Friday, October 31
Manhattan, Kan.
7 p.m. CT
Kansas State University
0-0,0-0Big 12
112
vs
90
Newman
0-0,0-0Mid-America Intercollegiate
1
2
F
Newman
50
40
90
Kansas St.
59
53
112
K-State Erupts for 112 to Wrap Up Exhibition Play
Oct 31, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Box ScoreFinal Stats (.pdf)Postgame Quotes (.pdf)HighlightsJerome Tang Press ConferencePlayer Press ConferencePhoto Gallery
Juniors P.J. Haggerty and Abdi Bashir Jr. combine for 52 points.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Juniors P.J. Haggerty and Abdi Bashir Jr. combined for 52 points, as Kansas State posted the second-most points in a home exhibition game with a 112-90 victory over Division II Newman on Friday night before 6,901 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
The 112 points tied for the third-most scored by the Wildcats in an exhibition game, including the most at home since a school-record 122-point effort against the University of Windsor on Nov. 29, 1979. Overall, it was the ninth 100-point game in the school's exhibition history.
K-State shot 60 percent from the field, hitting on 42 of 70 field goal attempts, with 64 points in the paint, 34 fast-break points and 31 points of turnovers. The Wildcats had 27 assists on their 42 made field goals with 11 turnovers, while posting 19 steals.
Haggerty led all scorers with 27 points, connecting on 11-of-14 field goal attempts, to go with a game-high 10 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in 29 minutes, while Bashir added 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 5 3-pointers. The duo was joined in double figures by senior Khamari McGriff and sophomore David Castillo, who each scored 11 points.
Newman led for more than 6 minutes in the first half behind a barrage of 3-pointers, as 13 of its first 16 made field goals came from long range. The Jets finished with 18 on the night, including 5 each from sophomore Jayden Schoen and senior Brandon Wilson, who combined for 35 points.
KEY PLAYER(S)
Haggerty posted 20 or more points for the second consecutive exhibition game, as he led all scorers with 27 points on 11-of-14 field goals and 5-of-8 free throws to go with a game-high 10 assists. It marked the first time he had double-digit assists in any college game in his career.
Bashir bounced back from 6-point effort at Missouri to score 25 points, hitting on 7-of-14 field goals, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range, while making all 6 free throws.
Junior Mobi Ikegwuruka contributed all around in the start, finishing with 8 points, a team-high 6 rebounds and 3 steals in just over 14 minutes of action.
KEY MOMENT(S)
Newman used a 10-0 run to jump out to a 19-11 lead just after the first media timeout. However, a 3-pointer by freshman Andrej Kostic helped start an 11-2 run that gave K-State the lead at 22-21. Behind their hot 3-point shooting, the Jets didn't go away, pulling back ahead at 26-22 and again at 37-34 before the media timeout with 6:52 to play.
However, a pair of free throws by Haggerty and a layup by Kostic gave the Wildcats the lead for good, as the home team scored 21 of the next 27 points to take a 55-43 lead into the final media timeout. Newman scored 7 of the last 11 points to get to within 59-50 at the halftime break.
After surrendering yet another 3-pointer to open the second half, the Wildcats built their lead back to double figures after a 3-pointer by Bashir then extended it to as many as 22 points with 8:44 remaining. The team broke 100 points on a driving layup by Kostic with 8:15 to play.
KEY STATS
When you score 112 points there are a lot of key stats.
The Wildcats connected on 60 percent (42-of-70) from the field, including 71.7 percent (33-of-46) of their 2-point field goals. The team hit better than 57 percent in each half, including 62.2 percent (23-of-37) in the first half. They totaled 64 points in the paint and 34 fast-break points while also scoring 31 points off 23 Newman turnovers which included 19 steals.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"You know, we try to treat both exhibition games like practices, not necessarily like games, and working on certain things. Mizzou exposed our transition defense and that we just gave up too many driving gaps, so all week long, we worked on transition defense and then shrinking the floor, and did a really good job of that. But it's probably not the thing you want to work on when you're playing a team that's got a bunch of little guards that's gonna shoot a whole bunch of three. And that's okay, because I think, when I watch film, guys are gonna be in the right position, and I'm okay with that, as long as our positioning is right, dudes made some shots, we adjusted at halftime, you know, picked up the pressure and turned it. You know football, they talk about that middle eight, you know, we didn't handle the middle eight, actually, the middle four, very well. We were in like a 21-6 run, and we were going to get a 2-for-1, and actually was going to, might have gotten, like a 3-for-2 or 4-for-2, and we gave up the offensive rebound up 12, they hit a three, so now it's nine. So instead of us going in with a chance to be up 14 going in, you know, it's a nine-point game, and then we come out and they hit a three to start the second half. And so those are some like, little things that you just can't allow to happen moving forward, and that we got to get better at. But overall, everybody's healthy and so thankful and excited to move forward."
