K-State Closes Out Non-Conference Play with 94-85 win over ULM

Sunday, December 28

Manhattan, Kan.

1 p.m. CT

Kansas State University

9-4,0-0Big 12

ULM

3-11,0-2Sun Belt

ULM

Kansas St.

K-State Closes Out Non-Conference Play with 94-85 win over ULM

Dec 28, 2025 | Men's Basketball

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

Junior P.J. Haggerty scored 23 of his team-high 24 points in the second half.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Junior P.J. Haggerty scored 23 of his team-high 24 points in the second half, as Kansas State wrapped up non-conference play with a 94-85 win over a pesky ULM squad on Sunday afternoon before 8,163 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.

The victory extended the Wildcats' winning streak to 4 games, as they concluded non-conference play with a 9-4 record, which is the third-best mark in the last 7 seasons (since 2019-20) and the best since the 2023-24 squad opened the year at 10-3. K-State is now 197-66 in non-conference play since 2006-07, including 137-16 at Bramlage Coliseum.

Haggerty, who collected his ninth game of 20 or more points this season, bounced back from his worst first half of the season to score his 23 second-half points on 7-of-10 field goals and 9-of-9 free throws. None of his 23 second-half points proved more critical than a pair of 3-point plays after the Warhawks (3-11) had whittled the lead from a game-high 20 points (69-49) with 13:18 to play to just 4 points (75-71) with just over 6 minutes remaining.

With momentum shifting to ULM after a 6-0 run cut the deficit to 75-71 at the 6:04 mark, Haggerty converted on the first of his 3-point plays out of a K-State timeout. He then added a second one following a Warhawks' 3-pointer that gave the Wildcats an 83-74 lead with 4:51 remaining.

After yet another rally closed the deficit to 87-83 with just over 3 minutes to play, Haggerty came through with a big defensive rebound before assisting on a fast-break layup by sophomore David Castillo that pushed the lead to 92-83 with 2:24 left. He then scored the game's final points on a layup with 1:10 remaining that put the Wildcats ahead 94-85.

Haggerty finished the day 7-of-16 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line to go with a team-best 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 29 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in all 13 games while leading the team in scoring 10 times. His 298 points are the second-most by a Wildcat in the first 13 games since Michael Beasley opened the year with 315 points.

Haggerty was joined in double figures by senior Nate Johnson (14 points) and junior Abdi Bashir Jr. (11 points). Two other Wildcats had 9 points (junior Elias Rapieque and sophomore David Castillo), while senior Khamari McGriff and junior Taj Manning added 8 points each.

Manning posted career-highs in both points (8) and rebounds (7) in just 13 minutes of action.

Despite shooting a lackluster 28.6 percent (10-of-35) from 3-point range, K-State still managed to score 90 or more points for the seventh time in 13 games for the first time in school history. The Wildcats converted on 65.7 percent (23-of-35) of their shots inside the 3-point line, including a 44-32 advantage in the paint. The team's 1,150 points are the most in the first 13 games of a season, surpassing the 1,078 points scored by the 2009-10 team.

ULM shot 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the field, including 50 percent (12-of-24) in the opening half when the Warhawks led for nearly 11 minutes. A 3-pointer from Castillo broke a 28-all tie and helped start an 18-8 run that ended the first half and gave the Wildcats a 46-36 lead at the break.

In addition to their proficient shooting, ULM took advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line, knocking down 24 of 34 attempts, including a 12-of-13 effort from leading scorer Krystian Lewis, who finished with a game-high 25 points. Lewis was joined in double figures by senior Lavell Broadnex (21 points) and junior MJ Russell (17 points).

HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"First of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the blessing of being able to coach this team and work at this university and live life here in Manhattan. Christmas was wonderful. Guys got to go home, and they were all back early. You know, like, I mean, it was incredible. We had two really good days of practice. And then, you know, I thought it would take a little bit to get the junk out of us, which it did, and then we got rolling, and then we went into a lapse, so we got some things we got to clean up, but for the most part, very pleased we won. Hard to win. Looking forward to getting prepared for the first Big 12 game."

