Five Wildcats Score in Double Figures in 106-76 win over South Dakota

Saturday, December 20

Manhattan, Kan.

11 a.m. CT

Kansas State University

8-4,0-0Big 12

106

South Dakota

7-7,0-0Summit League

South Dakota

Kansas St.

106

Five Wildcats Score in Double Figures in 106-76 win over South Dakota

Dec 20, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats (.pdf)Postgame Quotes (.pdf)Highlights Jerome Tang Press Conference Player Press Conference Photo Gallery

Junior P.J. Haggerty leads the way with a game-high 24 points.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Junior P.J. Haggerty paced five Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 24 points, as Kansas State recorded its second 100-point game of the season in a 106-76 win over South Dakota on Saturday afternoon before 7,287 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats (8-4), which scored a season-high 108 points in the win over Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 8, notched their second 100-point performance in the last 3 games while tying the school single-season record with the 1966-67, 1979-80, 1993-94 and 1997-98 teams. It also matched the 1993-94 and 1997-98 teams for the most 100-point games at home in a single season.

K-State shot better than 60 percent from the field for the third time this season, as the Wildcats connected on 62.1 percent (41-of-66), including 50 percent (12-of-24) from 3-point range, and 75 percent (12-of-16) from the free throw line. The team hit on better than 56 percent in each half, including a season-high 57 first-half points on a season-high 67.6 percent (23-of-34) shooting. The 41 made field goals are the most in 115 games under Jerome Tang and the most since totaling 43 vs. UTSA more than 34 years ago on Nov. 23, 1991.

The Wildcats were particularly lethal inside the 3-point arc, hitting on 69.1 percent (29-of-42) of their 2-point attempts, including a school-record tying 56 points in the paint. The team also had 56 points in the paint against Cal earlier this season as well as against South Dakota in 2010 and Miami in 2023. The team also dished out 23 assists, including 5 each from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. and sophomore David Castillo, and posted a 44-28 advantage on the glass.

Haggerty posted his eighth game of 20 or more points this season, leading the way with 24 points on 10-of-12 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws to go with a game-high 6 rebounds and 3 assists in just over 26 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in all 12 games, while posting the second-most points (274) in that span behind Michael Beasley (310) in 2007-08.

Joining Haggerty in double figures were Castillo with 16 points, Bashir and senior Nate Johnson with 15 points each and senior Khamari McGriff with 10 points.

Haggerty went perfect from the field in the first half, making all 8 of his attempts in the paint, as he
helped power an early 11-0 run that the Wildcats built into as much as a 24-point lead, including 57-34 at the halftime break. The second half was much of the same, as the home team's lead grew to more than 30 points less than 3 minutes into the half while it stood at a game-high 36 points with 9:25 left. The team broke the 100-point mark after a pair of free throws by junior Dorin Buca with 3:02 remaining.

South Dakota (7-7) was led by 19 points from junior Isaac Bruns, while senior Cameron Fens and freshman Jesse McIntosh had 17 and 15 points, respectively. The Coyotes shot 41.8 percent (26-of-67) from the field, including just 32.4 percent (12-of-37) in the first half.

K-State has now won 11 meetings with South Dakota, including all 5 at Bramlage Coliseum.

HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"Well, first of all, Merry Christmas to everybody. I told the guys, you know, everybody has Christmas. The difference between Christmas and a Merry Christmas is a win. And so you're always concerned about this game and thankful that our guys didn't go home mentally and, you know, they stayed here and they were locked in and did a great job, and so proud of them, and so thankful, blessed during this Christmas time, and just to be around people you love and care. So still thankful for our fans, thank you to everybody who showed up. I know it's an early game and all that, but thankful for the students that came and for just the fans that drove in for an early morning game. So blessed for that. And hope everybody gets to celebrate great time with their family."

On what he's learned most about P.J. Haggerty…
"His care factor. Like, he really, really cares. He cares about his teammates. He cares about winning. He cares about becoming a better player. Yeah, he wants to get better, he wants to improve, he wants to grow his game and so, yeah, that you just never know, right. From the outside, you can see he's a good player when he's someplace else, but you never know how invested a young person is till they get here. And yes, so that's been impressive."

On how close he thinks P.J. Haggerty is to obtain his preseason expectations…
"You know, like beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, and I wouldn't want anybody else. So I think that's, you know, probably as much as I'd like, because I'm sure there are guys out there that have a guard, and they think their guards are the best in the country. And all I know is that I wouldn't want anybody else, and I'm looking forward to watching him continue his continued improvement in being a point guard and managing the game. And he's not just a point like you play him off the ball too, you know, just like you can with David Castillo. And, man, we got multiple guys like that. So, it's exciting to see where we can all go together."

On the team's defense to this point of the season…
"We made progress. It may not always show up there, but, you know, sometimes, you see the score, and you're like, why do we give up so many points? And I'm sure once I go back and I look at it we're probably gonna be like, a 1.0 point per possession till probably the last, you know, minute or so and so then I'll be like, alright, that wasn't too bad, you know, we're not far off. We want to be point nine, five, you know. So, yeah, you know, so little different things. I think the communication is getting better. The switching is getting better, the being in the right spot and ball screen coverage is getting better. We've learned our players on what type of coverage they're better in, you know, especially our forwards and so, yeah, we're coming along."

On Taj Manning playing with freedom…
"Oh man, how good was he, right? Like, you know, I told him the other day in practice, I was like, 'Hey, man, I need you to practice like when you have the black shirt on, I need you to play like the black shirt on. When you get on the team with the white shirt, and all of a sudden you look like you're trying not to make a mistake. And when you're on the black shirts, you're flying around, and you're driving this and that and the other end, and I believe in you, right, I believe in you. So just relax and play, and go be Taj.' And I see it, I see it, you know? And as his conditioning continues to grow, because it's different, game conditions are different than practice conditioning, and you know, he'll have longer stints out there, but I know his teammates trust him. I noticed we as a staff trust him, and we see what he brings to the floor and so, man, yeah, it's a lot of fun. I'm so proud of him, plus 32 on the floor tonight. You know, he's been averaging probably one rebound every three and a half to four minutes today, he was a little off on that, I think it's probably one rebound every five minutes, but he's normally better than that, and so he just creates opportunities for us, and he's willing to do all the little things that contribute to winning, but may not show up on the stat sheet."

FIRST HALF
The teams went back and forth in the early going before a 3-pointer by senior Nate Johnson sparked an 11-0 run to put K-State up 19-7 just after the first media timeout. After the Coyotes broke the run with a layup from Cameron Fens, the Wildcats responded with 10 of the next 12 points to push ahead 29-11 and force a South Dakota timeout at the 11:42 mark.

USD pulled to within 35-20 on consecutive baskets before K-State responded with 7 straight points to push ahead 42-20 and force another Coyote timeout with under 7 minutes before halftime. A seventh layup from junior P.J. Haggerty made it 44-20 before USD ran off an 8-0 run to close to within 44-28 and force a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang with 4:42 to play. However, back-to-back layups from junior Dorin Buca and a 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. helped the Wildcats end the half on a strong note with 13 of the last 19 points for a 57-34 lead at the break.

The 57 points were the most scored in a first half this season, as the Wildcats connected on 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the field, including 50 percent (7-of-14) from 3-point range. The Coyotes were limited to just 32.4 percent (12-of-37) shooting, including 40 percent (4-of-10) from long range. Haggerty led all scorers with 16 points on 8-of-8 field goals.

SECOND HALF
After South Dakota opened the first points of the second half, a 3-pointer from Bashir sparked a 10-0 run that gave K-State a 67-36 lead. The teams traded baskets over the next 7 possessions before a fifth Bashir 3-pointer and a layup by senior C.J. Jones pushed the Wildcat advantage to 80-45 at the second media timeout with 11:47 to play.

Back-to-back baskets by sophomore David Castillo and freshman Andrej Kostic made it 87-51 before the Coyotes posted 7 straight points to close to within 87-58 with 7:33 remaining. However, a pair of free throws by Castillo ended the run, as the Wildcats scored 7 of the next 12 points to push ahead 94-63 with less than 6 minutes to play. Consecutive dunks by junior Dorin Buca and Taj Manning put the team on the cusp of triple digits before Buca put them over the top with a pair of free throws with just over 3 minutes to play.

