Takeaways as Kansas State continues hot streak with dramatic win over Arizona State
This was a game of runs.
They were wild, they were crazy and they left fans on both sides wondering what might happen next.
Kansas State prevailed 71-70 over Arizona State in that back-and-forth affair on Tuesday at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. And the game appropriately went down to the final play.
The Wildcats survived after Arizona State freshman forward Jayden Quaintance missed a pair of free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining and Dug McDaniel secured a game-clinching rebound.
After a dismal start to the season, K-State (11-11, 5-6 Big 12) has clawed its record back to .500 thanks to four consecutive wins. Arizona State (12-10, 3-8 Big 12) lost its second straight home game in agonizing fashion.
Few expected that type of ending when Arizona State scored the first 10 points of the night and raced to an 18-2 lead. It looked like Kansas State was suffering a hangover from its big upset over Iowa State. But the Wildcats snapped out of their funk midway through the first half and played well enough to pull ahead 48-35 at the 8:57 mark of the second half. At that moment, it looked like the Wildcats were going to win without any drama.
But things tightened up in the final moments.
David N’Guessan led the way for K-State with 22 points and eight rebounds. He delivered several important baskets in the second half and also made a pair of free throws in the final minute that gave his team a 71-67 lead before Arizona State made its final push.
But he got plenty of help from Max Jones (15 points), Brendan Hausen (12 points) and Coleman Hawkins (11 points).
K-State will try to continue its hot streak when it takes on rival Kansas on Saturday inside Bramlage Coliseum.
Until then, here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s action:
David N’Guessan won this game for the Wildcats
Every time the Wildcats needed an important basket against the Sun Devils on Tuesday they found a way to get the ball to David N’Guessan.
It was a good strategy from Jerome Tang and his coaching staff.
The senior forward led K-State with 22 points and eight rebounds against Arizona State. It was a very efficient night for him. He made 8 of 11 shots and went 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. He even knocked down a 3-pointer.
N’Guessan has been a steady force for K-State all season, as he leads the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game. But this was the first time all year that it looked like he was in the zone. His 22 points were a season high, and he also got busy on the glass.
Best of all, he made clutch plays when his team needed him the most.
N’Guessan is not known for his free-throw shooting. It is a big weakness in his game. But he calmly stepped up to the foul line and made a pair of important shots in the final minute to give his team a four-point cushion. He also wisely fouled Arizona State’s Quaintance from behind and prevented him from throwing down a game-winning dunk in the final seconds.
The foul forced him to try to win the game from the free-throw line. But he missed both attempts.
K-State would not have won this game without N’Guessan.
Another slow start for the Wildcats
Jerome Tang did something familiar in the opening moments of this game.
He called a timeout before the 16-minute mark of the first half in hopes of stopping a big run by the opposing team.
Arizona State scored the first 10 points of the night, and Tang used a timeout to try to reset. He had to do the same thing in a recent game at Kansas when the Jayhawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead. And it happened again when Iowa State took a 13-4 lead over the Wildcats.
That is a bad habit for K-State to fall into. Perhaps the Wildcats aren’t warming up with enough intensity to start games strong? Maybe they aren’t focused at the opening tip? That is something for Tang to fix moving forward.
Interestingly, the Wildcats have been able to fight back from all of those early deficits.
K-State fell behind 18-2 against Arizona State as it missed its first nine shots and still found a way to lead 35-32 at halftime.
Give credit to the Wildcats for continuing to play with resolve after things have gone against them early in games.
K-State starters did a little bit of everything
Balanced scoring has become a calling card for the Wildcats during their recent hot streak.
On Tuesday, they showed off balance in more than just one statistic.
K-State players stuffed the stat sheet throughout this game.
Dug McDaniel flirted with a triple-double, as he finished with seven points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Coleman Hawkins had 11 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Max Jones gave K-State 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.
And, as mentioned above, N’Guessan almost had a double-double in his big effort.
This was the most balanced effort of the season from Kansas State’s starting lineup.
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 11:28 PM with the headline "Takeaways as Kansas State continues hot streak with dramatic win over Arizona State."