Never Wavered
Nov 18, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
PJ Haggerty scored 27 of his 31 points in the second half and David Castillo's fastbreak layup with 18.1 seconds left proved to be the game winner as Kansas State scored the final six points and came up with crucial stops in an 84-83 win over Tulsa on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Haggerty shot 10-of-17 from the floor and 11-of-12 from the foul line, and he added 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 32 minutes, becoming the first K-State player with a 30-point, 10-rebound performance since Michael Beasley had 33 points and 14 rebounds on March 4, 2008.
Meanwhile, Castillo, who had 12 points, redeemed himself after missing a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left that would've tied the score by securing the basketball after a Tulsa turnover and driving three-quarters of the court for his heroic lay-up, which lifted the Wildcats, 4-0, to their thrilling victory over the Golden Hurricane, 3-1, who had led the all-time series 7-2.
K-State forced Tulsa into two turnovers, a missed 3-pointer and a missed jumper in the final 46 seconds of a contest that featured eight ties and 10 lead changes. Five of the last six meetings between the teams have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
"We do a drill almost every day in practice called, 'Championship Points,' and you get a stop and a score and a stop, and that's how you win a championship," K-State head coach Jerome Tang said. "There's going to be some game that's going to come down to getting a stop, a score, and come back and get a stop. We ended the game on two championship points.
"We were down five with 43 seconds to go and we didn't panic. We work five-to-grind every day, and we had that scenario in practice yesterday, where we had the diamond press, and caused a turnover, and got a score. The dudes, they were ready for that moment."
Tulsa took its largest lead at 83-79 on a Myles Rigsby free throw with 49 seconds remaining before Haggerty took control with a pair of free throws and then with a jumper to pull the Wildcats to within 83-82 with 31 seconds to go.
"The last five minutes we succeeded as a team, got stops, got baskets," Haggerty said. "It's just a game of runs. We just did better in the last five minutes."
Haggerty, who enjoyed a record-setting freshman season at Tulsa, became just the third K-State player in history to open a season with four games of 20 or more points, joining Bob Boozer in 1958-59 and Michael Beasley in 2007-08.
"I've just been able to score but the offense and my teammates allow me to be myself," Haggerty said. "Coach (Matthew) Driscoll has a great offensive scheme for everybody to eat. Tonight was just one of those nights where they allowed me to just get to my spots and be myself."
Haggerty entered averaging 24.3 points and 6.7 assists. His showing against Tulsa demonstrated his indomitable will to win.
"He just turned it up," Tang said. "That's what good players do. The game is on the line, and he says, 'Give me the ball.' You love that about him. Then he made really good basketball plays."
Castillo, who entered the postgame news conference wearing a white t-shirt that read in purple letters "Nothing Easy," might always remember his final play.
"I just caught the ball and saw a wide-open lane," he said. "It was like the parting of the Red Sea."
It epitomized the fight of a K-State team comprised of mostly newcomers that has gelled in the early season.
"We always have the mindset that we're going to win, that we're going to close it out," Castillo said. "I actually envisioned it when we were down. That came to fruition."
Khamari McGriff had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Abdi Bashir added 10 points for the Wildcats, who outshot the Golden Hurricane 44% to 41% while both teams struggled to hit 3-pointers. K-State entered ranked No. 1 in the country in shooting 54.4% from behind the arc but went 5-of-24 against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane went 8-of-30 from long range.
K-State shot 19-of-21 on free throws and Tulsa shot 21-of-29.
"We didn't shoot the ball well from 3 today and we still scored 84 points," Tang said. "We have some toughness and resilience to us, and we have some defensive DNA in us that we're going to continue to grow."
Meanwhile, Castillo, a sophomore who is dazzling while coming off the bench, seemingly grows nightly before the eyes of a cheering fan base.
"David Castillo is a really good basketball player, and I'm not surprised by any of this," Tang said. "There's so much more for him. When he missed the open 3 that could've tied the game, he didn't let it linger. When we got the steal and he came down, he didn't hesitate, went and got it and made the finish.
"It was awesome."