On getting excited about the offensive side of the ball…
"I don't get giddy about offense. But I mean, we got guys who can score and Coach [Matther] Driscoll has done an unbelievable job since June, teaching these guys and getting them on the same page and and I think if you ask them, like man, we are long way away from what it could be, right, what it could be. And so excited to see how we'll keep moving forward and getting better."
On P.J. Haggerty's 10 assists on the night…
"Yeah, I don't think, I think at P.J.'s other stops, he wasn't required, like that wasn't needed of him. They needed him to be a scorer, and I don't think people, I know I didn't, realize what a good passer he was. I really, I thought there was going to be a lot of teaching and breakdown that needed to take place in order to teach him to make ball screen reads and stuff and, you know, and it hasn't been as much as I thought. He's further along as a passer, he really sees the floor, you know, as he's a weapon on under OB, because he finds the open guys. And in the ball screen he can make the right read, and so excited about that. And he had seven turnovers, but I bet three of them were trying to get it to the forwards and I'm okay with that for tonight, moving forward, we'll cut that down. But I think they're willing to run and do certain things because he's willing to try and throw it to him. So yeah, he's a way better passer and a way better leader than he had been allowed to be or needed to be and we need him to be a leader and distributor for us."
On cleaning up on the defensive side of the ball after playing Missouri in the first exhibition…
"Yeah, we got smart guys who care, and they work hard, and so when we ask them to do something, they try, you know, they have a high care factor. So, it's going to be a work in progress moving forward, but we're just going to continue to get better. I thought we were really good on the first side of the floor, and now we got to work on the second side of the floor, and that's just the process of building a defense."
On how Abdi Bashir Jr. played in his first game at Bramlage…
"Well, you know, Abdi is a bucket. He is, like, he's a bucket, and he works really hard, and he's got a high level of confidence. And, you know to me, what I like is how he's starting to embrace trying to be a better defender, you know, but on the offensive end, man, yeah, it's easy. Defense is gonna have to pay attention to him, and it's going to open up things for other people because of that."
On if there is anything he learned about the team he didn't after the Missouri game…
"Well, the transfer of learning from practice to here, like we had multiple times where, like we were in the right spot on a roller, right, and so that we could make the tag, or if they had thrown the pocket pass, it was going to be a steal, and just seeing us, like, incorporate what we've been working on in practice, and having it be effective in the game was good. Now, they weren't hitting the roller, they were skipping over for a shooter, and so we got to continue to build on that. But yeah, you know, I mean these dudes, they're fun to be around, man, you know they are. They're fun to be around. They work really hard, and they care and so I just know if we give them the right things, that they're going to do their very best to execute it and I have no doubt that we'll give them the right things."
On if he noticed any extra confidence with David Castillo…
"Yeah, you know freshmen to sophomore year. But what he did is that he recognized that he had to get stronger, and he and [Strength & Conditioning Coach] Phil [Baier] became best friends, and you just saw the change in his body, and that strength, you know, has really helped him. David will have, like eventually, in his playing career here at Kansas State, be our PG1 and so part of what he has to do is he got stronger, so he's a way better defender, because he cares, I mean, he wants to guard, and he's got the strength and the feet to do it. And then he's gonna have this like, well, I'm on the floor with P.J., so okay, I'm gonna be a scorer, and when P.J. is off the floor, okay, I got to be a distributor, and just learning the balance of that going forward is just going to help him grow as a player."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State will officially open the 2025-26 season on Tuesday night when the Wildcats play host to UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m., CT. Tip is set for 7 p.m., CT and will air on ESPN+ as well as the K-State Sports Network. Tickets are available one at kstatesports.com/tickets, by calling (800) 221.CATS and in-person at the Athletic 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.
The 112 points tied for the third-most scored by the Wildcats in an exhibition game, including the most at home since a school-record 122-point effort against the University of Windsor on Nov. 29, 1979. Overall, it was the ninth 100-point game in the school's exhibition history.