On if he talked to P.J. Haggerty after the first half…
"No. You know, it's a 40-minute game. If he was 10 for 11 in the first half, I wouldn't have told him anything different. You know, just the percentages pay off. I thought he pressed a little bit, I thought missed some shots that he would normally have made, and, you know, just the rust of coming back and playing. But you know, he did what All- Americans do, he stepped it up in the second half."

On how P.J. Haggerty and Nate Johnson have progressed from the start of the season…
"Well, I think the whole team, they're getting to know each other more and trust in each other more. And you know, we've got multiple weapons out there and they got to find their opportunity within what we want to do, and I think that's showing itself in spurts. It's not exactly where we want to be just yet. But, I mean, I told the guys, that's why you don't go on feelings, you go on facts, right? We feel like we didn't play well, but we just scored 94 points, you know. And the feeling is, man, I didn't play well but, like, our guards were 1 for 13 from three other than Nate, that's not going to happen very often, you know, we gave them 34 free throws because of dumb fouls, so they scored 24 points at the line. So, there are things that we can clean up, but, you know, you get through this game and you say, man, let's take the win and let's move on."

On how Dorin Buca and Taj Manning play together on the court…
"Yeah, you know, particularly when they [ULM] went zone. You know, Taj is special, man, he's just the best. He's starting to get a little more comfortable, you know, with more playing time and everything. And Dorin is growing as a player, and he's playing with two hands more now, but in their zone, we thought we could throw over the top of the zone. And so, Taj and Dorin, they were able to do that. And then in the second half, Khamari [McGriff] and Elias [Rapieque] probably had a couple like that too."

On his confidence in the roster going into Big 12 Conference play…
"Well, I mean, we have a Big 12 roster, right? Okay, let me clarify that. I think we can beat anybody in the Big 12, but I think anybody in the Big 12 can beat us, right? And so we could play really well these first six games and be 1-5, or be 5-1, that's just how good this league is. There are six teams that are ranked, there are four teams that are getting votes, so there are 10 teams that could be in the top 25 right? It's not just the best league in the country; it's the deepest league in the country. And so, do I feel like we put together a roster that's going to give us the opportunity to win games in the Big 12? Yes. How many of those games that is, it'll all come down to one or two possession games, you know, for the most part. And but I like our group, and I like how we've improved from the beginning of the year until now."

FIRST HALF
Junior Elias Rapieque opened the game with a corner 3-pointer before ULM scored 11 of the next 13 points to take an early 6-point lead. K-State closed to within 13-11 at the first media timeout then trailed by one point, 16-15, at the second media timeout with 11:51 to play in the half. A 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir tied the game at 18-all less than 30 seconds later but the Warhawks went back ahead 22-18 on back-to-back jumpers.

Back-to-back dunks by junior Dorin Buca pulled K-State to within a point before a 3-pointer by junior Taj Manning gave the Wildcats just their second lead at 26-24 at the 7:08 mark. After the Warhawks tied it at 28-all, a 3-pointer from sophomore David Castillo sparked a 6-0 run that pushed the Wildcats ahead 34-28 at the final media timeout with 3:54 to play.

The run grew to 8-0 before ULM knocked down a pair of free throws at the 3:20 mark. An old-fashioned 3-point play from senior Khamari McGriff and a 3-pointer from senior Nate Johnson gave the Wildcats their largest lead at 44-34 with 1:35 before halftime. The lead stood at 46-36 at the break after the teams exchanged baskets at the end of the half.

K-State shot just 43.2 percent (16-of-37) from the field in the first half, including 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from 3-point range, compared to 50 percent (12-of-24) from ULM. Senior Lavell Broadnex and sophomore Krystian Lewis led the way with 15 and 12 points, respectively, for the Warhawks. Nine different Wildcats scored, including a team-leading 8 points from Bashir.

SECOND HALF
K-State had a quick start to the second half by scoring 8 of the first 11 points, as a second 3-pointer by Johnson extended the lead to 57-39 at the 18:13 mark. The lead grew to 61-42 after back-to-back layups from junior P.J. Haggerty before ULM closed to 63-46 at the first media timeout. Back-to-back layups from Haggerty and freshman Andrej Kostic made it 69-49 before the Warhawks scored 6 straight points to pull within 69-55 just after the second media timeout.