K-State shot 56.3 percent (18-of-32) after halftime, including 50 percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range, and made 8 of 12 free throws. Nine players scored, including 8 by Haggerty.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

K-State ran its winning streak to 3 games with a 106-76 win over South Dakota.
K-State now leads the series with South Dakota, 11-0, including 5-0 at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State is now 57-3 all-time vs. current members of the Summit League, including 50-0 in games played at home.
K-State is now 196-66 in non-conference games since 2006.
K-State is now 152-20 in home non-conference games since 2006.
K-State is now 136-16 in non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum since 2006.
K-State is now 45-11 at Bramlage Coliseum under head coach Jerome Tang, including 25-4 in non-conference play.
K-State used a starting lineup of junior P.J. Haggerty, senior Nate Johnson, junior Abdi Bashir Jr., junior Elias Rapieque and senior Khamari McGriff… This is the 10th time using this lineup with the Wildcats posting an 8-2 mark in those games.
Haggerty now has 78 career starts (Tulsa/Memphis/K-State), N. Johnson now has 72 career starts (Akron/K-State), McGriff now has 54 career starts (UNC Wilmington/K-State) and Bashir now has 44 career starts (Monmouth/K-State)… This is the 10th start for Rapieque.

TEAM NOTES

K-State scored its 106 points on 62.1 percent (41-of-66) shooting, including 50 percent (12-of-24) from 3-point range, while hitting on 75 percent (12-of-16) from the free throw line.
With its second 100-point game of the season, the Wildcats tie 4 other teams for the most in a single season, along with 1966-67, 1979-80, 1993-94 and 1997-98 squads… It also tied the 1993-94 and 1997-98 teams for most 100-point games in a single season at home.
The 41 field goals were the most under Jerome Tang and most since 43 vs. UTSA in 1991.
The 57 first-half points and 67.6 field goal percent (23-of-34) were season highs.
The 12 made 3-pointers marked the seventh time this season with double-digit 3-pointers.
The 56 points in the paint tied the school record for the fourth time and second this year.
The 27 fast-break points tied a high under Jerome Tang for the third time this season.
K-State out-rebounded South Dakota, 44-28, with 11 offensive rebounds leading to 14 second-chance points.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Five Wildcats scored in double figures, including a game-high 24 points from junior P.J. Haggerty. He joined by sophomore David Castillo (16 points), junior Abdi Bashir Jr. (15 points), senior Nate Johnson (15 points) and senior Khamari McGriff (10 points).
Haggerty scored his 24 points on 10-of-12 field goals, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 free throws to go with 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 27 minutes… It was his eighth game of 20 or more points this season and 51^st such game in his career… He has now scored in double figures in all 12 games this season… He has now scored in double figures in 76 of 84 career games in college.
Castillo scored his 16 points on 6-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 free throws to go with 5 assists and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes… It was his ninth career double-digit scoring game, including his eighth this season, and fifth in a row.
Bashir scored his 15 points on 5-of-6 field goals, all from 3-point range, with 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 20 minutes… He now has 45 career double-digit scoring games, including 9 this season… He has 5 or more 3-pointers in 5 games this season.
Johnson scored his 15 points on 5-of-7 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 4 assists and a career-tying 5 steals in 23 minutes… He now has 48 career double-digit scoring games, including 8 this season.
McGriff scored his 10 points on 5-of-10 field goals to go with 5 rebounds, 2 steal and a career-tying 4 blocks in 19 minutes… He now has 29 career double-digit scoring games, including 6 this season.
Junior Dorin Buca had a season-high 8 points on 3-of-4 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws in 14 minutes.

WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns from its holiday break on Sunday, Dec. 28 when the Wildcats conclude non-conference play against ULM (3-10) at Bramlage Coliseum. Tip is set for 1:01 p.m., CT and will air on ESPN+. Tickets are available starting at $14 online at kstatesports.com/tickets as well as by calling (800) 221.CATS or by visiting the Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.

How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook.