Buckets were tough to come by early in the game on Thursday night in Manhattan, as K-State and Kansas City tried to fight through cold starts shooting the basketball. Through it all, the Wildcats were able to manage a 69-53 victory.

The Wildcats, fortunately, had Keyontae Johnson who was able to keep things flowing by scoring the first eight points of the game for the Wildcats, en route to finishing with 19 points.

Cam Carter took the baton after the early hot start for Johnson, as the Mississippi State transfer made four first-half threes for the Wildcats and was able to finish with 16 in the game, after delivering 14 in the first half.

In his halftime interview on ESPN+, head coach Jerome Tang voiced his displeasure with his team’s effort in the first half, despite the 16-point lead. Effort has been a common theme to start the season, with the first-year head coach expressing concern over his team letting off the gas once they get a significant lead. For the first time this season, it seemed to creep into the start of a game.

The Wildcats seemed to respond well to Tang’s halftime message, as they came out and scored at a higher clip than they started the first half. It was highlighted with a steal from Johnson who flung it to Markquis Nowell who finished the play with a between-the-legs pass back to Johnson who flushed it for the easy score.

The Wildcats did slow down though, as they hit the under 12 with just 11 points in the second half, the same amount they had allowed to Kansas City. Eventually, the Roos trimmed the lead all the way down to just 10 points before the Wildcats, led by Desi Sills, were able to extend the lead back up to 18.

The Wildcats now get back on the road as they head to the Cayman Islands Classic which starts Monday on FloHoops. K-State tips off at 7:30 with a matchup against Rhode Island, who is 1-2 and coming off their first win of the season against Stony Brook earlier this week.