After scoring only eight points combined in the last two games of the season, no one expected Askia Jones to burn his mark into the record books in postseason play.
But Jones surprised himself, his Kansas State teammates and the Fresno State Bulldogs on Thursday night with a 62-point performance in the Wildcats' 115-77 victory before a crowd of 5,252.Jones hit for the most points in a game in the country this season, and also managed to tie an NCAA record with 14 3-pointers - all while playing only 28 minutes.
Jones' 14 3-pointers tied the NCAA Division I record set by Dave Jamerson of Ohio in 1989. The senior from San Antonio scored 45 points in the second half. Of the seven 3-pointers he made in less than five minutes, six were consecutive.
Riding Jones' exhibition, Kansas State (20-12) won a berth in Monday's semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden, where the Wildcats will face Vanderbilt.
Jones hit 14-of-18 shots from 3-point range en route to breaking Wayman Tisdale's Big Eight single-game scoring record of 61 points.
Caught up in the offensive frenzy, Jones' teammates added another nine 3-pointers to tie the NCAA Division I team record with 23 (on 36 attempts). Lamar set the record last year against Louisiana Tech.
For the game, Jones was 18-for-25 from the floor and 12-for-16 from the free throw line.
The Wildcats scored 70 points in the second half, breaking a school record for a half. Kansas State led 45-26 at the half, but after Jones got hot, the Wildcats led 78-48 with 12:35 to play.
Jones, who had been pulled by coach Dana Altman, re-entered with about nine minutes left and hit a foul shot and three more 3-pointers before being pulled again. With 2:20 left, Altman put him back in and the Fresno State assistant coaches raised their hands and looked to Altman, as if to ask "Why?"
Jones already had 57 points.
Altman looked back at them and said, "He's going after a record."
"The reason I put him back in the game was because he's been here for five years and he's had four surgeries (on an ankle and knee)," Altman said.
The top scorer for the Bulldogs (21-11) was Carl Ray Harris with 19 points. Seth Marshall added 13, Travis Stel 12 and Brian Santiago 11. The Wildcats also got 15 points from Anthony Beane and 10 from Deryl Cunningham.
Siena 75, Bradley 62
An energized Siena just keeps going, thanks to Doremus Bennerman.
In Glens Falls, N.Y., the surprising Saints (24-7) used Bennerman's third consecutive 30-point-plus performance to defeat Bradley and advance to the NIT semifinals for the first time. Bennerman finished with 34 points.