MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball forward Coleman Hawkins had a night to remember and the return of point guard Dug McDaniel to the starting lineup clearly provided a spark the Wildcats were missing.
Cincinnati coach Wes Miller called it “pretty special for them.”
But when it came to preserving K-State’s impressive 70-67 victory over the No. 17-ranked Miller Bearcats in Monday night’s Big 12 opener at Bramlage Coliseum, no one was bigger than goalkeeper Max Jones.
Hawkins and McDaniel may have combined for more than half of the team’s scoring, but it was Jones’ timely basket and offensive rebound in the final minute that put the Wildcats (7-5, 1-0 Big 12) to win a trio. losing streak and start the conference off on the right foot.
First, with the Wildcats clinging to a two-point lead, Jones made a nifty move in the lane to break free for a short jumper that made it 65-61 with 47.7 seconds left.
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“It was really good, because those were my only points in the second half,” Jones said. “We absolutely needed this bucket, so everything we needed for the team.”
Then, after Cincinnati pulled within a field goal, Hawkins drove to the foul line in the 23rd second and made the first free throw, but missed the second. Jones jumped for the rebound and fed the ball to CJ Jones, who fouled and put away both shots for a five-point advantage.
“I was just trying to get the ball back to us,” Max Jones said. “We have a thing called Crashers Club, and I controlled it, and it felt good to make that game for the team.”
No one was more pleased with the choppy play than Hawkins, who made his other three free throws and led the Wildcats with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds with three assists and four steals.
“It was really huge,” Hawkins said. “Control tip. That’s what we’re working on. That was really big for us, and obviously Max made the play and then CJ Jones came in and made the free throws.
“So, it was a great play, and that’s what tough teams do. We’re going to have to take it all the way, playing like that. Max is a great player, and he was in the game for a right like that.”
In addition to Hawkins’ all-around game, K-State had support from McDaniel, who scored 17 points in just his second start. Forward David N’Guessan added 13 points and seven rebounds, while CJ Jones had nine points with four decisive free throws in the final 21 seconds to ice the game.
It was the first notable victory for a K-State team that finished non-conference play with a disappointing 6-5 record.
“I really think it’s very important to show the Big 12 that we’re not a team to be trifled with,” Max Jones said.
The Wildcats now return to the road for back-to-back games – Saturday at TCU then next Tuesday at Oklahoma State.
“We don’t have time to relax,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said. “We’ll enjoy tonight, but we’ll come back after tomorrow.”
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 Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article was originally published on Topeka Capital-Journal: Max Jones comes on big in Kansas State basketball’s Big 12 opener
