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K-State’s Kaluma, Iowa State’s Gilbert Earn Big 12 Men’s Basketball Week 5 Honors

Sports

December 11th, 2023 by admin

K-State’s Arthur Kaluma (player) and Iowa State’s Keshon Gilbert (newcomer) collected their first Big 12 men’s basketball awards in the fifth week of the season after leading their teams to a pair of wins.

Kaluma helped K-State to a win in an overtime thriller over Villanova at home and a road victory at LSU. He averaged a double-double with 21.5 points on 76.2 percent shooting, including 85.7 percent from 3-point range, to go with 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 39.5 minutes per game. The junior forward missed his career-high by a single point in the win over Villanova, scoring a game- and season-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-3 from the 3-point line, along with nine rebounds and a season-high four assists in more than 44 minutes of action. Kaluma tallied his fifth career double-double, including his second as a Wildcat, in the win at LSU, scoring 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 11 rebounds, an assist and a block in 35 minutes. The transfer has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games, including three 20-point outings.

Gilbert turned in his third-straight game with 20-plus points, including wins over Iowa and Prairie View A&M last week. He is the first Cyclone with three straight 20-point games since Izaiah Brockington in February 2022. The junior guard tied his career-high with 25 points in a 20-point victory over Iowa. Gilbert added six assists, five rebounds and three steals to become just the fourth player in the country this season with those totals. The sociology student contributed 20 points, eight assists and eight rebounds against Prairie View A&M. Iowa State is now 4-0 when he reaches the 20-point plateau.