The fact that David N’Guessan spent the better part of Kansas State basketball’s Big 12 Tournament opener on the Wildcat bench should have been a recipe for disaster.
Now that the Wildcats have survived and advanced, it could turn out to be a positive.
N’Guessan, the super-senior forward who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, was limited to 17 minutes by foul trouble and the 10th-seeded Wildcats still found a way to hold off No. 15 Arizona State, 71-65, Tuesday night at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.
“Some might look at it as a bad thing. We look at it as a blessing in disguise,” point guard Dug McDaniel said of N’Guessan’s extended absence. “He should be fresh for tomorrow, and I hope today showed him we have his back.
“Guys are going to step up if he goes down, and I felt like it brought us closer today for tomorrow.”
Related: Big 12 Tournament is a final chance for Kansas State basketball to finish on a high note
Related: Kansas State basketball’s Coleman Hawkins named third team All-Big 12
K-State (16-16) is back in action Wednesday to face No. 7 seed Baylor (18-13) in a 6 p.m. second-round game.
McDaniel was one of the players who helped fill the void after N’Guessan picked up three fouls in just eight minutes in the first half and was whistled for his fourth less than three minutes into the second period. He finished with 14 points — 12 in the second half — and five assists.
The biggest lift came from Coleman Hawkins, who scored a season-high 26 points to go with eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots. Guards Brendan Hausen and Max Jones each added 10 points, with Jones also grabbing eight rebounds.
“I thought we did a good job of just trying to execute as well as possible,” said Hawkins, whose 19 first-half points helped the Wildcats to a 38-31 halftime advantage that they would not relinquish. “We had four guards, one big, not playing with the game plan we were planning on doing or a lineup that we planned on having in.
“But we stayed solid to our principles and did a pretty good job of limiting their opportunities and finding ways to score. David is a big part of our team (with) his rebounding, and his efficiency at the rim. Some guys just stepped up, and maybe it wasn’t the scoring, but defensively and being able to execute.”
Even with the lack of playing time, N’Guessan came up big when the Wildcats needed him down the stretch. Shawn Phillips had just tipped in an offensive rebound to cut K-State’s lead to 68-64 with 1:05 left when N’Guessan went hard to the basket and was fouled for a three-point play at 37.2 seconds that pushed it back to seven.
N’Guessan finished with five points and four rebounds, but K-State coach Jerome Tang agreed with McDaniel that the biggest benefit could come Wednesday against a well-rested Baylor team that had a first-round bye.
“I told (N’Guessan) in the locker room, 17 minutes, he should be able to be fresh tomorrow and fly around,” Tang said. “Excited about that.”
On a Wildcat team that has been up and down all season, N’Guessan has remained consistent, averaging 13.3 points and 7.2 rebounds heading into the tournament. He is the only player who has played all three seasons under Tang.
“David is, to me, the heart and soul of the team,” McDaniel said. “He’s been here for three years, so his expectations from coach (Jerome) Tang, he kind of understands him.
“He kind of lays that at us.”
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 X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: David N’Guessan’s foul trouble no trouble for Kansas State basketball
