Jerome Tang wants to see early growth as K-State faces Bellarmine

Kansas State will try to ride the wave from a dominant second half as the Wildcats host Bellarmine on Saturday night in Manhattan, Kan.

In the season opener Tuesday, K-State (1-0) scored 60 points in the second half -- after tallying just 33 in the first half -- in defeating UNC Greensboro 93-64. PJ Haggerty and Nate Johnson combined for 49 points for the Wildcats.

Haggerty, Johnson and Abdi Bashir combined for 44 points in the second half. The trio was 9-of-11 from 3-point range after intermission.

"At halftime, (our) staff made some great adjustments, and the guys responded and relaxed," K-State coach Jerome Tang said. "Then we made shots. And when you start making shots, it solves all kinds of problems."

Now they turn their attention to Bellarmine (0-1), and Tang is not thinking about pacing his team's growth.

"I used to be like, ‘I don't want to peak too soon,'" he said. "But forget about that. I want to get as good as we can, as early as we can. If you wait too long to get going, you might drop some games that may hurt you later on."

Bellarmine is coming off a 104-59 drubbing by Georgia Monday.

Jack Karasinski was 10-of-17 from the field, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range. He led all scorers with 23 points and also paced all rebounders with eight. But it was not nearly enough for the Knights against the Bulldogs, as no other Bellarmine player scored in double figures.

Georgia had three runs of at least 9-0 in the first half, building a 20-point halftime lead. Head coach Doug Davenport, who is in his first year with the Knights, knows that playing Power 5 schools early in the season can be difficult.

"It's been a transition, but this has very little to do with me and everything to do with the guys in the jerseys," Davenport said. "We are here to support them, motivate them, develop them and ultimately hold them to the standards we have collectively defined. For us to do the things we want to do, it has to start with our oldest and most experienced guys."

--Field Level Media