The run continued for ULM as a 3-point play by junior MJ Russell made it 69-60 with under 10 minutes remaining. After a pair of free throws from Haggerty, a scramble play resulted in a 3-pointer for the Warhawks that cut the deficit to 72-65, prompting a timeout by ULM coach Phil Cunningham at the 7:53 mark. A corner 3-pointer by Johnson made it 75-65 but the Warhawks continued to battle with 6 straight points to close it to 75-71 and forced a timeout by K-State head coach Jerome Tang with 6:04 to play.

K-State responded with 8 of the next 11 points, including a pair of pivotal 3-point play from Haggerty to go ahead 83-74 with 4:51 to play. The Wildcats led 87-78 after back-to-back jumpers from Rapieque before the Warhawks closed to within 87-83 at the final media timeout. However, the home team answered back with a critical 3-pointer from Johnson and fast-break basket from Castillo to make it 92-83 with 2:24 remaining. ULM made just 2 of 4 attempts at the line as Haggerty scored the final points on a layup with 1:10 to play in the eventual 94-85 win.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

K-State ran its winning streak to 4 games with a 94-85 win over ULM.
K-State won its first-ever meeting with ULM and is now 22-5 all-time vs. current members of the Sun Belt Conference, including 15-2 in games played at home.
K-State is now 197-66 in non-conference games since 2006.
K-State is now 153-20 in home non-conference games since 2006.
K-State is now 137-16 in non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum since 2006.
K-State is now 46-11 at Bramlage Coliseum under head coach Jerome Tang, including 26-4 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 11th time using this lineup with the Wildcats posting a 9-2 mark in those games.
Haggerty now has 79 career starts (Tulsa/Memphis/K-State), N. Johnson now has 73 career starts (Akron/K-State), McGriff now has 55 career starts (UNC Wilmington/K-State) and Bashir now has 45 career starts (Monmouth/K-State)… This is the 11th start for Rapieque.

TEAM NOTES

K-State scored its 94 points on 47.1 percent (33-of-70) shooting, including 28.6 percent (10-of-35) from 3-point range, while hitting on 75 percent (18-of-24) from the free throw line.
K-State has now scored 90 or more points in 7 of the first 13 games for the first time.
K-State had second-most assists (25) on its 33 made field goals.
The 10 made 3-pointers marked the eighth time this season with double-digit 3-pointers.
K-State dominated the specialty stats, including 44-32 edge in points in the paint, 11-6 in second-chance points, 16-11 in fast-break points and 28-9 in bench points.
K-State out-rebounded ULM, 43-30, with 15 offensive rebounds leading to 11 second-chance points.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Three Wildcats scored in double figures, including 24 points from junior P.J. Haggerty. He was joined by senior Nate Johnson (14 points) and junior Abdi Bashir Jr. (11 points).
Haggerty scored his 24 points on 7-of-16 field goals, including 0-of-3 from 3-point range, and 10-of-11 free throws to go with a team-high 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 29 minutes… It was his ninth game of 20 or more points this season and 52nd such game in his career… He has now scored in double figures in all 13 games this season… He has now scored in double figures in 77 of 85 career games in college.
Johnson scored his 14 points on 4-of-7 field goals, all from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 free throws to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 33 minutes… He now has 49 career double-digit scoring games, including 9 this season.
Bashir scored his 11 points on 4-of-9 field goals, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range, with 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 23 minutes… He now has 46 career double-digit scoring games, including 10 this season… He has 3 or more 3-pointers in 9 games this season.
Junior Elias Rapieque dished out a season-high 6 assists to go with his 9 points.
Junior Taj Manning posted career-highs in both points (8) and rebounds (7).

WHAT'S NEXT
K-State begins the New Year with the first of consecutive top-10 matchups, as Wildcats welcome No. 10/10 BYU (12-1) to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 3 in the Big 12 opener. Tip is set for 12:30 p.m., CT and will be broadcast nationally on CBS. Tickets are available online at kstatesports.com/tickets, by calling (800) 221.CATS or through the Athletics Ticket Office.

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.