in Tempe, Ariz., on Feb. 4. The Wildcats holds a narrow 6-5 edge in the all-time series.
K-State returns to action on Wednesday with a trip to Orlando, Fla., to take on UCF (13-13, 4-11 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT at the Addition Financial Arena on ESPN+. The Wildcats will return to Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday, March 2 when they play host to Colorado (11-17, 2-14 Big 12) at 3 p.m., CT on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased online at kstatesports.com/tickets or by phone (800) 221.CATS.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
“First of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the blessing of being able to do what I do every day with these guys. It doesn’t always turn out the way I want, but I know it’s a blessing and a gift. I’m so thankful for our guys and their effort, I wish I had given them a better game plan today. This loss is on me, not them, and I’ll do better moving forward. I didn’t give them the best chance to win today. I want to give a lot of credit to Arizona State, too. They were missing a key player but Coach [Bobby] Hurley and his staff did a much better job of giving their guys a game plan that led them to win tonight. All the credit goes to Arizona State, their players, and their staff.”
On what had to change without Coleman Hawkins…
“We had to make a change. I felt we needed to adjust what we were running to force the other team to put two on the ball. So, we tried some things that looked good on film and in practice, but it just didn’t work. I felt like our guys were taking shots that weren’t in rhythm. They were good, open shots, but we had learned where and how we would get our shots, and this change affected that. It was tough to turn it around quickly enough, but that’s not on our players, it’s on me. We had been playing good basketball, and this performance isn’t indicative of the kind of shooters or players we have.”
On the defensive performance…
“Sometimes, when the ball isn’t going in, it takes away some energy on the defensive end. But I felt we guarded fairly well in the first half. In the second half, they shot a better percentage, shooting 50%. We were trying to do some different things with new lineups, and there were communication breakdowns that wouldn’t have happened with our regular rotation. Again, that’s not on our guys, it’s on me and the game plan.”
On the contributions from backups like Mobi Ikegwuruka and Ugonna Onyenso…
“I thought they did their job. Everyone’s role changed a little bit, and sometimes it takes time to adjust. But I thought Ugo did a good job when he was in there, and Mobi did well too. The ball just didn’t go in the hole, if it had, it would’ve been a much different game. We’re not a 19 percent three-point shooting team, especially with the guys who were shooting them. Dug [McDaniel] had some good looks, and Max [Jones] had some good looks, but they weren’t the same types of shots they’d get earlier in the year, so the rhythm was off. The rebounding numbers were poor from the Utah trip, but we did a better job rebounding tonight. Arizona State had a good effort, but our guys gave effort too. We wanted to be the toughest, grittiest team, and I thought we showed some grit and toughness. We scrapped, but the ball just didn’t go in the hole.”
On the impact that David N’Guessan has had on the culture of this team…
“He’s playing like a third-year guy in the program that cares, you know, and I’d say that about all of these guys. We’ve made a change on our team, going from being individuals to playing for and with each other. Now, we have a team that’s playing for K-State, and I’m really proud of that. David, of course, is leading the way because he’s been here the longest, but guys like Taj [Manning] and Buddy [Rich], they bring it every day in practice. I’m really proud of the effort from our team, how big their hearts are, and how much they care. If you were in the locker room and saw how hurt they were, it wasn’t because of minutes or anything like that, it was because we lost, and they want to win for K-State. That gives me energy to do a better job preparing a game plan that puts them in the best position to win. I absolutely love these guys and how they represent our program and this university. As for David, he’s become much more vocal and assertive, his actions speak really loud now. That’s part of the growth process, and it’s great to see. Hopefully, we can get more guys to stick around longer and see that kind of evolution. As for how he’s improved this season, his confidence has really grown. He doesn’t let a missed shot affect him as much. In the past, if he missed a shot, he wouldn’t want to shoot again, if there was a bad play, it would linger. Now, he has the ability to move on to the next play, and that’s huge growth for him. I’m just very proud of how he’s evolved as both a player and a person.”
FIRST HALF
Arizona State got off to a fast start, making 5 of its first 7 field goals, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, as the Sun Devils jumped out to a 12-6 at the first media timeout nearly 5 minutes into the game. K-State was able to close to within 16-14 at the next media timeout at the 10:37 mark behind the play of senior Max Jones, who had 4 of the team’s 8 points over a near 5-minute stretch.
