Takeaways From Kansas State's Loss To St. John's: Second-Half Struggles Doom The Wildcats
It looked like we would start off this afternoon talking about Kansas State guard Brendan Hausen.
Instead, we are talking about Zuby Ejiofor's career game fueling St. John's comeback victory. Here are a few takeaways from Kansas State's loss Sunday afternoon:
1. A Tale of Two Halves
The Wildcats had the upper hand most of the first half, dominating second-chance opportunities and 3-point shooting. Hausen went 6 of 8 from the arc for 21 points, shooting 63.6 percent from the field, while the rest of the team shot just 28.6 percent. Their inability to score outside the former Villanova guard was slightly concerning but the hope was it would be countered in the second half.
Unfortunately, it didn't. Kansas State scored zero 3-pointers the entire half, being outscored 32 to 53 by the Red Storm. After the Hausen's hot start, St. John's coach Rick Pitino encouraged his defense to guard on the perimeter instead of protecting the paint in transition. This disallowed the Wildcats to continue scoring from the arc, halting their main attack point.
2. Zuby Ejiofor's Career Performance
Junior forward Ejiofor dominated with a career-high double-double with 28 points and 13 rebounds. His offensive rebounding gave the team second-chance opportunities to reciprocate their first-half struggles. Ejiofor's dominance swung the momentum early in the second half, in which Kansas State was unable to respond.
3. Free Throws Rained Down In Second Half
Kansas State's job with opposing free throws this season is complicated to evaluate. On one end, they've done well so far, allowing the fourth-lowest attempts in their conference. The problem is teams have shot really well from the line when they get there. This only continued with St. John's, as they went 16-of-17 on free throws. In addition to the dominance by Zuby Ejiofor and the offensive momentum he created, the Red Storm also benefitted from getting to the line frequently in the second half. Their aggressive play set up opportunities to score at the line.
Kansas State hosts Drake (8-0) Dec. 17 in the Wildcat Classic.
Jayden Armant is a journalism school graduate of Howard University and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI.
Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.