
K-State Loses Heartbreaker at Oklahoma State, 84-83
Jan 18, 2026 | Men's Basketball
The Cowboys connected on 3 free throws with 2.8 seconds left to win.
STILLWATER, Okla. – Sophomore Vyctorius Miller connected on all 3 free throws after being fouled with 2.8 seconds left, as Oklahoma State came from behind to post an 84-83 win in a back-and-forth affair on Saturday night before 6,838 fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
In a game that included 13 lead changes and 11 ties, K-State (9-9, 0-5 Big 12) took an 83-81 lead with 49 seconds remaining on junior P.J. Haggerty's jumper. On the ensuing possession, junior guard Kanye Clary twice missed from 3-point range with Oklahoma State (14-4, 2-3 Big 12) each time getting the offensive rebound, including on a jump ball with 4 seconds left.
Miller received the inbounds pass in the corner and was fouled by junior Abdi Bashir Jr. as he attempted to swap down at the ball, resulting in 3 free throws. After Miller's 3 free throws gave the Cowboys an 84-83 lead, the Wildcats still had an opportunity to win. The inbounds pass was caught by junior Taj Manning at midcourt, where he called K-State's last timeout with 2.1 seconds. However, Haggerty's 3-point attempt on the final possession fell short as the buzzer sounded.
The loss sank K-State to 0-5 in Big 12 play for the first time since the league's inception in 1996-97.
Haggerty paced four Wildcats in double figures with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while playing all 40 minutes. He has now scored 20 or more points 13 times with double figures in all 18 games. He is the first Wildcat to open a season with 18 consecutive games in double figures since Jacob Pullen in 2010-11.
Joining Haggerty in double figures was Bashir with 15 points, including his seventh game with 5 or more 3-point field goals, along with senior Nate Johnson and Khamari McGriff was 14 points each. McGriff went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, becoming the eighth player to go 7-of-7 or better from the field in a conference game and the first since Antonio Gordon in 2020.
OSU led 48-43 after ending the first half on a 7-2 run then continued that momentum with 8 of the first 11 points out of halftime to take a double-digit lead at 56-46 and force a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang at the 17:15 mark. From there, K-State scored 15 of the next 20 points to register the first of 7 ties in the second half at 61-all.
The Wildcats went ahead 67-64 near the midway point before the teams battled through ties of 67-all, 69-all and 71-all. After a McGriff dunk gave the visitor a 73-72 lead, the home team responded with 5 straight points, including a 3-pointer from senior big man Parsa Fallah to go back ahead 77-73 with 5:12 remaining. However, the Wildcats didn't go away, as 3-pointers from senior C.J. Jones and Haggerty plus a dunk by Johnson made it 81-79 at the final media timeout with 92 seconds left. The Cowboys tied it at 81-all on a Clary jumper with 1:15 to play before the final sequence.
K-State recorded its 12th game of 80 or more points, connecting on 50 percent (33-of-66) from the field, including 55.2 percent (16-of-29) in the second half. The Wildcats knocked down 15 made 3-pointers on 44.1 percent (15-of-34) shooting, which tied for the second-most in a Big 12 game and fifth-most in any game in school history.
OSU shot just 41.2 percent (28-of-68) from the field with 5 less field goals and 7 fewer 3-point field goals but made up for it by scoring 26 points off 16 K-State turnovers while converting on 20-of-24 attempts (83.3 percent) from the free throw line. The Cowboys had just 7 turnovers.
Senior Anthony Roy led the Cowboys with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-15 field goals, including 3-of-9 from 3-point range, and 6-of-7 free throws. He was joined in double figures by Fallah, who had a near double-double with 17 points and a game-high 9 rebounds, and Clary, who had 12 points and a game-high 6 assists.
The Cowboys continued to give the Wildcats fits at Gallagher-Iba Arena, raising their record to 18-5 in the Big 12 era with wins in 6 of the last 7 meetings.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"First, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the blessing I have of doing this. You know, we, as a young person, you dreamt about being in these environments, and, you know, in the best league in America. And I'm sure our players did too, and to play in a terrific game like that tonight was a lot of fun. Obviously, not pleased with the outcome, just disappointing that it came down to a call. But credit (Vyctorius) Miller for stepping to the line and drilling all three free throws in a big-time pressure situation, and so, credit to Coach (Steve) Lutz and his team on the win."
On the last shot…
"Well, we thought they had fouls to give because they played unbelievable defense in the second half and only fouled four times. And so, when you have that many fouls to give at the end with two seconds, we thought they were going to maybe foul. And so, I told them that if they foul, you make sure you get a shot up. And you know, I got to do a better job of communicating in those moments. That would have probably helped."
On the foul discrepancy specifically on those called on Khamari McGriff…
"We have to control what we can control. We can control how we move our feet and play with our chests and not slap and not pick up dumb fouls. I think Kamari will be the first one to tell you that there's a lot of things that he can do better defensively that will not put us in that position when he's on the floor. We were +8 when he was in the game tonight especially there in the second half where he was rolling. They couldn't guard him. We tell the guys all the time, we can make up two points, but we can't make up a foul, so we've got to control the things that we can control. Losers blame other things, other people. We're not losers. We're winners. So, we're going to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out how we got to get better and what we need to do. We're going to correct it, and we're close. I'm excited about the next thing that we have to do."
On the calls in the last minute of the game…
"I had a problem with not getting the timeout on the loose ball because it's exactly what we wanted with the missed shot and loose ball rebound. We're going to be the first to the floor, and we were going to call a timeout. And I thought my player had the ball, and two of our players were calling time outs, as well as Taj (Manning) on the floor calling it. So, I thought that should have been a timeout, our ball. That was the only thing that I thought was different."
On his message to his team in the waning minutes of a back-and-forth game…
"To just continue to fight. One of the things we've been trying to stress is that we've got to play with energy, effort and enthusiasm, and that starts with me. If I have energy, effort and enthusiasm, it'll trickle down. That's what I wanted to bring to our guys tonight and they brought it for us. And I was proud of our effort. I was proud of our energy. I was proud of our enthusiasm."
On why you think the team is close to victory after 5 losses to open Big 12 play…
"Well, we're playing with energy, effort and enthusiasm, first of all, and then we're really sharing the ball. There's been some great ball movement out there and as we keep doing that, we're going to get the right shots. We just have to cut down on our turnovers. We're rebounding better. We're more physical. Rebounding in the first few games in the Big 12, there was such a rebounding disparity that it didn't even give us a chance. And now we're giving ourselves a chance. And so now we got to take the next step."
FIRST HALF
The teams went back and forth in the early going with 3 lead changes, as Oklahoma State led 10-9 at the first media timeout. The pace continued out of the timeout, as the Cowboys went ahead 20-16 on a 3-pointer by senior Anthony Roy before back-to-back triples by senior Nate Johnson tied the game at 22-all at the 11:46 mark.
After OSU went ahead 29-22 with 7 straight points, K-State slowly chipped away at the deficit with an 11-2 run to go ahead 33-31 at the third media timeout with 7:06 to play. The lead grew to 36-31 after senior C.J. Jones completed a 3-point play and junior P.J. Haggerty finished a layup, but the Cowboys got back-to-back 3-pointers from Roy to go back ahead 37-36 at the 5:33 mark.
A running layup by Jones briefly gave K-State a 38-37 lead but OSU converted on a pair of free throws and a layup of its own to go ahead 41-38 at the final media timeout. A fourth 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. tied the game at 41-all with 3:20 to play but the Cowboys finished off the half with 7 of the last 9 points to lead 48-43 at the break.
Both teams shot exactly 46 percent (17-of-37) from the field with K-State making 3 more 3-pointers (8-5) and OSU making 8 more free throws (9-1). Roy led the way with 13 points, while Bashir's 12 points paced the Wildcats.
SECOND HALF
Oklahoma State opened the half with 8 of the first 11 points to extend its lead to 56-46, forcing head coach Jerome Tang to call a timeout at the 17:15 mark. After OSU went ahead 60-52 on a layup by sophomore Andrija Vukovic, K-State got back-to-back 3-pointer from Haggerty to spark a 9-1 run that tied the game at 61-all on a corner 3-pointer from Johnson.
The Wildcats got consecutive baskets from senior Khamari McGriff and a dunk from junior Dorin Buca to go ahead 67-64 near the midway point. The Cowboys tied it at 67-all right before the third timeout with less than 8 to play and the teams played through 2 more ties before a 3-pointer by senior Parsa Fallah knocked down his second 3-pointers for a 77-73 lead at the 5:12 mark.
K-State wouldn't go away as 3-pointers from Jones and Haggerty and a driving layup by Johnson gave the Wildcats an 81-79 lead at the final media timeout with 1:52 remaining. After the Cowboys tied it at 81-all, Haggerty gave the Wildcats an 83-81 lead with 49 seconds left. In the ensuing possession, the home team had 3 tries at the win, twice earning the offensive rebound after a missed shot before sophomore Vyctorius Miller was fouled on a corner 3-pointer.
After Miller made all 3 free throws that gave OSU an 84-83 lead, K-State had one last chance with 2.1 seconds left, but Haggerty's 3-point attempt fell short at the buzzer.
Haggerty scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half, while McGriff added 10 points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State opens a 2-game homestand on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats host Utah (9-9, 1-4 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum. Tip is set for 8:05 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. This will be the Utes' first-ever visit to Bramlage Coliseum with the series tied at 2-all. Last season, the Utes posted a 74-69 win in Salt Lake City on Feb. 17, 2025.
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.
In a game that included 13 lead changes and 11 ties, K-State (9-9, 0-5 Big 12) took an 83-81 lead with 49 seconds remaining on junior P.J. Haggerty's jumper. On the ensuing possession, junior guard Kanye Clary twice missed from 3-point range with Oklahoma State (14-4, 2-3 Big 12) each time getting the offensive rebound, including on a jump ball with 4 seconds left.
Miller received the inbounds pass in the corner and was fouled by junior Abdi Bashir Jr. as he attempted to swap down at the ball, resulting in 3 free throws. After Miller's 3 free throws gave the Cowboys an 84-83 lead, the Wildcats still had an opportunity to win. The inbounds pass was caught by junior Taj Manning at midcourt, where he called K-State's last timeout with 2.1 seconds. However, Haggerty's 3-point attempt on the final possession fell short as the buzzer sounded.
The loss sank K-State to 0-5 in Big 12 play for the first time since the league's inception in 1996-97.
Haggerty paced four Wildcats in double figures with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while playing all 40 minutes. He has now scored 20 or more points 13 times with double figures in all 18 games. He is the first Wildcat to open a season with 18 consecutive games in double figures since Jacob Pullen in 2010-11.
Joining Haggerty in double figures was Bashir with 15 points, including his seventh game with 5 or more 3-point field goals, along with senior Nate Johnson and Khamari McGriff was 14 points each. McGriff went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, becoming the eighth player to go 7-of-7 or better from the field in a conference game and the first since Antonio Gordon in 2020.
OSU led 48-43 after ending the first half on a 7-2 run then continued that momentum with 8 of the first 11 points out of halftime to take a double-digit lead at 56-46 and force a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang at the 17:15 mark. From there, K-State scored 15 of the next 20 points to register the first of 7 ties in the second half at 61-all.
The Wildcats went ahead 67-64 near the midway point before the teams battled through ties of 67-all, 69-all and 71-all. After a McGriff dunk gave the visitor a 73-72 lead, the home team responded with 5 straight points, including a 3-pointer from senior big man Parsa Fallah to go back ahead 77-73 with 5:12 remaining. However, the Wildcats didn't go away, as 3-pointers from senior C.J. Jones and Haggerty plus a dunk by Johnson made it 81-79 at the final media timeout with 92 seconds left. The Cowboys tied it at 81-all on a Clary jumper with 1:15 to play before the final sequence.
K-State recorded its 12th game of 80 or more points, connecting on 50 percent (33-of-66) from the field, including 55.2 percent (16-of-29) in the second half. The Wildcats knocked down 15 made 3-pointers on 44.1 percent (15-of-34) shooting, which tied for the second-most in a Big 12 game and fifth-most in any game in school history.
OSU shot just 41.2 percent (28-of-68) from the field with 5 less field goals and 7 fewer 3-point field goals but made up for it by scoring 26 points off 16 K-State turnovers while converting on 20-of-24 attempts (83.3 percent) from the free throw line. The Cowboys had just 7 turnovers.
Senior Anthony Roy led the Cowboys with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-15 field goals, including 3-of-9 from 3-point range, and 6-of-7 free throws. He was joined in double figures by Fallah, who had a near double-double with 17 points and a game-high 9 rebounds, and Clary, who had 12 points and a game-high 6 assists.
The Cowboys continued to give the Wildcats fits at Gallagher-Iba Arena, raising their record to 18-5 in the Big 12 era with wins in 6 of the last 7 meetings.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"First, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the blessing I have of doing this. You know, we, as a young person, you dreamt about being in these environments, and, you know, in the best league in America. And I'm sure our players did too, and to play in a terrific game like that tonight was a lot of fun. Obviously, not pleased with the outcome, just disappointing that it came down to a call. But credit (Vyctorius) Miller for stepping to the line and drilling all three free throws in a big-time pressure situation, and so, credit to Coach (Steve) Lutz and his team on the win."
On the last shot…
"Well, we thought they had fouls to give because they played unbelievable defense in the second half and only fouled four times. And so, when you have that many fouls to give at the end with two seconds, we thought they were going to maybe foul. And so, I told them that if they foul, you make sure you get a shot up. And you know, I got to do a better job of communicating in those moments. That would have probably helped."
On the foul discrepancy specifically on those called on Khamari McGriff…
"We have to control what we can control. We can control how we move our feet and play with our chests and not slap and not pick up dumb fouls. I think Kamari will be the first one to tell you that there's a lot of things that he can do better defensively that will not put us in that position when he's on the floor. We were +8 when he was in the game tonight especially there in the second half where he was rolling. They couldn't guard him. We tell the guys all the time, we can make up two points, but we can't make up a foul, so we've got to control the things that we can control. Losers blame other things, other people. We're not losers. We're winners. So, we're going to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out how we got to get better and what we need to do. We're going to correct it, and we're close. I'm excited about the next thing that we have to do."
On the calls in the last minute of the game…
"I had a problem with not getting the timeout on the loose ball because it's exactly what we wanted with the missed shot and loose ball rebound. We're going to be the first to the floor, and we were going to call a timeout. And I thought my player had the ball, and two of our players were calling time outs, as well as Taj (Manning) on the floor calling it. So, I thought that should have been a timeout, our ball. That was the only thing that I thought was different."
On his message to his team in the waning minutes of a back-and-forth game…
"To just continue to fight. One of the things we've been trying to stress is that we've got to play with energy, effort and enthusiasm, and that starts with me. If I have energy, effort and enthusiasm, it'll trickle down. That's what I wanted to bring to our guys tonight and they brought it for us. And I was proud of our effort. I was proud of our energy. I was proud of our enthusiasm."
On why you think the team is close to victory after 5 losses to open Big 12 play…
"Well, we're playing with energy, effort and enthusiasm, first of all, and then we're really sharing the ball. There's been some great ball movement out there and as we keep doing that, we're going to get the right shots. We just have to cut down on our turnovers. We're rebounding better. We're more physical. Rebounding in the first few games in the Big 12, there was such a rebounding disparity that it didn't even give us a chance. And now we're giving ourselves a chance. And so now we got to take the next step."
FIRST HALF
The teams went back and forth in the early going with 3 lead changes, as Oklahoma State led 10-9 at the first media timeout. The pace continued out of the timeout, as the Cowboys went ahead 20-16 on a 3-pointer by senior Anthony Roy before back-to-back triples by senior Nate Johnson tied the game at 22-all at the 11:46 mark.
After OSU went ahead 29-22 with 7 straight points, K-State slowly chipped away at the deficit with an 11-2 run to go ahead 33-31 at the third media timeout with 7:06 to play. The lead grew to 36-31 after senior C.J. Jones completed a 3-point play and junior P.J. Haggerty finished a layup, but the Cowboys got back-to-back 3-pointers from Roy to go back ahead 37-36 at the 5:33 mark.
A running layup by Jones briefly gave K-State a 38-37 lead but OSU converted on a pair of free throws and a layup of its own to go ahead 41-38 at the final media timeout. A fourth 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. tied the game at 41-all with 3:20 to play but the Cowboys finished off the half with 7 of the last 9 points to lead 48-43 at the break.
Both teams shot exactly 46 percent (17-of-37) from the field with K-State making 3 more 3-pointers (8-5) and OSU making 8 more free throws (9-1). Roy led the way with 13 points, while Bashir's 12 points paced the Wildcats.
SECOND HALF
Oklahoma State opened the half with 8 of the first 11 points to extend its lead to 56-46, forcing head coach Jerome Tang to call a timeout at the 17:15 mark. After OSU went ahead 60-52 on a layup by sophomore Andrija Vukovic, K-State got back-to-back 3-pointer from Haggerty to spark a 9-1 run that tied the game at 61-all on a corner 3-pointer from Johnson.
The Wildcats got consecutive baskets from senior Khamari McGriff and a dunk from junior Dorin Buca to go ahead 67-64 near the midway point. The Cowboys tied it at 67-all right before the third timeout with less than 8 to play and the teams played through 2 more ties before a 3-pointer by senior Parsa Fallah knocked down his second 3-pointers for a 77-73 lead at the 5:12 mark.
K-State wouldn't go away as 3-pointers from Jones and Haggerty and a driving layup by Johnson gave the Wildcats an 81-79 lead at the final media timeout with 1:52 remaining. After the Cowboys tied it at 81-all, Haggerty gave the Wildcats an 83-81 lead with 49 seconds left. In the ensuing possession, the home team had 3 tries at the win, twice earning the offensive rebound after a missed shot before sophomore Vyctorius Miller was fouled on a corner 3-pointer.
After Miller made all 3 free throws that gave OSU an 84-83 lead, K-State had one last chance with 2.1 seconds left, but Haggerty's 3-point attempt fell short at the buzzer.
Haggerty scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half, while McGriff added 10 points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State dropped its fifth straight game to open Big 12 with an 84-83 loss to Oklahoma State.
- K-State is 0-5 in Big 12 play for the first time since 1996-97.
- K-State now leads the all-time series with Oklahoma State, 88-61, in this, the 68th consecutive meeting… OSU now leads the series, 26-21, in the Big 12 era, including 26-18 in the regular season… The Cowboys now leads the series, 36-26 at Gallagher-Iba Arena, including 18-5 in the Big 12 era, with wins in 6 of the last 7 meetings.
- K-State is now 1-4 on the road this season and 10-29 under Jerome Tang.
- K-State used a starting lineup of junior P.J. Haggerty, senior Nate Johnson, junior Abdi Bashir Jr., junior Taj Manning and senior Khamari McGriff… This is the third time using this lineup with the Wildcats posting a 0-3 mark in those games.
- Bashir, Haggerty, Johnson and McGriff have now started all 18 games.
- Haggerty now has 84 career starts (Tulsa/Memphis/K-State), N. Johnson now has 78 career starts (Akron/K-State), McGriff now has 60 career starts (UNC Wilmington/K-State) and Bashir now has 50 career starts (Monmouth/K-State)… Manning now has 4 career starts.
- K-State played without Elias Rapieque and Mobi Ikegwuruka for the second straight game.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 83 points on 50 percent (33-of-66) shooting, including 44.1 percent (15-of-34) from 3-point range, while hitting on 40 percent (2-of-5) from the free throw line.
- K-State has now scored 80 or more points in 12 of 18 games this season.
- K-State shot 50 percent or better from the field for the seventh time this season.
- K-State made double-digit 3-point field goals (15) for the ninth time this season.
- The 15 made 3-point field goals tied for the second-most in a Big 12 game and fifth-most in any game in school history… It was the second-most this season after the 19 made against Mississippi Valley State (12/8/25).
- K-State posted the 20 or more assists for the ninth time this season, including in consecutive Big 12 games, with 22 assists on 33 made field goals.
- K-State posted a 39-37 advantage on the glass, winning the rebounding battle for the first time in Big 12 play.
- Oklahoma State scored 26 points off 16 K-State turnovers.
- Oklahoma State held advantages in all specialty stats, including a 26-10 in points off turnovers, 40-32 in points in the paint, 23-16 in second-chance points, 14-11 in fast-break points and 36-15 in bench points.
- K-State was whistled for 22 fouls, resulting in a 20-2 advantage for Oklahoma State in free throws made… OSU was called for an opponent-low 10 fouls.
- K-State trailed 48-43 at halftime and is now 1-8 this season and 18-39 under head coach Jerome Tang when trailing at the break.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Four Wildcats scored in double figures, including 21 points from junior P.J. Haggerty… Junior Abdi Bashir Jr. (15 points), senior Khamari McGriff (14 points) and senior Nate Johnson (14 points) also registered double digits.
- Haggerty scored his 21 points on 8-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and 1-of-4 free throws to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while playing all 40 minutes (first time this season)… He has now scored in double figures in 82 of 90 career games in college, including all 18 games this season… He has 56 games of 20 or more points in his career, including 13 this season…
- Haggerty's 8 rebounds and 4 made 3-pointers were highs in a Big 12 game.
- Bashir scored his 15 points on 5-of-14 field goals, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range, to go with 2 rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 50 career games, including 14 times this season… His 5 made 3-pointers gave him 67 for the season… He now has 7 games with 5 or more made 3-pointers.
- McGriff scored his 14 points on 7-of-7 field goals to go with 4 assists and 3 rebounds in just 14 minutes of action due to foul trouble… He has now scored in double figures in 32 games in college, including 9 this season… It marked the fourth time going perfect from the field on 3 or more field goal attempts.
- Johnson scored his 14 points on 5-of-13 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, to go with 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 28 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 51 career games, including 11 this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State opens a 2-game homestand on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats host Utah (9-9, 1-4 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum. Tip is set for 8:05 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. This will be the Utes' first-ever visit to Bramlage Coliseum with the series tied at 2-all. Last season, the Utes posted a 74-69 win in Salt Lake City on Feb. 17, 2025.
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
KState
OSU
FG%
.500
.412
3FG%
.441
.333
FT%
.400
.833
RB
39
37
TO
16
7
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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