Kansas State sets scoring record with 120-73 win over Pine Bluff

Field Level Media|published: Sun 1st December, 16:17 2024

NCAA Basketball: Big 12 Basketball Media Day

Oct 23, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang talks to media during the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Achor Achor scored a season-high 21 points as Kansas State defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 120-73 on Sunday in Manhattan, Kan.

Kansas State (6-2) scored the most points in a game in school history. The Wildcats surpassed the old record of 116 points, accomplished two seasons ago at Texas, when Taj Manning hit a 3-pointer with 1:57 left.

Achor was one of six Wildcats in double figures. Their three leading scorers (Achor, Dug McDaniel with 18 and David Castillo with 17) all came off the bench.

The Wildcats had 68 bench points. Besides the three top substitutes, K-State got 17 points from David N'Guessan, 14 from Brendan Hausen and 12 from Max Jones.

K-State's previous high this season came in an 89-65 victory over New Orleans. The Cats blew past that total on a layup by Achor put them up 90-51 with 11:15 left in the second half. K-State went past 100 points at the 5:23 mark on a 3-pointer by Hausen to put the Wildcats up 102-61.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-8) lost its seventh straight game, all by at least 12 points. The Golden Lions were led by Chop Paljor with 15 points, Dante Sawyer with 12 and Kyle Brown with 10.

Just as they did in the first half, the Wildcats connected often from 3-point range after intermission. They were 11-of-20 shooting in the second half and 21-of-40 for the game.

K-State was expected to win easily, and the Wildcats didn't disappoint from the start. The Wildcats scored the first eight points of the game and led 17-3 at the first media timeout.

The Wildcats led by as many as 32 points in the first half and went to the locker room ahead 63-33. The 63 points were the third-most points in a first half in school history. They shot 57.1 percent from the field, on their way to 61.5 percent overall for the game.

They also held a 23-2 advantage in points off turnovers, as they committed just three turnovers in the half and forced 11.

The Wildcats had six players with at least eight points, including Castillo (11) and Achor (10) off the bench.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff was led by Paljor with seven.

--Field Level Media