PJ Haggerty scored 27 of his 31 points in the second half and David Castillo's fastbreak layup with 18.1 seconds left proved to be the game winner as Kansas State scored the final six points and came up with crucial stops in an 84-83 win over Tulsa on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Haggerty shot 10-of-17 from the floor and 11-of-12 from the foul line, and he added 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 32 minutes, becoming the first K-State player with a 30-point, 10-rebound performance since Michael Beasley had 33 points and 14 rebounds on March 4, 2008.
Meanwhile, Castillo, who had 12 points, redeemed himself after missing a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left that would've tied the score by securing the basketball after a Tulsa turnover and driving three-quarters of the court for his heroic lay-up, which lifted the Wildcats, 4-0, to their thrilling victory over the Golden Hurricane, 3-1, who had led the all-time series 7-2.
K-State forced Tulsa into two turnovers, a missed 3-pointer and a missed jumper in the final 46 seconds of a contest that featured eight ties and 10 lead changes. Five of the last six meetings between the teams have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
"We do a drill almost every day in practice called, 'Championship Points,' and you get a stop and a score and a stop, and that's how you win a championship," K-State head coach Jerome Tang said. "There's going to be some game that's going to come down to getting a stop, a score, and come back and get a stop. We ended the game on two championship points.
"We were down five with 43 seconds to go and we didn't panic. We work five-to-grind every day, and we had that scenario in practice yesterday, where we had the diamond press, and caused a turnover, and got a score. The dudes, they were ready for that moment."
Tulsa took its largest lead at 83-79 on a Myles Rigsby free throw with 49 seconds remaining before Haggerty took control with a pair of free throws and then with a jumper to pull the Wildcats to within 83-82 with 31 seconds to go.
"The last five minutes we succeeded as a team, got stops, got baskets," Haggerty said. "It's just a game of runs. We just did better in the last five minutes."
Haggerty, who enjoyed a record-setting freshman season at Tulsa, became just the third K-State player in history to open a season with four games of 20 or more points, joining Bob Boozer in 1958-59 and Michael Beasley in 2007-08.
"I've just been able to score but the offense and my teammates allow me to be myself," Haggerty said. "Coach (Matthew) Driscoll has a great offensive scheme for everybody to eat. Tonight was just one of those nights where they allowed me to just get to my spots and be myself."
Haggerty entered averaging 24.3 points and 6.7 assists. His showing against Tulsa demonstrated his indomitable will to win.
"He just turned it up," Tang said. "That's what good players do. The game is on the line, and he says, 'Give me the ball.' You love that about him. Then he made really good basketball plays."
Castillo, who entered the postgame news conference wearing a white t-shirt that read in purple letters "Nothing Easy," might always remember his final play.
"I just caught the ball and saw a wide-open lane," he said. "It was like the parting of the Red Sea."
It epitomized the fight of a K-State team comprised of mostly newcomers that has gelled in the early season.
"We always have the mindset that we're going to win, that we're going to close it out," Castillo said. "I actually envisioned it when we were down. That came to fruition."
Khamari McGriff had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Abdi Bashir added 10 points for the Wildcats, who outshot the Golden Hurricane 44% to 41% while both teams struggled to hit 3-pointers. K-State entered ranked No. 1 in the country in shooting 54.4% from behind the arc but went 5-of-24 against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane went 8-of-30 from long range.
K-State shot 19-of-21 on free throws and Tulsa shot 21-of-29.
"We didn't shoot the ball well from 3 today and we still scored 84 points," Tang said. "We have some toughness and resilience to us, and we have some defensive DNA in us that we're going to continue to grow."
Meanwhile, Castillo, a sophomore who is dazzling while coming off the bench, seemingly grows nightly before the eyes of a cheering fan base.
"David Castillo is a really good basketball player, and I'm not surprised by any of this," Tang said. "There's so much more for him. When he missed the open 3 that could've tied the game, he didn't let it linger. When we got the steal and he came down, he didn't hesitate, went and got it and made the finish.
"It was awesome."
Players Mentioned
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