Three takeaways as Kansas State ends losing streak with impressive win against BYU
Kansas State took a month of built-up basketball frustration out on BYU with an 84-74 victory on Saturday inside Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats won for just the second time in nine games and ended a three-loss skid by thumping the No. 25 Cougars with a mixture of crisp offense, energetic defense and clutch plays.
Arthur Kaluma led the way.
The junior wing scored a game-high 28 points with an incredibly efficient performance that only featured 11 shots. BYU doesn’t have anyone on its roster with enough athleticism to stay in front of Kaluma without fouling, and he took advantage of that for 40 minutes. He was a mismatch nightmare, and the No. 25 Cougars (19-8, 7-7 Big 12) had no answers for him.
Kaluma’s big game allowed K-State to post its highest points total in a Big 12 game this season.
This was a much-needed result for the Wildcats (16-11, 6-8 Big 12), who badly needed a win to increase their chances of receiving a bye at the Big 12 Tournament and to improve their postseason resume ... even if the NIT still feels more likely than the NCAA Tournament.
It will also give fans a reason to keep supporting the team.
The student section had rows of empty seats in every section for this game, a rarity for K-State during the Jerome Tang era. Perhaps a bigger crowd will turn out when the Wildcats host their next game against West Virginia on Monday.
Until then, here are some takeaways from Saturday’s action against BYU:
This was the Arthur Kaluma game
No one, it seems, likes to play BYU more than Arthur Kaluma.
When he was at Creighton, he set a career high with 27 points against the Cougars. A few weeks ago, he went to Marriott Center and dropped 18 points on them. Then, on Saturday, he erupted for 28 more points against his favorite opponent.
What is it about playing BYU that brings out the best in Kaluma?
Well, the answer is simple. BYU is made up of a roster of older players who win the fundamentals, shooting and teamwork. But the Cougars have never been known for athleticism. That is why they run a bunch of creative sets and rank inside the top 10 nationally in several offensive categories. But matching up with long, athletic wings on defense is not their forte.
Kaluma has taken advantage of that before. He did so once again in this game.
Not only did he put up an impressive stat line, he did so with impressive efficiency. Kaluma made 8 of 11 shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. But he did most of his damage at the free-throw line, where he connected on 10 of 12. Add on 10 rebounds and this was easily the best game of his college career.
Tylor ‘Second Half’ Perry arrived early against BYU
Something unusual happened at the beginning of this game.
Tylor Perry scored the first points of the afternoon when he drained a 3-pointer from the corner. A few minutes later, he made another shot from beyond the arc. Soon after that, he hit a trey while being fouled for a four-point play. The senior guard finished the first half with an uncharacteristically high 10 points.
Perry has scored at an impressive rate all season for the Wildcats, but he has a reputation for waiting until the second half of games to truly get going. There have been times he has eclipsed 20 points without scoring at all in the first half.
His nickname might as well be Tylor “Second Half” Perry.
This was different, as he finished with 16 points, five assists and three rebounds.
Perry came to play from the opening tip and didn’t need any late-game heroics to help his team win. That was an encouraging sign for the Wildcats, who no doubt benefit when Perry is scoring for 40 minutes instead of just 20.
David N’Guessan gives K-State another strong game
When David N’Guessan was removed from the starting lineup earlier this month he could have taken it as a demotion.
Instead, he found a way to play his best in a role.
N’Guessan is beginning to shine for the Wildcats as a reserve. The senior forward scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds against BYU. He also sent out a nifty pass to Jerrell Colbert that resulted in an easy dunk.
He even put an exclamation mark on this game when he threw down a tomahawk dunk with 51.8 seconds remaining.
Tang has called him “the fastest player on the floor” since he made the move to the bench.
N’Guessan has now scored in double figures in three straight games. That has been welcome production for the Wildcats.
