Kansas State Falls to Iowa State, Sets Sights on Big 12 Tournament

David N'Guessan holds up his signature "W" hand sign with his teammates, head coach and athletic director. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

Kansas State (15-16, 9-11 Big 12) fell to 10th ranked Iowa State 73-57 at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday, spoiling the Wildcats’ Senior Day. Forcing the Wildcats to play as a 10th seed in the Big 12 Tournament. 

Wildcat warm-up 

No. 10 Iowa State (23-8, 13-7 Big 12), coming off a 2OT loss to BYU at home on Tuesday, came into Manhattan in hopes of spoiling the Wildcats’ senior day. Going into this game Kansas State was coming off a 2-game win streak over Colorado at home and in Cincinnati the week before. Both teams last faced each other on February 1 in Ames with Kansas State defeating the Cyclones 80-61, winning their third game in a row that time.  

First Half -

Following tip-off, both teams struggled to score for nearly the first three minutes. Iowa State got on the board with 17:35 left and allowed the Wildcats to tie the game only once just six seconds later. Kansas State ended the first half down by 8 despite going on an 8-0 rally with help from a foul called on Iowa State’s Nate Heise. Dug McDaniel helped make the score closer with some free throws after the foul, making the score 34-26 at halftime. 

Second Half -

Despite leading by 8, the Cyclones needed a spark to keep their hopes of clinching a higher seed alive. Right away, Iowa State went straight to work by going on an 11-0 run to go up 51-34 with 12 minutes left, leaving Kansas State in the dust. Curtis Jones led the way for the Cyclones recording 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. 

Courtside Conclusions 

Kansas State struggled to shoot by going 37.7% from the field and 9.5% from the three-point range. Senior Guard Dug McDaniel led the Wildcats in assists recording 6 and Senior Guard David N’Guessan led in points scored with 19 points going 8-10 on FGs and 3-5 on FTs. With the loss, the Wildcats finished the regular season with both a 14-15 overall record and a 9-11 conference record going into the Big 12 tournament. Iowa State ended the regular season with a 22-8 overall record and a 13-7 conference record, earning the fifth seed in the tournament.  

Future Focus 

Kansas State finished the regular season ranking 10th in the Big 12 and is scheduled to face 15th ranked Arizona State in Kansas City, Missouri on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Wildcats last met the Sun Devils at home on February 23, losing 66-54 without the help of Coleman Hawkins. They also met them in Tempe, winning 71-70 and extending their winning streak to 4 games back on February 4. The winner of this game will play Baylor in the second round on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. All coverage of each game will be on Wildcat 91.9.