KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Junior P.J. Haggerty scored a season-high 37 points to go with a game-high 8 assists and 7 rebounds to lift Kansas State to the Hall of Fame Classic Championship game with 98-77 win over Mississippi State on Thursday night before 5,278 fans at T-Mobile Center.
Off to their best start since 2022-23, K-State (5-0) will now play Nebraska (5-0) in the championship of the Hall of Fame Classic on Friday night at 8:30 p.m., CT. It will mark the third time that the Wildcats have played in the tournament’s title game following 2010 and 2015.
Haggerty paced three Wildcats with his season-high 37 points, which came on 13-of-21 field goals, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and 7-of-8 free throws. The 37 points are the most scored by a K-State player in 49 games played at the T-Mobile Center, eclipsing the 29 scored by Makol Mawien against Kansas in the Big 12 Championship on March 9, 2018.
The 37 points are the most by a Wildcat since Barry Brown Jr. scored 38 against Oklahoma State on Jan. 10, 2018, while he is the first player with back-to-back 30-point games since Markquis Nowell posted 36 points vs. Texas and 32 points vs. Baylor on Jan. 3 and 7, 2023. He now has six career games of 30 or more points.
Haggerty joins Michael Beasley as the only players in school history to record 5 consecutive games of 20 or more points to open a season. His 141 points through the first 5 games are only topped by Beasley’s 150 points in 2007-08 for the most by a player to open a season.
In addition, Haggerty is the first Wildcat to record a stat line of 30 or more points, 5 or more rebounds and 5 or more assists since Brown tallied 34 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a win at Baylor on Jan. 22, 2018.
Haggerty was joined in double figures by senior Nate Johnson and junior Abdi Bashir Jr., who posted 14 and 12 points, respectively. The Wildcats also got 9 points from sophomore David Castillo, 8 points from senior Khamari McGriff and 7 points from freshman Andrej Kostic.
K-State connected on 50 percent or better from the field for the fourth time in 5 games, making 50.7 percent (37-of-73) from the field, including 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from 3-point range, and were nearly perfect from the line, making 10 of 11 attempts. The Wildcats dished out 22 assists and had just 8 turnovers.
The 98 points broke the school record for points scored at T-Mobile Center, topping the 87 scored in the school’s first-ever game in the building against Florida A&M on Dec. 17, 2007. The 472 points are the most points scored through the first 5 games of a season.
K-State took the lead for good on a rare 4-point play by Kostic with 9:11 left in the first half then slowly pulled away behind the play of Haggerty, who had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in the first half. Haggerty’s old-fashioned 3-point play extended the lead to 40-32 with 2:07 remaining before consecutive baskets by Castillo and Johnson made it 44-36 at the break.
The lead grew to double digits early in the second half after a 3-pointer by Johnson, but the Bulldogs closed within 69-62 after 4 consecutive free throws with 9:24 to play. However, four more points from Haggerty and a layup by McGriff extended it back to double figures at the third media timeout. From there, the advantage grew to more than 20 points, including its largest at 91-68 after a 3-pointer by Bashir with 3:13 to play.
Mississippi State (3-2) was led by Josh Hubbard’s 23 points, who went 7-of-15 from the field, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range, and 8-of-9 from the line. Senior Jayden Epps had 18 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while former Wichita State player Quincy Ballad had 10 points.
The Bulldogs shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field, but just 28 percent (7-of-25) from 3, and made 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the line. Their 14 turnovers resulted in 17 K-State points.
KEY PLAYER(S)
Haggerty scored the most points by the Wildcats in nearly 8 years, as he poured in a stat line not seen often with a season-high 37 points, 8 assists (with just one turnover), 7 rebounds and 2 steals in 34 minutes. He had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in the first half then added 22 points after halftime, as the lead ballooned to as many as 23 points.
Johnson, his backcourt mate, chipped in 14 points, including 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
KEY MOMENT(S)
With Mississippi State gaining momentum with 4 consecutive free throws to pull to within 69-62 with 9:24 to play, Haggerty sparked a 13-2 run capped by a McGriff dunk that pushed the lead back out to 18 points at 82-64, prompting a timeout from MSU head coach Chris Jans with 6:15 to play.
KEY STATS
The Wildcats shot better than 50 percent from the field for the fourth time in 5 games, while knocking down 14 3-pointers on 46.7 percent shooting. The squad had 42 points in the paint and outscored the Bulldogs, 17-4 on both points off turnovers and fast-break points.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
“And I’m glad to be the head coach of Kansas State, and so thankful for our fans that came out tonight, and it was so much fun having there. And then obviously we got really good players, and these dudes are growing every day and learning and sharing, and Coach Reem (Dowling) did an unbelievable job on the scout, along with Coach (Austin) Carpenter. And, I mean, it was on point. And then Coach (Matthew) Driscoll called a terrific offensive game. And so very, very, very pleased, but not satisfied, because we got more work to do.”
