Saturday, January 10
Tempe, Ariz.
2 p.m. CT
Kansas State University
9-7,0-3Big 12
84
at
87
Arizona State
10-6,1-2Big 12
1
2
F
Kansas St.
38
46
84
Arizona St.
36
51
87
K-State Drops Road Game at Arizona State, 87-84
Jan 10, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Juniors P.J. Haggerty and Abdi Bashir Jr. combine for 47 points in loss.
TEMPE, Ariz. – Kansas State made a furious rally to close a 9-point deficit to just one with 5 seconds left, but senior Moe Odum calmly sank a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession to help Arizona State hold on for an 87-84 win on Saturday afternoon at Desert Financial Arena.
K-State (9-7, 0-3 Big 12) had one last chance with 4.3 seconds remaining, but junior P.J. Haggerty's desperation 3-point attempt fell way short as the buzzer sounded. The guard led all scorers with 25 points, as he registered his 11th game of 20 or more points. He was joined in double figures by fellow junior Abdi Bashir Jr., who added 22 points with 6 made 3-pointers.
The loss dropped K-State to 0-3 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2021-22.
The near comeback came on the heels of a key 10-0 run midway through the second half that provided Arizona State (10-6, 1-2 Big 12) the difference in a back-and-forth game that included 9 lead changes and 9 ties. The Sun Devils, who played just 7 players due to injury, saw all 5 starters score in double figures, including 21 by Odum and 7-foot-1 freshman Massamba Diop. Sophomore Santiago Trouet had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The pivotal 10-0 run came after K-State took a 64-58 lead with 10:32 to play on a sixth 3-pointer from Bashir. The front court trio of Trouet, Diop and graduate Allen Mukeba combined for all 10 points to help ASU go ahead 68-64 with 7:13 remaining. From there, the Sun Devils continued their momentum, scoring 8 of the next 11 points to take their largest lead at 76-67 and force a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang with 4:21 to play.
The Wildcats didn't go away quietly though, as a 3-pointer from Haggerty sparked a 17-9 run that closed the gap to 85-84 with 5 seconds. Haggerty was responsible for 9 of the 17 points, including a circus 3-pointer that made it 85-84, while Bashir and senior Khamari McGriff each had 4 points. The Sun Devils assisted the rally by making just 5-of-10 free throw attempts during this stretch.
With the game in the balance, the steady Odum absorbed the foul and essentially iced the game with his 2 free throws for an 87-84 lead with 4.3 seconds remaining.
A key stat in the game came in the paint, where ASU outscored K-State, 50-28, that came alongside a 48-34 rebounding advantage that included a combined 34 boards from the quartet of Trouet (10), Diop (9), Mukeba (8) and sophomore guard Noah Meeusen (7). The Sun Devils converted 18 offensive rebounds into a 24-20 narrow edge in second-chance points.
In addition, ASU scored 24 points at the free throw line, taking advantage of 27 fouls on K-State.
The Wildcats were able to stay competitive in the game with 13 made 3-pointers, including 6 from Bashir and 3 from Haggerty. It marked the ninth time this season that the team has registered double-digit 3-point field goals.
For the game, K-State connected on 40 percent (28-of-70) from the field, including 41.9 percent (13-of-31) from 3-point range, and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) of its free throw attempts. ASU shot 46.9 percent (30-of-64) from the field, including 64.9 percent (27-of-42) on its 2-point baskets.
ASU now lead the series, 7-6, including 2-2 in the Big 12 era.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"I'm blessed to do what I do, thankful for my savior who gives me this opportunity to love on these guys, coach them up. The task in front of us. I'm built for this, but I don't like to be in these situations. I don't like to go through what we're going through. But there's a lot to learn from this. All the credit goes to Coach (Bobby) Hurley and his team. They played better than us, longer than us and killed us on the glass and on the paint. And so that was the difference in the ball game."
On cutting down on the number of fouls…
"That's bad coaching, so we're going to do better."
On becoming a better rebounding team…
"We have to go figure that out. I thought we were in a better position, and they just wanted the ball more. I mean, big fella (Massamba Diop) got a couple where we had guys like right underneath him. We've got to be more physical without fouling, and there's that fine line right there. We got to get better, no question."
On the other team wanting it more…
"It's really frustrating. You want your guys to be competing at the highest level on every possession. And when we don't, we don't have a large enough margin for error to do that. Like our margin for error is very small, and we need all of our guys playing well. We can't have two guys play well one night and get goose eggs from other guys. I've got to figure out how we keep Kamari (McGriff) out of foul trouble because he only played 14 minutes. He's 4-of-7 from the field in 14 minutes if he can play 28 (minutes) now we have a double figure scorer in the post. That's what you got to have. I thought Dorin (Buca) did a really good job. Taj (Manning) did a good job. Elias (Rapieque) did exactly what I wanted him to do offensively. We have to collectively do a better job when that ball is in the air. It's a two second fight when the balls in the air, and we got to win that fight."
On what made this a good game for Abdi Bashir Jr. …
"He was more aggressive. He was way more aggressive than he had been. I subbed him out three times at Arizona, and every time he came out, I was like, 'shoot the ball.' That's what he does. That's his superpower for us. We need him to shoot the ball. People like to run people at him, and they put more people on him. And that spacing allows other guys to get some things downhill, but if he's not shooting the ball, it's hurting us. So, I think his mindset was that he's gonna be more aggressive, and his teammates found him. So that was good."
On what growth can be made from a trip like this…
"Go back to work. But it didn't matter if you won two, you still got to go back to work. I think K-State and Baylor are the only two teams that have played two top 10 teams in the conference in our first three games, and then the other game that was not against the ranked team was on the opposing teams' home court. So, we're not the only 0-3 team in the Big 12, but it's what you do from here on out that matters in the next game. These dudes listen to this song, and it says that they are made for this, and they prayed for this. Since I prayed I wanted to be a head coach in the Big 12 and face these kinds of things and figure this thing out. So, I'm fired up to get to work and get better."
On losing a close game…
"Anytime you're in a close game, you want to figure it out and learn how to win. After being down nine with four minutes to go, I thought the guys did a really good job there executing, and they gifted us by missing some free throws but the score pressure started kicking in on them. We had an opportunity, and you let it get away. And the great thing about this league is there's gonna be a lot of opportunities coming up. We get an opportunity every night, it's either a quad one or quad two game. We've got a lot of opportunities in front of us to build and grow. And so excited about that."
FIRST HALF
The teams exchanged runs to open the game, including 5-0 by K-State, before they settled into a back-and-forth affair. Neither team held more than a one-possession lead before Arizona State ran off 8 straight points to go ahead 18-11 at the 9:18 mark.
The Wildcats were able to cut the deficit to 20-16 right before the second media timeout with a 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. and a layup from junior Taj Manning. The run continued out of the timeout with the team scoring 6 of the next 8 points, including 4 straight points from junior P.J. Haggerty, to tie the game at 22-all. The Sun Devils held a 26-25 lead at the final media timeout with 3:49 to play after outscoring the Wildcats, 4-3.
A pair of layups from Haggerty and a third 3-pointer from Bashir gave K-State a 32-28 lead, but ASU was able to tie it back up at 32-all with a jumper and a pair of free throws with 1:55 to play. The teams were tied at 34-all and 36-all before junior Dorin Buca tipped in a Haggerty missed at the halftime buzzer that gave the Wildcats a 38-36 lead at the break.
K-State shot just 33.3 percent (12-of-36) in the first half, including 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from 3-point range, but did convert on 9 of 11 attempts from the line. Haggerty tied Mo Odum with a game-high 11 points, while Bashir added 9 points.
SECOND HALF
The Wildcats enjoyed a strong start to the second half, outscoring the Sun Devils, 10-5, to go ahead 48-41 after a fifth 3-pointer from Bashir. The lead stood at 51-45 at the first media timeout at the 15:55 mark after a 3-pointer from junior Elias Rapieque. However, the home team slowly chipped away at the deficit, using an 11-4 run to go ahead 56-55 with just under 13 to play.
A corner 3-pointer from Rapieque and a second triple from sophomore David Castillo from the top of the key returned the lead to K-State, 61-56, forcing a timeout by head coach Bobby Hurley at the 11:22 mark. The timeout sparked the Sun Devils, as they used a 10-3 run to go back ahead 66-64 at the third media timeout with 7:52 to play.
The momentum continued with the home team, as they scored 10 of the next 13 points to build their largest lead at 76-67 to force another timeout by Tang with 4:21 to play. Out of the timeout, a Haggerty 3-pointer helped start a 7-3 spurt that cut the deficit to 79-74 with 1:52 remaining.
After the Sun Devils went back ahead 82-75 with less than 42 seconds left, the Wildcats took advantage of some struggles from the free throw line, as a layup by Bashir, a pair of Haggerty free throws, a layup by McGriff and a circus 3-pointer by Haggerty cut the deficit to 85-84 with 5 seconds remaining after they split 6 free throws.
However with the game on the line, Odum knocked down 2 free throws to push the lead to 87-84 with 4.3 seconds before Haggerty's last-chance 3-pointer fell way short at the buzzer.
Haggerty (14 points) and Bashir (13 points) led the way in the second half.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns home on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats welcome No. 25 UCF (12-2, 1-1 Big 12) to Bramlage Coliseum at 7 p.m., CT on Peacock. The Knights won the lone matchup in 2025 by a score of 80-76 at home. However, the Wildcats are 2-0 all-time in the series at home, including a 77-52 victory on Jan. 6, 2024.
K-State (9-7, 0-3 Big 12) had one last chance with 4.3 seconds remaining, but junior P.J. Haggerty's desperation 3-point attempt fell way short as the buzzer sounded. The guard led all scorers with 25 points, as he registered his 11th game of 20 or more points. He was joined in double figures by fellow junior Abdi Bashir Jr., who added 22 points with 6 made 3-pointers.
The loss dropped K-State to 0-3 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2021-22.
The near comeback came on the heels of a key 10-0 run midway through the second half that provided Arizona State (10-6, 1-2 Big 12) the difference in a back-and-forth game that included 9 lead changes and 9 ties. The Sun Devils, who played just 7 players due to injury, saw all 5 starters score in double figures, including 21 by Odum and 7-foot-1 freshman Massamba Diop. Sophomore Santiago Trouet had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The pivotal 10-0 run came after K-State took a 64-58 lead with 10:32 to play on a sixth 3-pointer from Bashir. The front court trio of Trouet, Diop and graduate Allen Mukeba combined for all 10 points to help ASU go ahead 68-64 with 7:13 remaining. From there, the Sun Devils continued their momentum, scoring 8 of the next 11 points to take their largest lead at 76-67 and force a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang with 4:21 to play.
The Wildcats didn't go away quietly though, as a 3-pointer from Haggerty sparked a 17-9 run that closed the gap to 85-84 with 5 seconds. Haggerty was responsible for 9 of the 17 points, including a circus 3-pointer that made it 85-84, while Bashir and senior Khamari McGriff each had 4 points. The Sun Devils assisted the rally by making just 5-of-10 free throw attempts during this stretch.
With the game in the balance, the steady Odum absorbed the foul and essentially iced the game with his 2 free throws for an 87-84 lead with 4.3 seconds remaining.
A key stat in the game came in the paint, where ASU outscored K-State, 50-28, that came alongside a 48-34 rebounding advantage that included a combined 34 boards from the quartet of Trouet (10), Diop (9), Mukeba (8) and sophomore guard Noah Meeusen (7). The Sun Devils converted 18 offensive rebounds into a 24-20 narrow edge in second-chance points.
In addition, ASU scored 24 points at the free throw line, taking advantage of 27 fouls on K-State.
The Wildcats were able to stay competitive in the game with 13 made 3-pointers, including 6 from Bashir and 3 from Haggerty. It marked the ninth time this season that the team has registered double-digit 3-point field goals.
For the game, K-State connected on 40 percent (28-of-70) from the field, including 41.9 percent (13-of-31) from 3-point range, and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) of its free throw attempts. ASU shot 46.9 percent (30-of-64) from the field, including 64.9 percent (27-of-42) on its 2-point baskets.
ASU now lead the series, 7-6, including 2-2 in the Big 12 era.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"I'm blessed to do what I do, thankful for my savior who gives me this opportunity to love on these guys, coach them up. The task in front of us. I'm built for this, but I don't like to be in these situations. I don't like to go through what we're going through. But there's a lot to learn from this. All the credit goes to Coach (Bobby) Hurley and his team. They played better than us, longer than us and killed us on the glass and on the paint. And so that was the difference in the ball game."
On cutting down on the number of fouls…
"That's bad coaching, so we're going to do better."
On becoming a better rebounding team…
"We have to go figure that out. I thought we were in a better position, and they just wanted the ball more. I mean, big fella (Massamba Diop) got a couple where we had guys like right underneath him. We've got to be more physical without fouling, and there's that fine line right there. We got to get better, no question."
On the other team wanting it more…
"It's really frustrating. You want your guys to be competing at the highest level on every possession. And when we don't, we don't have a large enough margin for error to do that. Like our margin for error is very small, and we need all of our guys playing well. We can't have two guys play well one night and get goose eggs from other guys. I've got to figure out how we keep Kamari (McGriff) out of foul trouble because he only played 14 minutes. He's 4-of-7 from the field in 14 minutes if he can play 28 (minutes) now we have a double figure scorer in the post. That's what you got to have. I thought Dorin (Buca) did a really good job. Taj (Manning) did a good job. Elias (Rapieque) did exactly what I wanted him to do offensively. We have to collectively do a better job when that ball is in the air. It's a two second fight when the balls in the air, and we got to win that fight."
On what made this a good game for Abdi Bashir Jr. …
"He was more aggressive. He was way more aggressive than he had been. I subbed him out three times at Arizona, and every time he came out, I was like, 'shoot the ball.' That's what he does. That's his superpower for us. We need him to shoot the ball. People like to run people at him, and they put more people on him. And that spacing allows other guys to get some things downhill, but if he's not shooting the ball, it's hurting us. So, I think his mindset was that he's gonna be more aggressive, and his teammates found him. So that was good."
On what growth can be made from a trip like this…
"Go back to work. But it didn't matter if you won two, you still got to go back to work. I think K-State and Baylor are the only two teams that have played two top 10 teams in the conference in our first three games, and then the other game that was not against the ranked team was on the opposing teams' home court. So, we're not the only 0-3 team in the Big 12, but it's what you do from here on out that matters in the next game. These dudes listen to this song, and it says that they are made for this, and they prayed for this. Since I prayed I wanted to be a head coach in the Big 12 and face these kinds of things and figure this thing out. So, I'm fired up to get to work and get better."
On losing a close game…
"Anytime you're in a close game, you want to figure it out and learn how to win. After being down nine with four minutes to go, I thought the guys did a really good job there executing, and they gifted us by missing some free throws but the score pressure started kicking in on them. We had an opportunity, and you let it get away. And the great thing about this league is there's gonna be a lot of opportunities coming up. We get an opportunity every night, it's either a quad one or quad two game. We've got a lot of opportunities in front of us to build and grow. And so excited about that."
FIRST HALF
The teams exchanged runs to open the game, including 5-0 by K-State, before they settled into a back-and-forth affair. Neither team held more than a one-possession lead before Arizona State ran off 8 straight points to go ahead 18-11 at the 9:18 mark.
The Wildcats were able to cut the deficit to 20-16 right before the second media timeout with a 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. and a layup from junior Taj Manning. The run continued out of the timeout with the team scoring 6 of the next 8 points, including 4 straight points from junior P.J. Haggerty, to tie the game at 22-all. The Sun Devils held a 26-25 lead at the final media timeout with 3:49 to play after outscoring the Wildcats, 4-3.
A pair of layups from Haggerty and a third 3-pointer from Bashir gave K-State a 32-28 lead, but ASU was able to tie it back up at 32-all with a jumper and a pair of free throws with 1:55 to play. The teams were tied at 34-all and 36-all before junior Dorin Buca tipped in a Haggerty missed at the halftime buzzer that gave the Wildcats a 38-36 lead at the break.
K-State shot just 33.3 percent (12-of-36) in the first half, including 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from 3-point range, but did convert on 9 of 11 attempts from the line. Haggerty tied Mo Odum with a game-high 11 points, while Bashir added 9 points.
SECOND HALF
The Wildcats enjoyed a strong start to the second half, outscoring the Sun Devils, 10-5, to go ahead 48-41 after a fifth 3-pointer from Bashir. The lead stood at 51-45 at the first media timeout at the 15:55 mark after a 3-pointer from junior Elias Rapieque. However, the home team slowly chipped away at the deficit, using an 11-4 run to go ahead 56-55 with just under 13 to play.
A corner 3-pointer from Rapieque and a second triple from sophomore David Castillo from the top of the key returned the lead to K-State, 61-56, forcing a timeout by head coach Bobby Hurley at the 11:22 mark. The timeout sparked the Sun Devils, as they used a 10-3 run to go back ahead 66-64 at the third media timeout with 7:52 to play.
The momentum continued with the home team, as they scored 10 of the next 13 points to build their largest lead at 76-67 to force another timeout by Tang with 4:21 to play. Out of the timeout, a Haggerty 3-pointer helped start a 7-3 spurt that cut the deficit to 79-74 with 1:52 remaining.
After the Sun Devils went back ahead 82-75 with less than 42 seconds left, the Wildcats took advantage of some struggles from the free throw line, as a layup by Bashir, a pair of Haggerty free throws, a layup by McGriff and a circus 3-pointer by Haggerty cut the deficit to 85-84 with 5 seconds remaining after they split 6 free throws.
However with the game on the line, Odum knocked down 2 free throws to push the lead to 87-84 with 4.3 seconds before Haggerty's last-chance 3-pointer fell way short at the buzzer.
Haggerty (14 points) and Bashir (13 points) led the way in the second half.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State dropped its third straight game to open Big 12 with an 87-84 loss at Arizona State.
- K-State is 0-3 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2021-22.
- ASU now leads the all-time series, 7-6, including 3-2 in Tempe and Desert Financial Arena.
- 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 13th time using this lineup with the Wildcats posting a 9-4 mark in those games.
- Haggerty now has 82 career starts (Tulsa/Memphis/K-State), N. Johnson now has 76 career starts (Akron/K-State), McGriff now has 58 career starts (UNC Wilmington/K-State) and Bashir now has 48 career starts (Monmouth/K-State)… This is the 13th start for Rapieque.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 84 points on 40 percent (28-of-70) shooting, including 41.9 percent (13-of-31) from 3-point range, while hitting on 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the free throw line.
- K-State has now scored 80 or more points in 11 of its first 16 games.
- K-State made double-digit 3-pointers for the ninth time this season.
- K-State held the advantages in points off turnovers (16-13), fast-break points (23-14) and bench points (14-7).
- K-State gave up 50 points in the paint for the second consecutive game (56 at Arizona).
- Arizona State out-rebounded K-State, 48-34, including 18 offensive rebounds that resulted in a 24-20 advantage in second-chance points.
- After setting a season-high with 29 fouls at Arizona, the Wildcats were called for 27 at ASU.
- K-State led 38-36 at halftime and is now 8-1 this season and 50-10 under head coach Jerome Tang when leading at the break.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- The Wildcats had a pair of 20-point scorers in juniors P.J. Haggerty (25 points) and Abdi Bashir Jr. (22 points), as the duo combined for 47 of the 84 points.
- Haggerty scored his 25 points on 7-of-19 field goals, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range, and 8-of-12 free throws to go with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 38 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 80 of 88 career games in college, including all 16 games this season… He has 54 games of 20 or more points in his career, including 11 this season.
- Bashir posted his second 20-point game of the season, scoring his 22 points on 8-of-16 field goals, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range, to go with 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal in 35 minutes… His 6 made 3-pointers tied for the second-most this season, while he now has 5 or more 3-pointers in 6 games this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State returns home on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats welcome No. 25 UCF (12-2, 1-1 Big 12) to Bramlage Coliseum at 7 p.m., CT on Peacock. The Knights won the lone matchup in 2025 by a score of 80-76 at home. However, the Wildcats are 2-0 all-time in the series at home, including a 77-52 victory on Jan. 6, 2024.
Team Stats
KState
ASU
FG%
.400
.469
3FG%
.419
.136
FT%
.714
.750
RB
34
48
TO
13
15
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
8
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
W
/ Men's BasketballW
/ Men's BasketballW
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