Kansas State Athletics

ST. THOMAS, U.S.V.I. – Junior Dug McDaniel's 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed off, as Liberty hung on for a 67-65 win over Kansas State in the second semifinal game of the 25th annual Paradise Jam on Sunday night before 2,225 fans at the Elridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center.

K-State (4-2) will now take on Longwood (6-1) in the third-place game of the Paradise Jam on Monday at 4:30 p.m., CT. The Lancers lost to McNeese, 84-69, in the first semifinal game on Sunday. Liberty (6-1) and McNeese (4-2) will battle in the championship game at 7 p.m., CT.

Junior Brendan Hausen led four Wildcats in double figures with 14 points, all in the second half, joining senior Coleman Hawkins (11 points), senior David N'Guessan (10 points) and senior Achor Achor (10 points) in double digits. N'Guessan has now scored in double figures in 7 consecutive games dating back to last season.

K-State got exactly what it wanted in the final sequence with 3 opportunities to either win or tie it after Hawkins pulled the Wildcats to within 67-65 with 42.5 seconds left. Liberty was able to run the clock down to 14 seconds, however, senior Kaden Metheny's driving layup missed and McDaniel got the rebound. McDaniel raced up the court, missing a 3-pointer with 5 seconds before it was rebounded by N'Guessan. After N'Guessan's tip-in was off, McDaniel gave the Wildcats' one last chance, rebounding the miss and hoisting up a 3-pointer that rimmed out at the buzzer.

In a game that was back and forth in the second half with both teams making big-time shots, it was the little things that proved to be difference for Liberty in victory.

Each team had 13 turnovers, but it was the Flames who were best able to take advantage of those miscues, outscoring the Wildcats, 24-11, in points off turnovers. Liberty made 10 of 14 free throw attempts, including 6 in a row to end the game, after ranking 339th in the category in the NCAA at 60.2 percent. In contrast, K-State had just 5 free throw attempts, making four.

K-State led by as many as 5 points (27-22) in the first half before Liberty ended the half on an 8-0 run to take a 32-29 lead. The Flames carried that momentum into the second half, running out to a 39-31 lead before the Wildcats closed to within a possession on several occasions.

Behind the 3-point shooting of Hausen, K-State was able to tie it twice, first at 50-all then again at 55-all, before grabbing its only lead at 63-62 after Achor's layup with 2:31 remaining.

Junior Colin Porter's second 3-pointer with 2:15 to play proved to be the game winner, which was followed by a pair of free throws from junior Owen Aquino with 50 seconds left, for a 67-63 lead.

K-State connected on 45 percent (27-of-60) from the field, including 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from 3-point range, with 38 points in the paint.

Hausen, who was 0-of-2 in the first half, came alive in the second half, leading all scorers with 14 points by connecting on 5-of-13 field goals, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc. It was his third double-digit scoring game in the first 6 games and his third with 4 or more 3-pointers.

Hawkins was once again solid all-around, posting his second double-digit scoring game as a Wildcat with 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go with a team-high 4 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and a block in a team-high 36 minutes. He has 5 or more points, 5 or more rebounds, 4 or more assists and at least one steal and one block in 4 of 6 games this season.

Achor picked up his second consecutive double-digit scoring game with 10 points on 5-of-7 field goals and 5 rebounds off the bench, while N'Guessan scored his 10 points on 4-of-8 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

Liberty finished at 45.3 percent (24-of-53) from the field, including 45 percent (9-of-20) from 3-point range, and made 10 of 14 attempts (71.4 percent) from the free throw line. The Flames came into the game 339th in free throw shooting at 60.2 percent.

The backcourt tandem of Porter (17 points) and Metheny (13 points) combined for 30 points, including 5 of the Flames' 9 3-point field goals. Redshirt junior Isaiah Ihnen was key off the bench, posting 16 points on 7-of-12 field goals to go with 7 rebounds and a team-high 2 steals.

The final day of the Paradise Jam will tip off at 11:30 a.m., CT with the seventh-place game between UAB (3-4) and Louisiana (1-5) followed by the fourth-place game between George Washington (5-1) and Illinois State (4-2) at 2 p.m., CT. All games of the tournament can be seen on ESPN+.

HEAD COACH JEROME TANG

On the last possession…

"I told the guys this was going to be a one possession game, and we have to embrace being in a place of fire. That's an NCAA Tournament team there, just like the team we play tomorrow (Longwood) went to the NCAA Tournament (last season), and that's why we're here, to learn from this, to grow from this. We don't need this thing to be easy. Two weeks ago, we wouldn't have been in this position. At the end of the game, we got a score, and then we got a stop, and then we had two opportunities to get a score. We do that every day in practice, and we work on it and exactly what you want. That's all you can ask for. And I'll take Dug's shot (McDaniel) and David N'Guessan on the glass all the time. We outrebounded them on the offensive glass by two, and even on the defensive glass, which is a weakness, we just didn't get to the line. So, I got to do a better job of coaching our guys on how to get to the line. Playing more physical, playing through contact, whatever it is. We only got five free throws, and they shot 14 in the second half, so that's a big deal. We got to take care of the ball a little bit better. We had 10 (turnovers) in the first half. We had three in the second half. So, we did a better job in the second half. This is what this thing's about. You want these kinds of games because this is what's going to prepare you for conference, and it's allowing us to grow. And I got a hurt locker room in there, which means they care, and these dudes really, really care, and they're in there, and they were talking to each other and coaching each other up. And we got a quick turnaround, and so we don't have time to hang our heads, we're going to do the next right thing, because that's what tough people do."

