Kansas State University Athletics
Thursday, November 13
Manhattan, Kan.
8 p.m. CT
Kansas State University
3-0,0-0Big 12
99
vs
96
California
3-1,0-0ACC
1
2
F
California
34
62
96
Kansas St.
55
44
99
K-State Moves to 3-0 after 99-96 win over Cal Thursday Night
Nov 14, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Box ScoreFinal Stats (.pdf)Postgame Quotes (.pdf)Highlights Jerome Tang Press ConferencePlayer Press ConferencePhoto Gallery
Three Wildcats score 20 or more points for the first time since 2017.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State scorched the nets in building as much as a 25-point lead before holding off a late charge from a hot-shooting California squad in a 99-96 win on Thursday night before 7,521 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
The win gave K-State a 3-0 start to a season for the first time since 2022-23.
The 195 points are the most combined points in Bramlage Coliseum history, surpassing the 194 scored between K-State and Marshall on Dec. 2, 1995. The Wildcats have now scored 90 or more points in each of the first 3 games for the first time since 1991-92. The 290 points scored through the first 3 games are the most since that Dana Altman-led team scored 308 nearly 34 years ago.
Four Wildcats scored in double figures, including three 20-point scorers in junior P.J. Haggerty (23 points), senior Khamari McGriff (21 points) and junior Nate Johnson (20 points). It marked the first time three Wildcats each had 20 points in a game since the trio of Dean Wade (34 points), Kamau Stokes (23 points) and Barry Brown Jr. (21 points) did it against Iowa State on Dec. 29, 2017.
Freshman David Castillo chipped in 16 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
K-State posted the highest field goal percentage of the Jerome Tang era for the second straight game, as the Wildcats connected on 64.4 percent (38-of-59) from the field, including 50 percent (9-of-18) from 3-point range. It was the highest field goal percentage since hitting on 66.0 percent against Wake Forest in the First Four on March 14, 2017.
The Wildcats shot better than 60 percent from the field in each half for just the 10th time in school history and the first time since the game with the Demon Deacons in 2017.
A 13-0 run by K-State early in the first half broke open a back-and-forth contest, as the Wildcats built a 20-point lead with 7:43 to play on a 3-pointer by Haggerty then increased it to 25 points on two occasions, including 53-28 with 3:01 before halftime. The lead stood at 55-34 at break, as the squad shot 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the field, including 34 points in the paint.
Despite several runs by Cal, including an 8-2 spurt to open the second half, K-State maintained as much as 21-point lead (77-56) after a 3-pointer by Castillo near the midway point of the second half. However, the Golden Bears caught fire from the field, slowly chipping away at the lead before back-to-back baskets closed the deficit to 86-73 with 5:37 to play.
The lead stood at 98-85 after a 3-point play by McGriff with 2:03 remaining but Cal kept up the fight, as former Wildcat Dai Dai Ames started a 7-0 run with a layup to pull the Bears to within 98-92 with 38 seconds. After a free throw by Haggerty, freshman T.T. Carr scored on a dunk with 8 seconds left before a layup at the buzzer finished off the scoring a 99-96.
Cal matched K-State's field goal percentage in the first half by making 23 of 34 attempts in the second half, including 12 of 19 attempts from 3-point range. The Golden Bears finished the night at 56.5 percent (35-of-62) from the field, including 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from beyond the arc.
Four Bears scored in double figures led by a pair of 20-point scorers in senior Chris Bell (27 points) and Ames (25 points) who combined for 52 points, including 39 in the second half. Sophomore Justin Pippen and senior Lee Dort posted 14 and 10 points, respectively.
KEY PLAYER(S)
Three Wildcats each recorded 20-point games for the first time since 2017, as Haggerty, McGriff and Johnson combined to score 64 of the team's 99 points on 24-of-34 shooting. Haggerty and McGriff had 10 points each in the first half, while Johnson scored 12 of his 20 after halftime.
Freshman David Castillo scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half, as he connected on 4-of-6 field goals, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
KEY MOMENT(S)
K-State took control of the game with a 13-0 run in the first half, as the Wildcats built as much as a 25-point lead en route to a 55-34 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Golden Bears nearly erased the big deficit by connecting on 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the field, including 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from 3-point range.
KEY STATS
The 62.3 field goal percentage against Bellarmine on Nov. 8 lasted just one game as the highest of the Jerome Tang era, as the Wildcats connected on 64.4 percent (38-of-59) against Cal, including 60 percent or better in each half for the first time since the First Four vs. Wake Forest in 2017.
The Wildcats scored 56 points in the paint, which tied the school record for the third time. It was originally set in 2010 against South Dakota and then again in 2023 against Miami.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening Statement…
"Well, first of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is just so much fun. Such a blessing to do this. Thank you for the crowd, the students that showed up. I thought the energy in the building at the start of the game kind of stunned them [California] a little bit. You know, watching their games, they hadn't been in front of a big crowd and we know what a crowd looks like here. That wasn't a big deal but the energy was incredible, and the guys just fed off of it, and we're really proud of the guys [for] the first probably 24 minutes. We played some really good basketball on both ends of the floor and then human nature kicked in and they relaxed. And then those guys, because we relaxed, saw the ball go in the hole. And when you let good shooters like Chris Bell see the ball go in the hole, you know, he just started. And we know what a great player Dai Dai [Ames] is, so, you know, just happy for him and his family and so blessed for the win. Excited to continue getting better."
On Dorin Buca's performance…
"I was excited these next four games are gonna be for me to see our forwards, I mean, Newman had nobody taller than 6' 6" and they shot a bunch of 3's, and those guys couldn't be on the floor. And then you play [UNC] Greensboro, and they weren't very big either, with quick guys. And you know, Bellarmine is the same way. And so we didn't get to see the stuff we see at practice all the time, and how much better he's getting, but Coach [Bill] Peterson and Coach Reem [Jareem Dowling] are doing a great job with our forwards, and you see Khamari's [McGriff] improvement. So you're playing against light bodies, you know? And man, that one possession, he blocked the two shots and the pass in the second half when he zipped it from top, because he's a really good passer, and so, yeah, he did a lot of really good things. I'm excited for him."
On Khamari McGriff and what he liked tonight…
"He figured out they couldn't guard him, for a while they're like, he was catching it and being hesitant, and then it was like, bro, go score the ball. You know, like, his bump spins, he did a really good job of, I mean, I think we had 56 paint points, right? And then when you're shooting the 3, we didn't shoot a lot of 3s tonight, right? I mean, but we're 50% and so when they have to stay spread out like that because of our 3-point shooting, then you need a guy in there who one-on-one can go get a bucket and he can, so that was impressive."
On not living off the three point shot…
"You know, the thing about being a really good 3 point shooting team is that it spaces the floor. And so, I mean, we can go make layups. We'll go make layups all day long. It's a higher percentage shot point per shot, then shoot into 3, you know, if it's a layup at the rim, uncontested and so that's what we want first. And the other stuff, you know, that's the icing on the cake."
On the defense and where it needs improvement…
"It's about focus. It's about focus. Human nature is that you get a big lead, and then guys, you know, a tendency to think, okay, I can relax a little bit, or I can do this on offense. And then it turns into whether it's taking a tough shot or driving it in traffic, and you have a turnover and or you don't play it with the same pace on the offensive end. And, you know, so they can guard you now and know they're coming at you on a missed shot, or whatever it is. It's just one of those human nature things that you're trying to get them to not do. Then on the flip side is a team that's down big and so there's no shot pressure on it, right? Like, if I missed this shot, we're already down 23 you know, that mess, so I can rise up and shoot it with confidence and that's what they did. Then they started seeing it go in, and they started going in, and then all of a sudden, you know, they got rolling. And stuff is just a little different. So there's, it's a combination of things on both sides, you know, I thought there were times we played really good defense, and they just had better offense, but for the most part. Now I think if I judge the first 24 minutes of the game, we executed what we want to execute, and then the last 16 minutes of the game, I think they executed what they wanted to execute better than we could defensively."
FIRST HALF
The teams traded the lead in the early moments before a 3-pointer from sophomore David Castillo sparked an 8-0 run that gave K-State a 13-9 lead and forced a timeout by Cal head coach Mark Madsen at the 14:27 mark. The run grew to 13-0 after a dunk by junior Mobi Ikegwuruka and a 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. that increased the lead to 18-9.
The Golden Bears closed to within 22-16 on a pair of free throws before back-to-back 3-pointers from Castillo sparked an 11-3 run that increased the lead to 33-19. After a Cal free throw, freshman Andrej Kostic had consecutive baskets to push it to 37-20 and forced another timeout at the 8:13 mark. The lead grew to 40-20 out of the timeout on a 3-pointer by junior P.J. Haggerty.
A Haggerty layup increased the lead to its largest at 25 points (53-28) with 3:01 before halftime. A mini 6-0 run by the Bears closed the gap to 53-34 but senior Khamari McGriff finished off the half with a layup for a 55-34 lead at the break.
