MANHATTAN, Kan. — Junior Brendan Hausen led four Wildcats in double figures with a gamehigh 15 points, as Kansas State ran its home exhibition winning streak to 30 games with a 70-56 win over Division II Fort Hays State on Tuesday night before 9,526 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
Hausen was joined in double figures by senior Coleman Hawkins (13 points), sophomore Macaleab Rich (11 points) and senior David N'Guessan (10 points). N'Guessan had a near double-double with a game-high 9 rebounds.
K-State led from start to finish despite a spirited effort from Fort Hays State, which is coming off a 23-win campaign and was recently ranked No. 16 in the preseason NCAA Division II Coaches poll. The Wildcats led by as many as 20 points early in the second half before the Tigers cut the lead in half with 8:24 to play, prompting a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang.
An 8-2 spurt capped by a 3-pointer from Hawkins pushed the lead back out to 60-44 with less than 6 minutes to play and the lead never dipped below 12 points the rest of the way. Hawkins was stellar all-around in his first action as a Wildcat, adding a team-high 6 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals to go with his 13 points in nearly 32 minutes of action.
K-State scored its 70 points on 41.1 percent (23-of-56) shooting, including 28.6 percent (8-of28) from 3-point range, and 72.7 percent (16-of-22) from the free throw line. The team had 18 assists on 23 made field goals and posted a 42-34 advantage on the glass, including 14 offensive boards.
Defensively, the Wildcats held the Tigers to 36.9 percent (24-of-65) shooting, including 25.7 percent (9-of-35) in the first half
In addition to the four double-digit scorers, the squad got a big boost from junior C.J. Jones, who finished the night with 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and 2 steals.
K-State is now 75-21 all-time in exhibition play, including a 58-9 mark at home. It was the fifth straight such win over FHSU, following victories in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2017.
Hausen stalked the Wildcats to a 7-0 lead after knocking down his first two 3-point attempts, as they built as much as a 14-point lead in the first half. He duplicated the feat to start the
second half, canning his first two 3-pointers to ignite an 8-0 run and push the lead to 42-22 with 17 minutes to play. However, the Tigers wouldn't go away, as they used an 18-8 run over the next 8 minutes to cut the deficit to 52-42.
Rich, who earned additional playing time with senior Max Jones out due to injury, was another bright spot down the stretch, scoring 4 of his 11 points in the last 8 minutes. He finished the night 5-of-7 from the field to go with 4 rebounds in nearly 20 minutes of action.
Fort Hays State was led by 9 points each from graduate Kaleb Hammeke and sophomore Kyle Grill.
K-State officially opens the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, Nov. 4 when the Wildcats welcome New Orleans to Bramlage Coliseum for a 7 p.m. CT tip.