K-State shot 60 percent from the field, hitting on 42 of 70 field goal attempts, with 64 points in the paint, 34 fast-break points and 31 points of turnovers. The Wildcats had 27 assists on their 42 made field goals with 11 turnovers, while posting 19 steals.
Haggerty led all scorers with 27 points, connecting on 11-of-14 field goal attempts, to go with a game-high 10 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in 29 minutes, while Bashir added 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 5 3-pointers. The duo was joined in double figures by senior Khamari McGriff and sophomore David Castillo, who each scored 11 points.
Newman led for more than 6 minutes in the first half behind a barrage of 3-pointers, as 13 of its first 16 made field goals came from long range. The Jets finished with 18 on the night, including 5 each from sophomore Jayden Schoen and senior Brandon Wilson, who combined for 35 points.
KEY PLAYER(S)
Haggerty posted 20 or more points for the second consecutive exhibition game, as he led all scorers with 27 points on 11-of-14 field goals and 5-of-8 free throws to go with a game-high 10 assists. It marked the first time he had double-digit assists in any college game in his career.
Bashir bounced back from 6-point effort at Missouri to score 25 points, hitting on 7-of-14 field goals, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range, while making all 6 free throws.
Junior Mobi Ikegwuruka contributed all around in the start, finishing with 8 points, a team-high 6 rebounds and 3 steals in just over 14 minutes of action.
KEY MOMENT(S)
Newman used a 10-0 run to jump out to a 19-11 lead just after the first media timeout. However, a 3-pointer by freshman Andrej Kostic helped start an 11-2 run that gave K-State the lead at 22-21. Behind their hot 3-point shooting, the Jets didn't go away, pulling back ahead at 26-22 and again at 37-34 before the media timeout with 6:52 to play.
However, a pair of free throws by Haggerty and a layup by Kostic gave the Wildcats the lead for good, as the home team scored 21 of the next 27 points to take a 55-43 lead into the final media timeout. Newman scored 7 of the last 11 points to get to within 59-50 at the halftime break.
After surrendering yet another 3-pointer to open the second half, the Wildcats built their lead back to double figures after a 3-pointer by Bashir then extended it to as many as 22 points with 8:44 remaining. The team broke 100 points on a driving layup by Kostic with 8:15 to play.
KEY STATS
When you score 112 points there are a lot of key stats.
The Wildcats connected on 60 percent (42-of-70) from the field, including 71.7 percent (33-of-46) of their 2-point field goals. The team hit better than 57 percent in each half, including 62.2 percent (23-of-37) in the first half. They totaled 64 points in the paint and 34 fast-break points while also scoring 31 points off 23 Newman turnovers which included 19 steals.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"You know, we try to treat both exhibition games like practices, not necessarily like games, and working on certain things. Mizzou exposed our transition defense and that we just gave up too many driving gaps, so all week long, we worked on transition defense and then shrinking the floor, and did a really good job of that. But it's probably not the thing you want to work on when you're playing a team that's got a bunch of little guards that's gonna shoot a whole bunch of three. And that's okay, because I think, when I watch film, guys are gonna be in the right position, and I'm okay with that, as long as our positioning is right, dudes made some shots, we adjusted at halftime, you know, picked up the pressure and turned it. You know football, they talk about that middle eight, you know, we didn't handle the middle eight, actually, the middle four, very well. We were in like a 21-6 run, and we were going to get a 2-for-1, and actually was going to, might have gotten, like a 3-for-2 or 4-for-2, and we gave up the offensive rebound up 12, they hit a three, so now it's nine. So instead of us going in with a chance to be up 14 going in, you know, it's a nine-point game, and then we come out and they hit a three to start the second half. And so those are some like, little things that you just can't allow to happen moving forward, and that we got to get better at. But overall, everybody's healthy and so thankful and excited to move forward."
On getting excited about the offensive side of the ball…
"I don't get giddy about offense. But I mean, we got guys who can score and Coach [Matther] Driscoll has done an unbelievable job since June, teaching these guys and getting them on the same page and and I think if you ask them, like man, we are long way away from what it could be, right, what it could be. And so excited to see how we'll keep moving forward and getting better."
