Senior wing David N'Guessan registered his fourth career double-double with a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds in helping Kansas State to an 89-65 win over New Orleans in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday night (Nov. 5) before 9,155 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.

N'Guessan had a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) in the first half before earning his first career 20-point, 10-rebound performance of his college career. His 21 points were two shy of his career-high of 23 against Abilene Christian on Dec. 6, 2022, while his 15 boards were one short of his career-high of 16 against Iowa State in his last game at home on March 9.

N'Guessan was joined in double figures by senior Max Jones (19 points) and junior Brendan Hausen (17 points), who combined for 8 of the Wildcats' 13 made 3-point field goals on the night. The 13 triples tied for the 10th-most in a game in school history and were the most since knocking down 14 against South Dakota State on Nov. 13, 2023.

Trailing by as many 10 points near the midway point of the first half, the K-State offense exploded for 74 of its 89 points in the last 29 minutes of action. The Wildcats ended the first half on a 29-7 run, flipping a 25-15 deficit with 10:15 to play into a 44-32 halftime advantage.

Hausen (12 points) and Jones (8) combined for 20 of the team's 29 points during this pivotal run, including 5 by Jones in the last 2 seconds of the half.

K-State's lead never dropped below 18 points in the second half and grew to as many as 26 after a pair of free throws by junior Dug McDaniel with 5:47 to play. McDaniel dished out a game-high 8 assists to go with 6 points and 2 steals in 23 minutes off the bench in his first career action.

The Wildcats finished the night with 24 assists on 34 made field goals with just 9 turnovers, the fewest in a game since posting just 5 in the win over Michigan State in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

K-State moved to 94-27 all-time season openers, including 82-10 at home and 30-3 at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have now won 19 of their last 22 openers.

New Orleans (0-1), playing its first game under new head coach Stacy Hollowell, saw three players score in double figures led by 19 from sophomore guard Jah Short. He was joined in double figures by senior James White (14 points) and junior Dae Dae Hunter (10 points).

The Privateers shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the field, including 45 percent (9-of-20) from 3-point range, and made 6 of 7 attempts from the free throw line.

K-State continues its four-game homestand on Saturday when the Wildcats play host to Cleveland State (0-1) at 3 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum.