Kansas State overcomes poor shooting night in win over Mississippi Valley State

Kansas State overcame a poor shooting performance to secure a 74-56 home win over Mississippi Valley State in Manhattan, Kansas. Ugonna Onyenso led the Wildcats with a career-high 16 points, while CJ Jones contributed 12. Despite shooting just 3-of-23 (13.0%) from beyond the arc and missing their first 10 attempts, the Wildcats improved to 3-1 on the season.

David N’Guessan added 10 points, and Coleman Hawkins had a standout game with 13 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Transfer point guard Dug McDaniel, who started in Thursday’s loss to LSU, did not play, with no explanation provided. Kansas State dominated the boards, outrebounding the Delta Devils 45-28, and capitalized at the free-throw line, going 25-of-27 compared to Mississippi Valley State’s 8-of-8.

Arthur Tate led the Delta Devils (1-4) with 16 points, and Antonio Sisk added 15 in their fourth loss to a power-conference opponent this season. Walter Hamilton chipped in six rebounds for Mississippi Valley State, which finished 1-30 last season.

Kansas State’s offense found rhythm inside after early struggles from three-point range, building a 21-7 lead before David Castillo hit the team’s first three-pointer with 5:25 left in the first half. Mississippi Valley State rallied to tie the game at 23-23 before Kansas State entered halftime with a slim 25-23 lead.

Early in the second half, the Delta Devils tied the game again at 25-25, but the Wildcats seized control with a decisive 16-3 run, opening a 41-28 lead with 14:52 remaining. Kansas State maintained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the game, withstanding a late 9-0 run by Mississippi Valley State. This marked the first meeting between the two programs.