Starting his first game since Nov. 14, junior point guard Dug McDaniel and senior forward Coleman Hawkins propelled Kansas State to a 70-67 home victory over No.16 Cincinnati in the Big 12 Conference opener.

McDaniel scored 17 points, making seven of his 13 field goal attempts. The Michigan transfer also added two rebounds and two assists. Hawkins led the Wildcats in scoring, finishing with a 20-point double-double. Hawkins also added three assists and four steals.

The Hawkins-McDaniel duo was a force to be reckoned with in the first ten minutes of the game, combining for 12 points and six rebounds to propel the Wildcats to an early 14-9 lead.

The Wildcats led by as much as nine points in the first half, but Cincinnati found ways to keep the game close. With two minutes remaining in the half, a Dan Skillings, Jr. three-pointer gave the Bearcats their first lead of the night.

However, the Wildcats entered halftime with a two-point lead, with Hawkins and McDaniel scoring 21 of the team's 31 points.

While McDaniel and Hawkins continued their dominance in the second half, the play of guard CJ Jones and forward David N'Guessan changed the game.

Despite leading by nine early in the second half, Cincinnati kept the game close. The Bearcats never took the lead in the final frame, but tied the game at 56 with five minutes left. From there, N'Guessan, Hawkins, and Jones combined for 13 points down the stretch.

N'Guessan gave the Wildcats the lead with a three-point play, while Jones connected on four consecutive free throws to help clinch the win. In total, The pair combined for 18 points in the second half, missing just one shot.

After struggling to create offense in losses to Drake and Wichita State to end non-conference play, the Wildcats found momentum against Cincinnati. The Wildcats assisted on 14 of their 24 made field goals and shot 43.6 percent from the floor. Their success from the free throw line (80 percent) was critical in helping ice the game.

Defensively, the Wildcats forced 15 turnovers on Cincinnati, leading to 15 points. Alongside Hawkins' four steals, Max Jones and N'Guessan recorded one steal and one block each.

The Wildcats will be off until Jan. 4, when they head to Texas for a road contest against TCU.