K-State connected on 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the field in the first half, including 75 percent (6-of-8) from 3-point range. Castillo led three Wildcats in double figures with 11 points while Haggerty and McGriff each tallied 10 points.
SECOND HALF
A quick 8-2 run out of halftime pulled Cal to within 57-42, however, a Haggerty layup sparked an 9-0 answer by K-State and a timeout by Madsen at the 15:43 mark with the lead standing at 66-42. Out of the timeout, the Bears scored 10 of the next 14 to pull within 70-52. Baskets by Castillo and McGriff pushed the lead to 74-54 at the media timeout with 10:53 remaining.
Cal wouldn't go away as former Wildcat Dai Dai Ames got hot from 3-point range, as the Bears closed to within 77-64. However, a 5-0 spurt by Johnson gave the Wildcats some momentum, as K-State went ahead 82-67 at the media timeout with 7:24 to play.
The teams nearly matched each other down the stretch, as Cal continued its hot shooting from 3-point range to pull within 92-79 at the final media timeout with 3:51 to play. The Bears continued to press, closing to within single digits at 98-89 with 1:17 remaining and 98-92 with 38 seconds to play. Following a free throw from Haggerty, the Bears ended the game with 4 straight points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State concludes its 4-game homestand on Monday when the Wildcats play host to Tulsa (3-0) at Bramlage Coliseum. 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.
The win gave K-State a 3-0 start to a season for the first time since 2022-23.
The 195 points are the most combined points in Bramlage Coliseum history, surpassing the 194 scored between K-State and Marshall on Dec. 2, 1995. The Wildcats have now scored 90 or more points in each of the first 3 games for the first time since 1991-92. The 290 points scored through the first 3 games are the most since that Dana Altman-led team scored 308 nearly 34 years ago.
Four Wildcats scored in double figures, including three 20-point scorers in junior P.J. Haggerty (23 points), senior Khamari McGriff (21 points) and junior Nate Johnson (20 points). It marked the first time three Wildcats each had 20 points in a game since the trio of Dean Wade (34 points), Kamau Stokes (23 points) and Barry Brown Jr. (21 points) did it against Iowa State on Dec. 29, 2017.
Freshman David Castillo chipped in 16 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
K-State posted the highest field goal percentage of the Jerome Tang era for the second straight game, as the Wildcats connected on 64.4 percent (38-of-59) from the field, including 50 percent (9-of-18) from 3-point range. It was the highest field goal percentage since hitting on 66.0 percent against Wake Forest in the First Four on March 14, 2017.
The Wildcats shot better than 60 percent from the field in each half for just the 10th time in school history and the first time since the game with the Demon Deacons in 2017.
A 13-0 run by K-State early in the first half broke open a back-and-forth contest, as the Wildcats built a 20-point lead with 7:43 to play on a 3-pointer by Haggerty then increased it to 25 points on two occasions, including 53-28 with 3:01 before halftime. The lead stood at 55-34 at break, as the squad shot 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the field, including 34 points in the paint.
Despite several runs by Cal, including an 8-2 spurt to open the second half, K-State maintained as much as 21-point lead (77-56) after a 3-pointer by Castillo near the midway point of the second half. However, the Golden Bears caught fire from the field, slowly chipping away at the lead before back-to-back baskets closed the deficit to 86-73 with 5:37 to play.
The lead stood at 98-85 after a 3-point play by McGriff with 2:03 remaining but Cal kept up the fight, as former Wildcat Dai Dai Ames started a 7-0 run with a layup to pull the Bears to within 98-92 with 38 seconds. After a free throw by Haggerty, freshman T.T. Carr scored on a dunk with 8 seconds left before a layup at the buzzer finished off the scoring a 99-96.
Cal matched K-State's field goal percentage in the first half by making 23 of 34 attempts in the second half, including 12 of 19 attempts from 3-point range. The Golden Bears finished the night at 56.5 percent (35-of-62) from the field, including 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from beyond the arc.
Four Bears scored in double figures led by a pair of 20-point scorers in senior Chris Bell (27 points) and Ames (25 points) who combined for 52 points, including 39 in the second half. Sophomore Justin Pippen and senior Lee Dort posted 14 and 10 points, respectively.
KEY PLAYER(S)
Three Wildcats each recorded 20-point games for the first time since 2017, as Haggerty, McGriff and Johnson combined to score 64 of the team's 99 points on 24-of-34 shooting. Haggerty and McGriff had 10 points each in the first half, while Johnson scored 12 of his 20 after halftime.
Freshman David Castillo scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half, as he connected on 4-of-6 field goals, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
KEY MOMENT(S)
K-State took control of the game with a 13-0 run in the first half, as the Wildcats built as much as a 25-point lead en route to a 55-34 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Golden Bears nearly erased the big deficit by connecting on 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the field, including 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from 3-point range.
KEY STATS
The 62.3 field goal percentage against Bellarmine on Nov. 8 lasted just one game as the highest of the Jerome Tang era, as the Wildcats connected on 64.4 percent (38-of-59) against Cal, including 60 percent or better in each half for the first time since the First Four vs. Wake Forest in 2017.
The Wildcats scored 56 points in the paint, which tied the school record for the third time. It was originally set in 2010 against South Dakota and then again in 2023 against Miami.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening Statement…
"Well, first of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is just so much fun. Such a blessing to do this. Thank you for the crowd, the students that showed up. I thought the energy in the building at the start of the game kind of stunned them [California] a little bit. You know, watching their games, they hadn't been in front of a big crowd and we know what a crowd looks like here. That wasn't a big deal but the energy was incredible, and the guys just fed off of it, and we're really proud of the guys [for] the first probably 24 minutes. We played some really good basketball on both ends of the floor and then human nature kicked in and they relaxed. And then those guys, because we relaxed, saw the ball go in the hole. And when you let good shooters like Chris Bell see the ball go in the hole, you know, he just started. And we know what a great player Dai Dai [Ames] is, so, you know, just happy for him and his family and so blessed for the win. Excited to continue getting better."
On Dorin Buca's performance…
"I was excited these next four games are gonna be for me to see our forwards, I mean, Newman had nobody taller than 6' 6" and they shot a bunch of 3's, and those guys couldn't be on the floor. And then you play [UNC] Greensboro, and they weren't very big either, with quick guys. And you know, Bellarmine is the same way. And so we didn't get to see the stuff we see at practice all the time, and how much better he's getting, but Coach [Bill] Peterson and Coach Reem [Jareem Dowling] are doing a great job with our forwards, and you see Khamari's [McGriff] improvement. So you're playing against light bodies, you know? And man, that one possession, he blocked the two shots and the pass in the second half when he zipped it from top, because he's a really good passer, and so, yeah, he did a lot of really good things. I'm excited for him."
On Khamari McGriff and what he liked tonight…
"He figured out they couldn't guard him, for a while they're like, he was catching it and being hesitant, and then it was like, bro, go score the ball. You know, like, his bump spins, he did a really good job of, I mean, I think we had 56 paint points, right? And then when you're shooting the 3, we didn't shoot a lot of 3s tonight, right? I mean, but we're 50% and so when they have to stay spread out like that because of our 3-point shooting, then you need a guy in there who one-on-one can go get a bucket and he can, so that was impressive."
On not living off the three point shot…
"You know, the thing about being a really good 3 point shooting team is that it spaces the floor. And so, I mean, we can go make layups. We'll go make layups all day long. It's a higher percentage shot point per shot, then shoot into 3, you know, if it's a layup at the rim, uncontested and so that's what we want first. And the other stuff, you know, that's the icing on the cake."
On the defense and where it needs improvement…
"It's about focus. It's about focus. Human nature is that you get a big lead, and then guys, you know, a tendency to think, okay, I can relax a little bit, or I can do this on offense. And then it turns into whether it's taking a tough shot or driving it in traffic, and you have a turnover and or you don't play it with the same pace on the offensive end. And, you know, so they can guard you now and know they're coming at you on a missed shot, or whatever it is. It's just one of those human nature things that you're trying to get them to not do. Then on the flip side is a team that's down big and so there's no shot pressure on it, right? Like, if I missed this shot, we're already down 23 you know, that mess, so I can rise up and shoot it with confidence and that's what they did. Then they started seeing it go in, and they started going in, and then all of a sudden, you know, they got rolling. And stuff is just a little different. So there's, it's a combination of things on both sides, you know, I thought there were times we played really good defense, and they just had better offense, but for the most part. Now I think if I judge the first 24 minutes of the game, we executed what we want to execute, and then the last 16 minutes of the game, I think they executed what they wanted to execute better than we could defensively."
FIRST HALF
The teams traded the lead in the early moments before a 3-pointer from sophomore David Castillo sparked an 8-0 run that gave K-State a 13-9 lead and forced a timeout by Cal head coach Mark Madsen at the 14:27 mark. The run grew to 13-0 after a dunk by junior Mobi Ikegwuruka and a 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. that increased the lead to 18-9.
