Kansas State basketball center Ugonna Onyenso on his improvement
Kansas State basketball center Ugonna Onyenso talks about his performance Tuesday against Mississippi Valley State and the upcoming Paradise Jam.
K-State Athletics
Kansas State basketball reverted to some bad habits in the second half, but still had enough left to withstand a furious George Washington rally on Friday night to claim an 83-71 victory over the Revolutionaries in the first round of the Paradise Jam at UVI Sports & Fitness in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
With the victory K-State improved to 4-1 and will face Liberty in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Sunday. George Washington (4-1) will face Louisiana in the consolation bracket Saturday.
It was the second straight victory for K-State, which beat Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday, 74-56.
After racing to a 46-27 halftime lead, K-State let GWU back within four in the second half before righting the ship and hanging on. The Wildcats dominated the boards in the first half and limited George Washington to one second-chance point, but the Revs reversed that trend after the break.
David N’Guessan led five K-State players in double figures with 17 points to go with nine rebounds, while Dug McDaniel added 13 points and five assists off the bench. Max Jones added 12 points, Brendan Hausen 11 and Achor Achor 10.
Jacoi Hutchinson led all scorers with 19 points for GWU.
K-State holds off a second-half George Washington rally to claim an 83-71 first-round Paradise Jam victory and improve to 4-1. The Wildcats will face Liberty in a 7 p.m. semifinal on Sunday.
K-State leads 77-65 with 3:03 left. The Wildcats are shooting better than 50%, but have given up nine second-chance points in the half after only allowing one in the first.
GWU has outrebounded the Wildcats in the half.
George Washington calls timeout after Dug McDaniel’s jumper puts K-State up 75-64 with 5:51 left.
McDaniel the fifth Wildcat in double figures with 10 points.
K-State still leads 68-59 with 7:59 left, but GWU is going back to the line. The Revolutionaries already are in the bonus and have outscored the Wildcats 6-1 from the line in the half.
K-State also has turned the ball over five times in the half, and worse, has been outrebounded 12-5 after a big advantage on the boards in the first.
David N’Guessan picks up his third foul with 8:48 left and Achor Achor is already on the bench with four.
George Washington has reeled off eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to cut the lead to 59-53. Jerome Tang calls timeout with 10:31 left.
George Washington has gotten as close as 10 points, but K-State leads 59-47 at the media timeout with 11:59 left.
Achor Achor has six points in the half for K-State and 10 for the game. Wildcats are shooting better than 50% the half, but their defense has fallen off.
With 15:26 left, K-State has the lead back to 53-38. David N’Guessan leads the Wildcats with 11 points.
K-State has turned it over three times in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half and GWU is on a 9-3 run, forcing Jerome Tang to call timeout with 17:29 left and the lead down to 17:29.
Jacoi Hutchinson now has 15 points for George Washington.
K-State shot 51.7% in the first half and limited George Washington to 25%. More importantly, the Wildcats had an 8-1 advantage in second-chance points, giving up just two offensive rebounds in the period.
Brendan Hausen has 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and five of David N’Guessan’s nine points came from the free-throw line, where the Wildcats are 11 of 16 at the break.
K-State led by 18 points earlier in the half and finished the period on a six-point run after after GWU had trimmed it to 13.
K-State scores the last six points of the half to lead 46-27 at the break. David N’Guessan nine points, Brendan Hausen 10. Coleman Hawkins leads the Wildcats to a 26-12 rebound advantage with six and Dug McDaniel has four assists off the bench.
K-State has held George Washington to 25% shooting and has made 8 of 12 free throws on the way to a 34-21 lead late in the first half.
David N’Guessan has nine early points as K-State leads GWU 34-19 with 4:42 left in the half.
After struggling the past couple of games at home, Kansas State has come out on fire early in the Paradise Jam, leading unbeaten George Washington 30-14 with 7:57 left in the first half.
David N’Guessan with six early points, while C.J. Jones and Brendan Hausen each has five. Dug McDaniel has two assists off the bench. Wildcats shooting 52%.
Kansas State is off to a fast start, leading George Washington at the first media timeout, 10-3 with five early points from C.J. Jones.
Kansas State vs George Washington game time today
- Date: Friday, Nov. 22
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Location: UVI Sports & Fitness Center, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
What channel is Kansas State vs George Washington game on today?
Kansas State vs George Washington prediction
Kansas State has struggled to adjust to a roster with 10 new scholarship players but have a chance to take a step forward against a GWU team that has yet to be challenged. The Wildcats need to rise to the occasion and stay in the winners’ bracket.
Prediction: Kansas State 81, George Washington 71
Kansas State vs George Washington betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Friday afternoon:
- Spread: Kansas State -9.5
- Over/under: 149.5 points
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Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
