Kansas State built a huge first-half lead and defeated Cal State Northridge 95-78 to give coach Casey Alexander his first victory Friday night in Manhattan, Kan.
Brandon Rechsteiner made his first four 3-point attempts on his way to a career-high 26 points for Kansas State. Rechsteiner, a transfer from Colorado State, had a previous career high of 21 points against Wichita State in 2025.
Matt Gilhool and Montana Wheeler each scored 12 points as the Wildcats (1-1) rebounded from a season-opening loss to South Dakota State.
The Matadors (0-2) got a career-high 23 points from Mikah Ballew, 15 of which came in the second half, when Cal State Northridge outscored Kansas State 49-38. BJ Omot chipped in 14 points, Josah Davis scored 12 and Brooklin Hicks added 11.
Kansas State shot 49.2% from the field and 41.5% from 3-point range. The Matadors, who won the rebounding battle 43-37, shot 38.8% from the field and 26.9% from beyond the arc.
An 18-3 run in the latter stages of the first half gave the Wildcats a 57-29 halftime advantage.
A steal and dunk by Dezdrick Lindsay sparked the run, during which Jalen Alexander sank two 3-pointers, while Rechsteiner and Jaden Schutt each hit one as Kansas State went ahead 52-24 with 3:10 remaining.
The Wildcats matched their largest lead of the half on a 3-pointer by Lindsay at the buzzer. Rechsteiner led all first-half scorers with 19 points.
Kansas State outscored the Matadors from the 3-point line alone in the first half, making 11 of 22 attempts for 33 points. Overall, the Wildcats shot 54.3% from the field over the first 20 minutes.
A 3-pointer by Gilhool made it 62-31 early in the second half.
The Matadors cut the deficit to as few as 14 points with 3:38 remaining but couldn’t get closer.