David N’Guessan posted a double-double and newcomers Max Jones and Brendan Hausen combined for 36 points as Kansas State overcame a sluggish start to defeat New Orleans 89-65 on Tuesday night in Manhattan, Kan.

In the season opener for both sides, Kansas State stretched the lead to 56-36 with 16:13 left in the second half and maintained at least a 17-point cushion.

The Wildcats (1-0) took plenty of shots from beyond the arc, hitting 13-of-34 3-point attempts for a 38.2 shooting percentage. N’Guessan led the Wildcats with 21 points and 15 rebounds, while Jones had 19 points and Hausen added 17. Hausen took most of his shots from long range, hitting four of nine from 3-point land. He also was 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.

New Orleans (0-1) was led by Jah Short with 19 points. James White added 14 points and Dae Dae Hunter chipped in 10.

Things didn’t start well for the Wildcats as they missed 10 of their first 13 shots, with N’Guessan earning all three makes. The Privateers, meanwhile, hit 6 of 10 shots at the outset, building a 17-7 lead before the second media timeout.

UNO led 25-15 before K-State scored the next five points. That was part of a 13-2 run that gave Kansas State its first lead since 4-3. By the final media timeout of the first half, the Wildcats led 34-29. They went into halftime up 44-32 after Jones scored the final five points in the last 2.5 seconds.

N’Guessan hit double figures in points at the 7:41 mark of the first half with an inside move. He grabbed his 10th rebound with 6:13 left. He had just three double-doubles last season. He finished the first half with 11 points and 11 rebounds. But he was not Kansas State’s leading scorer to that point — that honor was shared by Jones and Hausen, who scored 12 each.

In the first half, New Orleans was led by White with 12 points and Short with 10.

–Field Level Media