Cam Carter scored a game-high 20 points in his return to Manhattan, Kan., as the LSU Tigers defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 76-65 Thursday night.

Carter scored 21 points in each of his first two games this season. He spent the last two seasons at Kansas State, but chose to return to his home state this offseason. Carter also scored 21 points in the Wildcats’ victory over LSU last season.

The Tigers (3-0) defeated Kansas State for the first time after losing at a neutral site two seasons ago and in Baton Rouge last season.

LSU took the lead for good just past the midway point of the first half. The Tigers shot 50 percent (27-of-54) from the field overall and outrebounded the Wildcats 43-25. They also got 15 points each from Jordan Sears and Vyctorius Miller, and 12 from Daimion Collins.

Kansas State (2-1) fell to 31-5 at Bramlage Coliseum in two-plus seasons under head coach Jerome Tang. Dug McDaniel and David N’Guessan led the Wildcats with 16 points apiece.

Kansas State trailed 45-31 early in the second half but trimmed the deficit to 10 on a pair of free throws by Coleman Hawkins. The Wildcats made it a nine-point game when N’Guessan hit a layup with 14:28 left, but the Tigers responded with a 7-0 run to push their lead to 16 midway through the half.

The game was close through the first 10 minutes, with the Wildcats holding a 17-16 lead at the second media timeout. But while LSU spread its scoring among five players, Kansas State got all of its points from two players, McDaniel (10) and N’Guessan (seven).

Carter made two free throws to put LSU ahead 34-24. The lead reached 17 points with a 23-5 run before the Wildcats cut it to 43-31 at the half.

Carter led the Tigers with 12 points in the first half, while McDaniel and N’Guessan had 10 each for the Wildcats. Two of the Wildcats’ leading scorers, Brendan Hausen and Hawkins, combined for just three points.

–Field Level Media