On P.J. Haggerty's 10 assists on the night…
"Yeah, I don't think, I think at P.J.'s other stops, he wasn't required, like that wasn't needed of him. They needed him to be a scorer, and I don't think people, I know I didn't, realize what a good passer he was. I really, I thought there was going to be a lot of teaching and breakdown that needed to take place in order to teach him to make ball screen reads and stuff and, you know, and it hasn't been as much as I thought. He's further along as a passer, he really sees the floor, you know, as he's a weapon on under OB, because he finds the open guys. And in the ball screen he can make the right read, and so excited about that. And he had seven turnovers, but I bet three of them were trying to get it to the forwards and I'm okay with that for tonight, moving forward, we'll cut that down. But I think they're willing to run and do certain things because he's willing to try and throw it to him. So yeah, he's a way better passer and a way better leader than he had been allowed to be or needed to be and we need him to be a leader and distributor for us."
On cleaning up on the defensive side of the ball after playing Missouri in the first exhibition…
"Yeah, we got smart guys who care, and they work hard, and so when we ask them to do something, they try, you know, they have a high care factor. So, it's going to be a work in progress moving forward, but we're just going to continue to get better. I thought we were really good on the first side of the floor, and now we got to work on the second side of the floor, and that's just the process of building a defense."
On how Abdi Bashir Jr. played in his first game at Bramlage…
"Well, you know, Abdi is a bucket. He is, like, he's a bucket, and he works really hard, and he's got a high level of confidence. And, you know to me, what I like is how he's starting to embrace trying to be a better defender, you know, but on the offensive end, man, yeah, it's easy. Defense is gonna have to pay attention to him, and it's going to open up things for other people because of that."
On if there is anything he learned about the team he didn't after the Missouri game…
"Well, the transfer of learning from practice to here, like we had multiple times where, like we were in the right spot on a roller, right, and so that we could make the tag, or if they had thrown the pocket pass, it was going to be a steal, and just seeing us, like, incorporate what we've been working on in practice, and having it be effective in the game was good. Now, they weren't hitting the roller, they were skipping over for a shooter, and so we got to continue to build on that. But yeah, you know, I mean these dudes, they're fun to be around, man, you know they are. They're fun to be around. They work really hard, and they care and so I just know if we give them the right things, that they're going to do their very best to execute it and I have no doubt that we'll give them the right things."
On if he noticed any extra confidence with David Castillo…
"Yeah, you know freshmen to sophomore year. But what he did is that he recognized that he had to get stronger, and he and [Strength & Conditioning Coach] Phil [Baier] became best friends, and you just saw the change in his body, and that strength, you know, has really helped him. David will have, like eventually, in his playing career here at Kansas State, be our PG1 and so part of what he has to do is he got stronger, so he's a way better defender, because he cares, I mean, he wants to guard, and he's got the strength and the feet to do it. And then he's gonna have this like, well, I'm on the floor with P.J., so okay, I'm gonna be a scorer, and when P.J. is off the floor, okay, I got to be a distributor, and just learning the balance of that going forward is just going to help him grow as a player."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- Friday's game was the last of 2 exhibitions for K-State to start 2025-26.
- This was just the second meeting between the schools in exhibition play and the first since K-State posted an 83-56 win at home on Nov. 2, 2010.
- K-State is now 76-22 all-time in exhibition play dating back to 1964, including a 59-9 record at home… The Wildcats have a 53-9 record in exhibition play at Bramlage Coliseum.
- The team has now won 31 consecutive exhibition games at home since a 70-68 win over Global Sports on Nov. 15, 2003.
- K-State eclipsed 100 or more points in an exhibition for the ninth time and the first time since scoring 102 vs. Emporia State on Nov. 1, 2023… It was the most points in an exhibition since also scoring 112 vs. Al-Sharjah Club on August 18, 2023, during the team's summer trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. … It was the most points in a home exhibition since scoring a school-record 122 vs. the University of Windsor on Nov. 29, 1979.
- K-State started a lineup of junior P.J. Haggerty, senior Nate Johnson, junior Abdi Bashir Jr., junior Mobi Ikegwuruka and senior Khamari McGriff.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State will officially open the 2025-26 season on Tuesday night when the Wildcats play host to UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m., CT. Tip is set for 7 p.m., CT and will air on ESPN+ as well as the K-State Sports Network. Tickets are available one at kstatesports.com/tickets, by calling (800) 221.CATS and in-person at the Athletic 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.
Team Stats
Newman
KState
FG%
.438
.600
3FG%
.486
.375
FT%
.533
.613
RB
40
36
TO
23
11
STL
7
19
Game Leaders
Pts
27
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
25
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
6
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
W
/ Men's BasketballW
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