ASU responded with 7 straight points out of the timeout to take a 23-14 lead with 7:25 to play before halftime. The momentum continued for the Sun Devils, as they made their fourth and fifth 3-pointers to extend their advantage to 29-19 at the final media timeout of the half with 3:44 to play.
The lead grew to 31-19 after a jumper by freshman Jayden Quaintance, but junior C.J. Jones scored on a consecutive possession to close the deficit to 31-23 and force a timeout by ASU head coach Bobby Hurley with less than a minute to play. The Wildcats were able to force a turnover on the next possession, which led to a runout by senior David N’Guessan. After the Sun Devils connected on their sixth 3-pointer of the half with 32 seconds, Jones was able to close out the half with a 3-pointer to pull the Wildcats to within 34-28 at the break.
Both teams hit on 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from the field, but it was ASU’s 6 made 3-pointers compared to K-State’s 2 triples that helped them to the lead. Quaintance led all scorers with 10 points for the Sun Devils, while Jones led the Wildcats with 9 points.
SECOND HALF
ASU continued its first-half momentum to start the second half, scoring the first 7 points to go ahead 41-28 and force a timeout by K-State head coach Jerome Tang at the 17:14 mark. N’Guessan scored the Wildcats’ first bucket of the half at the 15:10 mark, but the Sun Devils countered every attempt at momentum to go ahead 48-37 at the second media timeout.
A free throw by C.J. Jones pulled K-State to within 50-40, however, ASU responded with 7 of the next 10 points to advance the lead to 57-43 at the third media timeout with 7:35 to play. A 3-pointer by freshman Joson Sanon started a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to its largest at 66-45 with 1:46 remaining. The Wildcats scored the last 9 points for the 66-54 final score.
N’Guessan had a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) in the second half to lead all scorers.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State (13-14, 7-9 Big 12) dropped its third in a row with a 66-54 loss to Arizona State at Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
- K-State still leads the all-time series, 6-5, including 2-2 in games played in Manhattan… The teams split their 2 meetings with K-State winning 71-70 in Tempe on Feb. 4.
- K-State is now 38-8 at Bramlage Coliseum under Tang, including 20-6 in Big 12 play.
- K-State is now 440-152 all-time at Bramlage Coliseum, including 179-122 in league play.
- K-State used a starting lineup of junior Dug McDaniel, junior Brendan Hausen, junior C.J. Jones, senior Max Jones, and senior David N’Guessan for the first time this season… Hausen, M. Jones and N’Guessan have now started the first 27 games… All 27 of Hausen’s career starts have come at K-State… It marked C. Jones’ first career start at K-State.
- Senior Coleman Hawkins did not play due to injury.
- C. Jones now has 59 career starts (UIC/K-State), M. Jones now has 108 career starts (Tampa/Cal State Fullerton/K-State), N’Guessan now has 66 career starts (all at K-State) and McDaniel now has 69 career starts (Michigan/K-State).
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 54 points on 33.3 percent (22-of-66) shooting, including 19.2 percent (5-of-26) from 3-point range, while hitting on 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from the free throw line.
- The 54 points and 33.3 field goal percentage were both season-lows.
- K-State is now 0-11 this season when not reaching 70 points.
- K-State held a 43-33 advantage on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds that the Wildcats converted into 9 second-chance points.
- K-State held the advantage in points off turnovers (13-11), points in the paint (34-30), second-chance points (9-7) and fast-break points (12-0).
- ASU led 34-28 at the halftime, as K-State is now 0-9 on the season when trailing at the half.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Two Wildcats scored in double figures led by the double-double performance of 20 points and 13 rebounds by senior David N’Guessan… Junior C.J. Jones was the only other player in double figures with 10 points.
- N’Guessan scored his 20 points on 8-of-13 field goals and 4-of-6 free throws to go with 13 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and an assist in 30 minutes… It marked his eighth career double-double, including his team-leading fifth of the season… It was his second 20-point, 10-rebound performance and the first since the season opener with New Orleans… He now has fifth career 20-point games, including 4 this season… He now has 47 career double-digit scoring games, including a team-best 22 this season.
- Jones scored his 10 points on 4-of-11 field goals, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and 1-of-2 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 27 minutes… He now has 30 career double-digit scoring games, including 4 this season (3 in Big 12 play).
- Junior Dug McDaniel had a team-high 7 assists.
