South Dakota State spoils Casey Alexander's Kansas State debut, 68-66

Casey Alexander's first game as Kansas State's coach ended with a loss to a Summit League team at home. South Dakota State won 68-66 on Tuesday night at Bramlage Coliseum, per K-State's recap and South Dakota State's recap, after Brandon Rechsteiner's floater in the lane missed at the buzzer.

It was South Dakota State's first win over Kansas State in five meetings, according to the Jackrabbits. K-State said it was the program's first loss in a season opener since 2023 and its first loss in a home opener since 2020.

The kid who beat them

Davis Kern, a redshirt freshman playing his first college game, scored 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting with five 3-pointers and eight rebounds. He scored 11 of SDSU's first 13 points. With the game tied at 60, Kern made two free throws with 2:51 left and then hit a 3 for a 65-60 lead. Kalen Garry's 3 made it 68-62 with 1:40 left.

Garry and Jon Mekonnen scored 14 apiece. Joe Sayler, the Summit League's preseason player of the year, added 10.

K-State lived and died at the arc

The Wildcats took 28 3-pointers and made eight. South Dakota State went 10 of 24. Alexander didn't hide from it.

"We were far too 3-point line oriented," he said. "Like the offense was at the 3-point line all night."

He also blamed himself for the finish. "They had a couple of guards that really rose to the occasion and showed their experience and their confidence, made plays, and I didn't do a good enough job, kind of getting us in the same position to make those plays," Alexander said.

K-State did have its chances. Down 68-62, the Wildcats scored on two straight trips to get within two with 39 seconds left. Jaylen Alexander picked off a pass with 25 seconds to go, and Dez Lindsay missed a reverse layup. Sayler then missed the front end of a one-and-one with six seconds left. Alexander chose not to call a timeout, and Rechsteiner's floater missed.

Pape N'Diaye came off the bench for a career-high 18 points and went 8 for 8 at the line. Rechsteiner and Isaiah Abraham scored 16 each. K-State led 50-43 with 11:39 left and 54-49 with 8:31 left before a 9-0 SDSU run, per the Jackrabbits' recap.

Why it stings

South Dakota State said it was its first win over a power-conference team since beating Washington State in December 2021, and its first over a Big 12 team since winning at Iowa State in December 2020. Alexander's team now has to sort out a defense he said kept breaking down on switches and help.

K-State hosts Cal State Northridge on Friday. South Dakota State opens at home against Briar Cliff the same night.