Saturday, February 21
Lubbock, Texas
1:30 p.m. CT
Kansas State University
11-16,2-12Big 12
72
at
100
Texas Tech
20-7,10-4Big 12
1
2
F
Kansas St.
35
37
72
Texas Tech
49
51
100
13/13 Texas Tech Too Much for K-State, 100-72
Feb 21, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Junior P.J. Haggerty leads three Wildcats in double figures with 17 points.
LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 13/13 Texas Tech responded to its first game without reigning Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin with a complete team effort, including a pair of 20-point performances from senior Donovan Atwell and sophomore Christian Anderson, en route to a 100-72 victory on Saturday afternoon before 14,644 fans at United Supermarkets Arena.
Atwell scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, while Anderson did most of his damage in the second half with 16 of his 21 points coming after halftime. In all, all five Red Raider starters scored in double figures, including 19 points from junior LeJuan Watts, 12 points from sophomore Luke Bamgboye and 10 points from freshman Jaylen Petty.
Texas Tech (20-7, 10-4 Big 12) broke the 100-point barrier for the first time in the 53-game series history, as the Red Raiders shot 54.8 percent (34-of-62) from the field, including 46.8 percent (13-of-28), while making 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the free throw line.
Junior P.J. Haggerty led three Wildcats in double figures with 17 points, while senior Nate Johnson and junior Taj Manning added 15 and 10 points, respectively. Haggerty has now scored in double figures in all 27 games, while Johnson scored in double figures for the third straight game. Manning tied his career-high for points for the third time, while posting a career-best 3 blocks.
K-State (11-16, 2-12 Big 12) shaved a 22-point first-half deficit to 10 points twice in the second half, including to 70-60 after a jumper by Nate Johnson with 9:10 to play. However, Texas Tech responded with 12 straight points, including 10 from Anderson, to go ahead 82-60 and put the game out of reach with just under 7 minutes remaining.
K-State shot just 43.8 percent (28-of-64) from the field, including 30 percent (6-of-20) from 3-point range, and made just 10 of 17 free throw attempts.
The Red Raiders built the early lead behind their potent 3-point shooting, as Atwell hit 3 from beyond the arc to key a 17-5 run that flipped a 5-point lead (17-12) into a 34-17 advantage with just over 8 minutes to play before halftime. The lead grew to 44-22 at the 3:50 mark before the Wildcats were able to close the gap to 49-35 at the break on the strength of a 13-5 run.
K-State lost its first game under interim head coach Matthew Driscoll, who was named to the position on Sunday night. He fell to 0-2 all-time vs. Texas Tech.
United Supermarkets Arena remains a house of horrors for the Wildcats, who are winless in their last 11 visits. The Red Raiders have now won 17 of 21 all-time meeting at the arena.
INTERIM HEAD COACH MATTHEW DRISCOLL
On closing the deficit to 10 points in the second half…
"JT Toppin is a great player. He's an All-American and when a game gets tough he is the type of player who can go get you a bucket. But at the end of the day, when you have a system like Grant (McCasland) has, and you can just throw in some ancillary people, and you can have a two-headed monster with (Luke) Bamgboye and (Marial) Akuentok, that can do the same thing, but they're not him (Toppin). But those ancillary people just kept on doing it. And when you can make threes, I shot 1200 threes last year at North Florida, especially with that kind of talent, it's really, really, really hard, and they're the best team in the league (in shooting 3-pointers). They don't allow you to get assists. We had eight assists on 26 baskets and only six turnovers. And so, we've got to be better, right? And we missed some things. We cut it to 10 with nine to go. And we had an opportunity, but we could never get over the hump. And to their credit, a well-coached team finds a way. There was no score pressure, so you got to give them credit right for amping up what they were doing. And obviously we just didn't execute the way we needed to in order to continue to do what we had done. So super, super proud of the way we fought, but we got crushed on the glass. We gave up almost 50 percent from three and you can't win like that. And what we did against Baylor from the three was night and day, right? Credit to Texas Tech. They were locked and loaded."
On defending Texas Tech when they are rebounding and shooting the 3 like that…
"I think two of the first 3-pointers were off offensive rebound kickouts, if I'm not mistaken. But then they just shared the sugar. They got downhill; they created two on the ball. They got an advantage. They made a crackdown. They were able to throw the ball out and get open 3s on the backside, which is what we like to do, too. So, to their guys' credit, they might have turned down one. That was okay, and then they got to the next one, created the next advantage, and then, boom, sprayed it and were able to knock them down. But there were a couple of offensive rebounds. We call that K-State spacing. When you get an offensive rebound, then you spray it out for a three. It's the best three in the world because it's the most practiced three. So, if you shoot on the gun, the ball is always coming from the rim. When you shoot with your girlfriend, the ball is always coming from the rim, right? And so, like, it's the best shot in basketball. It's always been, and it always will be."
On Texas Tech's blocked shots…
"They also had eight blocks, and I think we had three. And when you have eight blocks like that it just demoralizes a couple things we tried to do in the first half, and then part of the run we had in the second half. We got a couple transition ones blocked as well, too. And when you have a guy like Bamgboye that has the length and athleticism then you bring in (Marial Akuentok), they're like twins. The double-headed monster, right? And so, to their credit, they were really active. They're always active. But they were really active."
On Texas Tech playing without JT Toppin…
"I'm going to try to say this the right way, this team was not concerned that JT wasn't playing. They were like JT is not playing, so what's next? Like they always say, life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you react. This team came out with that kind of a mindset to their credit, and we were able to play well without him."
On P.J. Haggerty's performance…
"Whether you like this answer or not, I'm gonna have to give it to you, because I'm gonna tell you how I feel in my heart today. I think you found out that P.J. Haggerty when he gets cut, he bleeds too. He's a regular human being. He had a very tough day for P.J. Haggerty, because he is usually very strong from three and will knock down some free throws. He will always get somewhere between 20 and 25 (points) and on good night, he gets 35 (points), right? And today, on 17 shots, he gets 17 points. He's human. And did they do something to him? Were they more physical with him? Did they try to run at him? Can you imagine all the stuff teams run at him when he is averaging 20-plus points? And so, to their credit, they play tough, they play hard. But P.J. just had a bad day."
On the past few days…
"Wednesday was great, because it was a complete day off for everybody, staff, players, everybody. And so Thursday, we came back in and remember, we're not going to change. We're gonna be a little different, right? And so, this group came in, they prepared. They did what they needed to do. There is no sulking. There was no it's my time. Because right now, this can become an individual deal. But the problem is, marketability always comes into play, and so the things you do on the floor are always going to be on video. So, the way in which you grow and way in which people see you, those that have eligibility left, those that want to go on and do something else, somewhere else, all that stuff is going to matter. And so, they're very, very, very understanding of that, and we're coaching them just like we would coach them if Coach Tang was here. And so, to their credit, they haven't missed a beat in that sense. They've been they've been really, really responsive to me, because I'm different. I got a lot of odd things about me, but the one thing I've always been is I've had a disciplined commitment to consistency. I am who I am. I'm gonna do what I do, and I'm gonna be who I am. And so, to these guys' credit, they've embraced it."
FIRST HALF
The teams went back and forth in the early going, battling through 3 ties before Texas Tech used a 7-0 run to gain some separation at 14-7. After a dunk by junior Dorin Buca pulled K-State to within 17-12, the Red Raiders responded with 8 of the next 10 points to go ahead 25-14 and force Driscoll to call his first timeout at the 10:23 mark.
The timeout didn't halt Tech's momentum, as they ripped off the next 7 points to push the lead to 32-14 after a fourth 3-pointer by senior Donovan Atwell. The lead grew to 34-17, prompting another timeout by Driscoll with 8:04 to play.
After Texas Tech went ahead 44-22 at the 3:50 mark, K-State was able to finish the half with 13 of the last 18 points to cut the deficit to 49-35 at the break. Atwell led all scorers with 21 points, as the Red Raiders shot 52.9 percent (18-of-34) from the field, including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range. Senior Nate Johnson led the Wildcats with 11 points, as they were held to just 41.4 percent (12-of-29) shooting, including 30 percent (3-of-10) from long range.
SECOND HALF
The teams played nearly even over the first few minutes of the second half, as Texas Tech led 56-41 at the first media timeout. A 3-pointer by freshman Andrej Kostic helped K-State score 10 of the next 15 points to pull to within 61-51 at the 13:48 mark.
A 3-pointer by junior LeJuan Watts helped the Red Raiders respond with 7 of the next 8 points to pull back ahead by 16 points (68-52) just after the second media timeout. An 8-2 run capped by a jumper from Johnson got the Wildcats once again to within 10 points at 70-60 with just over 9 minutes remaining. However, a 12-0 run by the home team, including 10 from sophomore Christian Anderson, put the game away at 82-60 with 6:48 to play. The lead ballooned to as many as 30 points in the waning seconds.
Anderson led all scorers with 16 points in the second half.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State plays its second consecutive road game on Wednesday night when the Wildcats travel to Boulder, Colo., to take on Colorado (15-12, 5-9 Big 12) at the CU Events Center. Tip is set for 8 p.m., CT on FS1. This will be the first visit to Boulder since 2011. Last year, the Wildcats posted a 65-56 win over the Buffaloes at home.
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.
Atwell scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, while Anderson did most of his damage in the second half with 16 of his 21 points coming after halftime. In all, all five Red Raider starters scored in double figures, including 19 points from junior LeJuan Watts, 12 points from sophomore Luke Bamgboye and 10 points from freshman Jaylen Petty.
Texas Tech (20-7, 10-4 Big 12) broke the 100-point barrier for the first time in the 53-game series history, as the Red Raiders shot 54.8 percent (34-of-62) from the field, including 46.8 percent (13-of-28), while making 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the free throw line.
Junior P.J. Haggerty led three Wildcats in double figures with 17 points, while senior Nate Johnson and junior Taj Manning added 15 and 10 points, respectively. Haggerty has now scored in double figures in all 27 games, while Johnson scored in double figures for the third straight game. Manning tied his career-high for points for the third time, while posting a career-best 3 blocks.
K-State (11-16, 2-12 Big 12) shaved a 22-point first-half deficit to 10 points twice in the second half, including to 70-60 after a jumper by Nate Johnson with 9:10 to play. However, Texas Tech responded with 12 straight points, including 10 from Anderson, to go ahead 82-60 and put the game out of reach with just under 7 minutes remaining.
K-State shot just 43.8 percent (28-of-64) from the field, including 30 percent (6-of-20) from 3-point range, and made just 10 of 17 free throw attempts.
The Red Raiders built the early lead behind their potent 3-point shooting, as Atwell hit 3 from beyond the arc to key a 17-5 run that flipped a 5-point lead (17-12) into a 34-17 advantage with just over 8 minutes to play before halftime. The lead grew to 44-22 at the 3:50 mark before the Wildcats were able to close the gap to 49-35 at the break on the strength of a 13-5 run.
K-State lost its first game under interim head coach Matthew Driscoll, who was named to the position on Sunday night. He fell to 0-2 all-time vs. Texas Tech.
United Supermarkets Arena remains a house of horrors for the Wildcats, who are winless in their last 11 visits. The Red Raiders have now won 17 of 21 all-time meeting at the arena.
INTERIM HEAD COACH MATTHEW DRISCOLL
On closing the deficit to 10 points in the second half…
"JT Toppin is a great player. He's an All-American and when a game gets tough he is the type of player who can go get you a bucket. But at the end of the day, when you have a system like Grant (McCasland) has, and you can just throw in some ancillary people, and you can have a two-headed monster with (Luke) Bamgboye and (Marial) Akuentok, that can do the same thing, but they're not him (Toppin). But those ancillary people just kept on doing it. And when you can make threes, I shot 1200 threes last year at North Florida, especially with that kind of talent, it's really, really, really hard, and they're the best team in the league (in shooting 3-pointers). They don't allow you to get assists. We had eight assists on 26 baskets and only six turnovers. And so, we've got to be better, right? And we missed some things. We cut it to 10 with nine to go. And we had an opportunity, but we could never get over the hump. And to their credit, a well-coached team finds a way. There was no score pressure, so you got to give them credit right for amping up what they were doing. And obviously we just didn't execute the way we needed to in order to continue to do what we had done. So super, super proud of the way we fought, but we got crushed on the glass. We gave up almost 50 percent from three and you can't win like that. And what we did against Baylor from the three was night and day, right? Credit to Texas Tech. They were locked and loaded."
On defending Texas Tech when they are rebounding and shooting the 3 like that…
"I think two of the first 3-pointers were off offensive rebound kickouts, if I'm not mistaken. But then they just shared the sugar. They got downhill; they created two on the ball. They got an advantage. They made a crackdown. They were able to throw the ball out and get open 3s on the backside, which is what we like to do, too. So, to their guys' credit, they might have turned down one. That was okay, and then they got to the next one, created the next advantage, and then, boom, sprayed it and were able to knock them down. But there were a couple of offensive rebounds. We call that K-State spacing. When you get an offensive rebound, then you spray it out for a three. It's the best three in the world because it's the most practiced three. So, if you shoot on the gun, the ball is always coming from the rim. When you shoot with your girlfriend, the ball is always coming from the rim, right? And so, like, it's the best shot in basketball. It's always been, and it always will be."
On Texas Tech's blocked shots…
"They also had eight blocks, and I think we had three. And when you have eight blocks like that it just demoralizes a couple things we tried to do in the first half, and then part of the run we had in the second half. We got a couple transition ones blocked as well, too. And when you have a guy like Bamgboye that has the length and athleticism then you bring in (Marial Akuentok), they're like twins. The double-headed monster, right? And so, to their credit, they were really active. They're always active. But they were really active."
On Texas Tech playing without JT Toppin…
"I'm going to try to say this the right way, this team was not concerned that JT wasn't playing. They were like JT is not playing, so what's next? Like they always say, life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you react. This team came out with that kind of a mindset to their credit, and we were able to play well without him."
On P.J. Haggerty's performance…
"Whether you like this answer or not, I'm gonna have to give it to you, because I'm gonna tell you how I feel in my heart today. I think you found out that P.J. Haggerty when he gets cut, he bleeds too. He's a regular human being. He had a very tough day for P.J. Haggerty, because he is usually very strong from three and will knock down some free throws. He will always get somewhere between 20 and 25 (points) and on good night, he gets 35 (points), right? And today, on 17 shots, he gets 17 points. He's human. And did they do something to him? Were they more physical with him? Did they try to run at him? Can you imagine all the stuff teams run at him when he is averaging 20-plus points? And so, to their credit, they play tough, they play hard. But P.J. just had a bad day."
On the past few days…
"Wednesday was great, because it was a complete day off for everybody, staff, players, everybody. And so Thursday, we came back in and remember, we're not going to change. We're gonna be a little different, right? And so, this group came in, they prepared. They did what they needed to do. There is no sulking. There was no it's my time. Because right now, this can become an individual deal. But the problem is, marketability always comes into play, and so the things you do on the floor are always going to be on video. So, the way in which you grow and way in which people see you, those that have eligibility left, those that want to go on and do something else, somewhere else, all that stuff is going to matter. And so, they're very, very, very understanding of that, and we're coaching them just like we would coach them if Coach Tang was here. And so, to their credit, they haven't missed a beat in that sense. They've been they've been really, really responsive to me, because I'm different. I got a lot of odd things about me, but the one thing I've always been is I've had a disciplined commitment to consistency. I am who I am. I'm gonna do what I do, and I'm gonna be who I am. And so, to these guys' credit, they've embraced it."
FIRST HALF
The teams went back and forth in the early going, battling through 3 ties before Texas Tech used a 7-0 run to gain some separation at 14-7. After a dunk by junior Dorin Buca pulled K-State to within 17-12, the Red Raiders responded with 8 of the next 10 points to go ahead 25-14 and force Driscoll to call his first timeout at the 10:23 mark.
The timeout didn't halt Tech's momentum, as they ripped off the next 7 points to push the lead to 32-14 after a fourth 3-pointer by senior Donovan Atwell. The lead grew to 34-17, prompting another timeout by Driscoll with 8:04 to play.
After Texas Tech went ahead 44-22 at the 3:50 mark, K-State was able to finish the half with 13 of the last 18 points to cut the deficit to 49-35 at the break. Atwell led all scorers with 21 points, as the Red Raiders shot 52.9 percent (18-of-34) from the field, including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range. Senior Nate Johnson led the Wildcats with 11 points, as they were held to just 41.4 percent (12-of-29) shooting, including 30 percent (3-of-10) from long range.
SECOND HALF
The teams played nearly even over the first few minutes of the second half, as Texas Tech led 56-41 at the first media timeout. A 3-pointer by freshman Andrej Kostic helped K-State score 10 of the next 15 points to pull to within 61-51 at the 13:48 mark.
A 3-pointer by junior LeJuan Watts helped the Red Raiders respond with 7 of the next 8 points to pull back ahead by 16 points (68-52) just after the second media timeout. An 8-2 run capped by a jumper from Johnson got the Wildcats once again to within 10 points at 70-60 with just over 9 minutes remaining. However, a 12-0 run by the home team, including 10 from sophomore Christian Anderson, put the game away at 82-60 with 6:48 to play. The lead ballooned to as many as 30 points in the waning seconds.
Anderson led all scorers with 16 points in the second half.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State dropped its seventh straight road game with a 100-72 loss at No. 13/13 Texas Tech.
- It marked the second straight game for interim head coach Matthew Driscoll, who is now 1-1 with the Wildcats… He is now 275-341 as a head coach, including 0-2 vs. Texas Tech.
- Texas Tech now leads the all-time series, 27-26, including 18-7 in Lubbock and 17-4 at United Supermarkets Arena… The Red Raiders have won 11 straight in the series at home.
- K-State is 0-7 vs. Top 25 teams this season, including 0-4 on the road.
- K-State is now 1-8 on the road this season.
- K-State used a starting lineup of junior P.J. Haggerty, senior Nate Johnson, sophomore David Castillo, junior Taj Manning and senior Khamari McGriff… This is the fifth time using this lineup and the sixth different lineup used this season.
- Haggerty and Johnson have now started all 27 games.
- Haggerty now has 93 career starts (Tulsa/Memphis/K-State), N. Johnson now has 87 career starts (Akron/K-State), McGriff now has 65 career starts (UNC Wilmington/K-State), Castillo and Manning now have 13 career starts each.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 72 points on 43.8 percent (28-of-64) shooting, including 30 percent (6-of-20) from 3-point range, while hitting on 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from free throw line.
- K-State is now 0-12 this season when scoring less than 80 points.
- K-State outscored Texas Tech, 36-34, in the paint.
- K-State was held a season-low 3 fast-break points.
- Texas Tech held a 40-28 advantage on the glass, including 10 offensive rebounds that the Red Raiders converted into a 14-5 edge in second-chance points.
- K-State trailed 49-35 at the half and is now 1-14 on the season when trailing at the break.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Three Wildcats scored in double figures, including 17 points from junior P.J. Haggerty, 15 points from senior Nate Johnson and 10 points from junior Taj Manning.
- Haggerty scored his 17 points on 7-of-17 field goals, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range, and 2-of-6 free throws to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 36 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 91 of 99 career games, including all 27 games this season.
- Johnson scored his 15 points on 5-of-10 field goals, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and 4-of-6 free throws to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 34 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 57 career games, including 17 this season.
- Manning tied his career-high with 10 points on 4-of-8 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws to go with 5 rebounds and a career-best 3 blocks in 25 minutes.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State plays its second consecutive road game on Wednesday night when the Wildcats travel to Boulder, Colo., to take on Colorado (15-12, 5-9 Big 12) at the CU Events Center. Tip is set for 8 p.m., CT on FS1. This will be the first visit to Boulder since 2011. Last year, the Wildcats posted a 65-56 win over the Buffaloes at home.
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
TTU
FG%
.438
.548
3FG%
.300
.464
FT%
.588
.826
RB
28
40
TO
6
6
STL
3
1
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
W
/ Men's BasketballW
/ Men's Basketball
W
/ Men's BasketballK-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Texas Tech
Sunday, February 22
K-State Men's Basketball | Haggerty and Johnson Historic Night vs Baylor
Thursday, February 19
K-State Men's Basketball | Interim Head Coach Driscoll Press Conference vs Baylor
Wednesday, February 18
K-State Men's Basketball | Press Conference vs Baylor
Wednesday, February 18