The Golden Bears closed to within 22-16 on a pair of free throws before back-to-back 3-pointers from Castillo sparked an 11-3 run that increased the lead to 33-19. After a Cal free throw, freshman Andrej Kostic had consecutive baskets to push it to 37-20 and forced another timeout at the 8:13 mark. The lead grew to 40-20 out of the timeout on a 3-pointer by junior P.J. Haggerty.
A Haggerty layup increased the lead to its largest at 25 points (53-28) with 3:01 before halftime. A mini 6-0 run by the Bears closed the gap to 53-34 but senior Khamari McGriff finished off the half with a layup for a 55-34 lead at the break.
K-State connected on 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the field in the first half, including 75 percent (6-of-8) from 3-point range. Castillo led three Wildcats in double figures with 11 points while Haggerty and McGriff each tallied 10 points.
SECOND HALF
A quick 8-2 run out of halftime pulled Cal to within 57-42, however, a Haggerty layup sparked an 9-0 answer by K-State and a timeout by Madsen at the 15:43 mark with the lead standing at 66-42. Out of the timeout, the Bears scored 10 of the next 14 to pull within 70-52. Baskets by Castillo and McGriff pushed the lead to 74-54 at the media timeout with 10:53 remaining.
Cal wouldn't go away as former Wildcat Dai Dai Ames got hot from 3-point range, as the Bears closed to within 77-64. However, a 5-0 spurt by Johnson gave the Wildcats some momentum, as K-State went ahead 82-67 at the media timeout with 7:24 to play.
The teams nearly matched each other down the stretch, as Cal continued its hot shooting from 3-point range to pull within 92-79 at the final media timeout with 3:51 to play. The Bears continued to press, closing to within single digits at 98-89 with 1:17 remaining and 98-92 with 38 seconds to play. Following a free throw from Haggerty, the Bears ended the game with 4 straight points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State moves to 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2022-23.
- K-State is now 191-62 in non-conference games since 2006.
- K-State is now 149-18 in home non-conference games since 2006.
- K-State is now 133-14 in non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum since 2006.
- K-State is now 42-9 at Bramlage Coliseum under head coach Jerome Tang, including 21-2 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 second straight game using this lineup.
- Haggerty now has 69 career starts (Tulsa/Memphis/K-State), N. Johnson now has 63 career starts (Akron/K-State), McGriff now has 45 career starts (UNC Wilmington/K-State) and Bashir now has 35 career starts (Monmouth/K-State)… This is the second start for Rapieque.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 99 points on 64.4 percent (38-of-59) shooting, including 50 percent (9-of-18) from 3-point range, and had 21 assists on 38 made field goals.
- The 195 points are the most combined points in Bramlage Coliseum history, surpassing the 194 scored between K-State (106) and Marshall (88) on Dec. 2, 1995.
- The 290 points through the first 3 games are the most since 1991-92 (308 points).
- The 64.4 field goal percentage is the highest of the Jerome Tang era (106 games) and the highest since shooting 66 percent vs. Wake Forest in the First Four on March 14, 2017.
- The 56 points in the paint tied the school record set in both 2010 and 2023.
- Both teams turned the ball over 17 times.
- K-State held advantages in points in the paint (56-34), fast-break points (27-15) and bench points (28-15).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Four Wildcats scored in double figures, including 23 points from junior P.J. Haggerty, 21 points from senior Khamari McGriff, 20 points from junior Nate Johnson and 16 points from sophomore David Castillo.
- Haggerty led the team in scoring for the third straight game with 23 points on 7-of-12 field goals, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, and 8-of-12 free throws to go with 6 assists and 3 rebounds in 34 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 67 of 75 games in college, including 46 career games of 20 or more points.
- McGriff scored his 21 points on 8-of-11 field goals and 5-of-5 free throws in just 20 minutes… He now has scored in double figures in 25 games, including third 20-point effort.
- Johnson scored 20 points on 9-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 29 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 42 career games, including eight games of 20 or more points.
- Castillo scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, as he finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State concludes its 4-game homestand on Monday when the Wildcats play host to Tulsa (3-0) at Bramlage Coliseum. 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.
Team Stats
Cal
KState
FG%
.565
.644
3FG%
.536
.500
FT%
.786
.667
RB
26
25
TO
17
17
STL
11
9
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
W
/ Men's BasketballW
/ Men's Basketball
W
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