MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State connected on 14 3-point field goals, including a combined 10 from senior Tylor Perry and junior Cam Carter, as the Wildcats led from wire-to-wire in an impressive 91-68 win over preseason Summit League favorite South Dakota State before 9,421 fans at Bramlage Coliseum on Monday night.
The 14 made 3-point field goals tied for the fifth-most in school history and the most since the Wildcats knocked down 16 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2, 2019.
Carter scored a career-high 25 points, hitting on 10-of-20 field goals, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, while Perry also netted 20 points, tying his season-high with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. They are the first Wildcat teammates this season to each post a 20-point game and the first since Keyontae Johnson (22) and Markquis Nowell (20) did it against Michigan State in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Freshman R.J. Jones notched the other 4 3-point field goals, finishing with a season-high 14 points on 4-of-6 field goals, including 4-of-5 from 3-point land.
In all, four registered double figures, as senior big man Will McNair Jr. tallied a season-high 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting with 7 rebounds.
Senior David N’Guessan collected a career-best 11 rebounds, while freshman Dai Dai Ames dished out a game-high 7 assists.
Buoyed by the stellar night from beyond the arc, K-State (2-1) scored a season-high 91 points on a season-best 57.4 percent (35-of-61) shooting from the field, including 56 percent (14-of-25) from 3-point range, and 77.8 percent (7-of-8) from the free throw line. The Wildcats scored 40 points in the paint, while they had 17 fast-break points, 16 second-chance points and 15 points off turnovers. They had an assist on 24 of their 35 field goals.
The defense was equally impressive, holding the Jackrabbits (1-2) to 41.5 percent (27-of-65) shooting, including 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from long range, while they made just 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the free throw line.
Coming off a game on Friday night where they allowed Bellarmine to cut a 19-point lead into single digits in the final minutes, the Wildcats were determined from the tip to not let that happen again. The team jumped out to an 18-6 lead after a 4-point play from Jones right before the second media timeout with 11:52 to play before halftime. They stayed ahead, although the Jackrabbits recovered from a 3-for-16 start to the game to cut the deficit to 27-22 after a 3-pointer from senior Luke Appel with 7:23 remaining.
Carter, who at one point scored 9 straight points and had 15 points in the first half for the second straight game, was able ignite an 11-2 run with a jumper on the next possession following the Appel 3-pointer that pushed the lead back into double figures at 38-24. Five straight by the Jackrabbits cut the deficit to single digits at the half.
Perry opened the second half was his third 3-pointer then a fourth triple put K-State ahead in double figures for good with just over 16 minutes remaining. The lead grew to 20 points with 9:24 to play after a layup by redshirt freshman Dorian Finister and another 3-pointer by Carter.
The performance was even more impressive when considering K-State played with just 10 available players after junior Arthur Kaluma missed the game due to injury.
South Dakota State saw three players score in double figures led by senior Charlie Easley’s 21 points on 9-of-13 field goals to along with 4 rebounds and a career-best 6 steals. Fellow senior Luke Appel posted 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting with a team-high 7 rebounds, while Lawrence native Zeke Mayo, who was averaging 28 points, was held to just 11 points.