Kansas State Blows 12-Point Second-Half Lead Against Baylor, Drops Sixth Straight

Star performances from David N'Guessan and Dug McDaniel weren't enough to sustain the Wildcats' double-digit lead.

Kansas State Wildcats guard Dug McDaniel (0) dribbles down court against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half of the Sunflower Showdown game inside Allen Fieldhouse Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kansas State men's basketball team walked into Foster Pavilion Wednesday night, confident to end their long road losing streak and win their first game since late December.

They could not, as the Wildcats' loss to Baylor marked their sixth consecutive in the Big 12. Here are a few takeaways from the loss:

1. The turnovers once again killed Kansas State.

The Wildcats only turned the ball over nine times. And yet, they all seemed detrimental and careless. Kansas State had three unforced in the first five minutes, which halted it from pulling away from Baylor early. Even for their strong performances, David N'Guessan and Dug McDaniel had three turnovers each, illustrating the need for better ball security across the board.

2. Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe was unstoppable all night.

Someone on Baylor's roster needed to step up in star guard Jeremy Roach's absence. Freshman Edgecombe got the memo, putting an early career-best performance over the Wildcats. Edgecombe scored 30 points on 61.5 percent shooting from the field, getting whatever he wanted from all areas of the court.

3. Dug McDaniel and Brendan Hausen did their thing...for the most part.

The starting backcourt of Hausen and McDaniel each scored 12, shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range. McDaniel got the hot hand early, while Hausen had some shots from the arc to cut Baylor's late lead. The issue was the consistency across the game; Hausen started slow, and McDaniel started getting sloppy toward the end. As the team's primary guards, they must play complete 40-minute games as the uphill slope gets steeper in the Big 12.

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.