By Jayson Henderson

The Kansas State Wildcats couldn’t sustain their first-half momentum, falling to St. John’s 88-71 on Saturday in the Big 12/BIG EAST Battle. Despite a strong showing early in the game, an 18-5 run by the Red Storm to start the second half shifted the contest decisively in their favor.

Junior Brendan Hausen led K-State with a career-high 27 points, including a scorching 21-point first half where he connected on six 3-pointers. Seniors David N’Guessan and Coleman Hawkins also contributed, scoring 15 and 11 points respectively. Hawkins came close to a double-double, adding nine rebounds and four steals.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first half, with Hausen’s sharpshooting putting them in control early. However, St. John’s surged after halftime, led by Zuby Ejiofor, who scored 17 of his game-high 28 points in the second half. The Red Storm scored 53 points after the break, shooting 52.8% from the field and dominating the paint with 28 points.

K-State struggled to maintain offensive rhythm in the second half, shooting a season-low 35.2% from the field overall. The Wildcats will have a week off for semester exams before returning to action against unbeaten Drake on December 17 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.