On Liberty's 8-0 to end the half…

"You know, it's a game of runs. They went on a run in the second half, and we went shot for shot with them. It just happens sometimes. There was never a segment in the second half where we could get three stops in a row to allow us to get some separation. I told my guys this is how it's going to be, and we have to get comfortable in these types of games."

On how to pinpoint on what lost the game…

"I hate to look at it like one thing lost us the game. I think you have to just give credit to Liberty for winning the game. I thought we played really good basketball at times, and we have plenty of room to improve. We are heading in the right direction. There were things that happened at each end of the court that impacted the game. They just made one more play than us."

FIRST HALF

The offenses struggled to start the game before Liberty scored on 6 quick points to take a 6-2 lead heading into the first media timeout. Senior David N'Guessan ended K-State's drought with a pair of free throws before he and senior Achor Achor tied it at 8-all with back-to-back layups.

The Flames went back up 13-10 with 5 of the next 7 points before junior Dug McDaniel gave the Wildcats a 15-13 lead with a personal 5-0 run. The game continued to go back and forth, as it was tied at 20-all at the second media timeout after a Liberty 3-pointer.

Liberty regained the lead out of the timeout at 22-20 before a jumper by N'Guessan started a 9-2 run that gave K-State at 29-24 right before the last media timeout with 3:01 to play. However, the Flames grabbed the momentum with an 8-0 run to end the half and take a 32-29 advantage.

Liberty connected on 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from the field, including 40 percent (4-of-10) from 3-point range, and scored 17 points off 10 K-State turnovers in the first half. The Wildcats shot 44.4 percent (12-of-27), including 27.3 percent (3-of-11) from long range.

Junior C.J. Jones and McDaniel led with 7 points each.

SECOND HALF

Liberty's first half run continued into the second half, as the lead grew to 35-29 after a layup and a free throw. After N'Guessan ended the 11-0 run with a layup, the lead was 39-31 after a long 3-pointer from junior Kaden Metheny.

A pair of free throws by sophomore Macaleab Rich plus baskets by senior Coleman Hawkins, Achor, C. Jones pulled the Wildcats to within 41-39 just after the first media timeout, but the Flames answered back with 2 free throws and another Metheny 3-pointer.

K-State once again pulled to within one possession at 46-44 after a 3-pointer from junior Brendan Hausen and layup by N'Guessan, but a pair of free throws and layup by Metheny again gave Liberty some distance at 50-44.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Hausen tied the game at 50-all then a fourth by the junior knotted it at 55-all with 7:29 remaining. However, another 3-pointer from Metheny and a dunk by junior Isaiah Ihnen gave the Flames a 60-57 advantage at the third media timeout with 5:56 to play.

A jumper by Hausen and layup by Achor helped K-State grab its first lead at 63-62 with 2:31 remaining, but a second 3-pointer by junior Colin Porter followed by a pair of free throws by junior Owen Aquino gave Liberty the lead for good at 67-63 with 50 seconds.

A Hawkins jumper got the Wildcats to within 67-65 with 42.5 seconds before the final sequence.

K-State shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33) in the second half compared to 43.5 percent (10-of-23) for Liberty. Hausen led all scorers with 14 points.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

The loss snapped K-State's 6-game winning streak at the Paradise Jam.
K-State now has an 184-117 overall record in-season tournament play.
K-State is now 185-58 in non-conference play since 2006-07.
This was the first meeting between K-State and Liberty.
K-State used a starting lineup of junior C.J. Jones, junior Brendan Hausen, senior Max Jones, senior Coleman Hawkins and senior David N'Guessan for the fourth time this season… Hausen, M. Jones, Hawkins and N'Guessan have now started the first 6 games.
Hawkins now has 88 career starts (Illinois/K-State), M. Jones now has 87 career starts (Tampa/Cal State Fullerton/K-State), C. Jones now has 55 career starts (UIC/K-State) and N'Guessan now has 45 career starts (all at K-State).
All 6 of Hausen's career starts have come at K-State.

TEAM NOTES

K-State scored its 67 points on 45 percent (27-of-60) shooting, including 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from 3-point range, and hit on 80 percent (4-of-5) from the free throw line.
K-State had 11 assists on 27 made field goals.
K-State scored 38 points in the paint and got 19 bench points.
K-State held a 33-31 rebounding advantage, including 11 offensive rebounds.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by 14 points from junior Brendan Hausen… He was joined in double digits by seniors Coleman Hawkins (11 points), Achor Achor (10 points) and David N'Guessan (10 points).
Hausen collected his 16th double-digit scoring game, including his fourth at K-State… He now has at least 2 triples in all 6 games played this season.
Hawkins now has 47 career double-digit scoring games, including his second at K-State, after scoring 11 points on 5-of-11 field goals.
N'Guessan now has 31 career double-digit scoring games, including 20 at K-State, after his 10-point performance on 4-of-8 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws… He has scored in double figures in 7 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Achor picked up his 33rd career double-digit scoring game, including his second straight.

🏀 K-State falls to Liberty in Paradise Jam semifinal