Kansas City, Mo. ? Luis Colon made all nine of his shots and set career highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds, helping Kansas State beat Southern Mississippi 74-55 Thursday night at the Sprint Center.
Kansas State (6-3) had struggled putting teams away in its three previous games, losing to Kentucky, Iowa and Oregon by nine combined points. The Wildcats took care of Southern Miss (4-4) early, opening with an 11-2 run, overcoming a sloppy stretch midway through first half to start the rout.
Jacob Pullen added 17 points for Kansas State.
Southern Miss had lost its previous two games after leading by at least 10 in both. The Golden Eagles never led in this one, with Kansas State’s pressure defense causing them fits on the offensive end.
Southern Miss opened with four missed shots and two turnovers in the first 4 1/2 minutes, then missed its final six shots as Kansas State closed the first half with a 15-1 run. The Golden Eagles were 8-for-27 in the first half to trail 41-26 and shot 31 percent overall.
Courtney Beasley led Southern Miss with 16 points and leading scorer Jeremy Wise had 11 on 1-of-8 shooting.
The Golden Eagles didn’t have an answer for Colon.
The junior center from Puerto Rico was a bit player for Kansas State last season, his stiff, uncoordinated moves a source of comic relief for the Wildcats’ fans.
Colon had them cheering for a different reason against Southern Miss.
With his teammates looking for him early, Colon overpowered Andre Stephens inside, using his his 2-inch, 30-pound size advantage for easy baskets.
He opened the scoring with a short turnaround and kept getting deep post position throughout the first half, flicking in short jump hooks and bank shots from close range.
Colon closed the half with a flying putback over two Southern Miss defenders — an unthinkable move a year ago — and left the court to a serenade of “LOUUUUUU!” after tying career highs with 12 points and nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes.