Eager to win for the first time under new coach Casey Alexander, Kansas State will take on Cal State Northridge on Friday night in Manhattan, Kan.
The Wildcats (0-1) didn’t get the result they wanted in Alexander’s debut on Tuesday, losing 68-66 at home to South Dakota State.
Brandon Rechsteiner scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Kansas State, but his runner in the lane to potentially send the game to overtime wouldn’t go down.
“We’re going to play hard every night,” Rechsteiner said. “I don’t think there was a lack of effort tonight, but a lack of focus.”
Alexander cited several late defensive breakdowns as evidence of the lack of focus, but he sees room for improvement.
“We’ve got good leaders, but not good leaders who’ve been with us before, and that’s just going to take some time to develop,” Alexander said. “You’d love to see it come together right off the bat, but it’s going to take some time, so there’s a lot out there for us, for sure. We’re a long way away from being a finished product — I hope.”
One positive development was the play of Pape N’Diaye, who led the team in points (18) and rebounds (eight) while playing just 18 minutes off the bench.
Cal State Northridge (0-1) also is ready to turn the page after a disappointing opener. The Matadors fell 79-67 at Wichita State on Wednesday.
Cal State Northridge coach Andy Newman saw plenty to like despite the final score, including a high-effort night on the boards that resulted in 48 rebounds for his team.
“The guys played great, came here into a hostile environment, defended their butts off and outrebounded a very physical and big team,” Newman said.
Shooting was the biggest problem for the Matadors, who missed 16 of their 21 shots from behind the arc. Brooklyn Hicks grabbed a team-high nine rebounds but was just 1-for-7 from the floor.
“There are some bright spots, but there are no moral victories in this program,” Newman said. “We’re all disappointed with the result and know we’ve got to work to get better.”