MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State opened their basketball season with a commanding performance, defeating New Orleans 89-65 on Tuesday night. David N’Guessan was the standout player, contributing significantly with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Joining him in the scoring effort were Max Jones and Brendan Hausen, who added 19 and 15 points, respectively. Jones also provided five assists, while both he and Hausen were instrumental in the Wildcats’ three-point shooting, each making four of the team’s total 13 three-pointers. N’Guessan had an efficient night, hitting 10 of 14 shots from the field.

New Orleans was led by Jah Short, who scored 19 points. Teammates James White and Dae Dae Hunter followed with 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Privateers initially took control, leading 25-15 midway through the first half. However, Kansas State quickly rallied and dominated the remainder of the half to take a substantial 60-32 lead into halftime. Hausen and Jones each scored 12 points in that opening period, with N’Guessan contributing 11 points and grabbing 11 boards.

This matchup marked the second time these teams faced off, the previous encounter ending in a 62-47 victory for Kansas State back on December 4, 1999. The Wildcats display a strong record against the Southland Conference, now standing at 13-1, with an impressive 12-0 record at home.

For New Orleans, this game marked the debut for head coach Stacy Hollowell, who is now the 13th head coach in the history of the Privateers. Prior to this role, Hollowell served as an assistant coach at Texas Southern last season under Johnny Jones.