On what it’s like having P.J. Haggerty and Nate Johnson…
“A whole lot better than not having them. I told y’all a while ago that I don’t think P.J. had a good game in the first four games. I said, there’s another level for him, and there is, I think he’s the best point guard in America and might be the best player in America. I don’t get to vote on that, though, but for me, I wouldn’t want anybody else. And same thing with this guy right here. He just makes winning plays, you know, and whenever you need it, he steps up and, and it’s not just them. They’ll tell you everyone of their teammates in there can really play, and our forwards are growing every single day. And so, it’s a lot of fun.”
On P.J. Haggerty’s point total…
“Point guards are judged like pitchers on wins and losses, and that’s all that matters for him, like it’s about winning. And so, if he needs to score 50 for us to win, then I think he will do it. If he needs to get 10 rebounds, I think he will do it. If he needs to get 20 assists, I think he will do it. I think he’ll do whatever it takes for us to win. And I think we got a group like that.”
On what was working best when the team hit its second gear in the second half…
“I would have to look at the film. They were playing together, right? I think the ball was moving. Well, I know first thing that happened is we stopped fouling, right? Holy cow, you know, and we stopped fouling. We guarded without fouling. We were able to get out in transition, and the ball was moving around, and guys were just having fun, and so, but, but I can’t give you a precise thing. It was just players making plays.”
FIRST HALF
K-State enjoyed the early lead with a layup from junior P.J. Haggerty and a 3-pointer from junior Elias Rapieque, however, MSU knocked down back-to-back triples to take a 9-7 lead into the first media timeout. A Haggerty 3-pointer pulled the Wildcats to within 13-12 before the Bulldogs answered with a third trey. A layup from senior Khamari McGriff made it 16-14 at the second media timeout with just over 11 minutes to play.
A rare 4-point play from freshman Andrej Kostic made it 23-20 before a MSU jumper and a 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. pushed it to 26-22 at the third media timeout. Another 3-pointer from Bashir to go with 2 free throws from Haggerty and a fast-break layup from senior Nate Johnson made it 33-26, forcing a timeout from Bulldog head coach Chris Jans with 5:11 to play.
A dunk by Johnson and a jumper by sophomore David Castillo gave K-State a 37-30 before a Haggerty 3-point play made it 40-32. The Wildcats got a jumper from Castillo and a Johnson layup right at the buzzer to take a 44-36 advantage into halftime.
K-State shot 44.7 percent (17-of-38) from the field in the opening half, including 40 percent (6-of-15) from 3-point range, compared to 41.9 percent (13-of-31) for MSU.
Haggerty led all scorers with 15 points to go with 5 assists and 5 rebounds.
SECOND HALF
MSU opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer before K-State answered back with an 8-2 run to ahead 52-41 at the first media timeout. Haggerty had a personal 5-0 run, including his fourth 3-pointer, to give the Wildcats a 57-44 lead, but back-to-back baskets by the Bulldogs closed the gap to 62-53 at the second media timeout with 11:52 to play.
K-State went ahead by 11 points three times over the next several possessions before MSU pulled to within 69-62 near the midway point. However, Haggerty sparked a 13-2 run that pushed the lead back out to 18 at 82-64, resulting in a timeout by head coach Chris Jans with 6:15 remaining. From there, the lead grew to as many as 23 points (91-68) after a 3-pointer by Bashir with 3:13 to play.
The Wildcat shot 57.1 percent (20-of-35) from the field, including 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from 3-point range, in the second half and made all 6 free throws. Haggerty led all with 22 points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State moves to 5-0 on the season for the first time since 2022-23.
- K-State is now 3-4 all-time in the Hall of Fame Classic, in this, the fourth appearance in the tournament (2010, 2015, 2021, 2025).
- K-State is now 25-24 all-time at the T-Mobile Center.
- K-State is now 4-1 all-time vs. Mississippi State, including 1-1 in neutral sites.
- K-State now has 6 wins over SEC teams at the T-Mobile Center.
- K-State is now 193-62 in non-conference games since 2006.
- 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 fourth straight game using this lineup.
- Haggerty now has 71 career starts (Tulsa/Memphis/K-State), N. Johnson now has 65 career starts (Akron/K-State), McGriff now has 47 career starts (UNC Wilmington/K-State) and Bashir now has 37 career starts (Monmouth/K-State)… This is the fourth start for Rapieque.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 98 points on 50.7 percent (37-of-73) shooting, including 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from 3-point range, and had 22 assists on 37 made field goals with just 8 turnovers.
- The 98 points were the most scored by a K-State team in 49 games played at the T-Mobile Center, eclipsing the 87 scored against Florida A&M on Dec. 17, 2007.
- It marked the fourth game of 90 or more points in 5 games this season.
- The 472 points this season are the most-ever scored through the first 5 games.
- The Wildcats have connected on 50 percent or better from the field in 4 of 5 games.
- K-State tied a season-high with 14 3-pointers.
- K-State held a 17-4 edge on points off turnovers and fast-break points.
- K-State posted a 38-34 advantage on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds resulting in a 9-8 edge in second-chance points.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Three Wildcats scored in double figures led by junior P.J. Haggerty’s season-high 37 points, while senior Nate Johnson and junior Abdi Bashir Jr. added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
- Haggerty’s 37 points are the most points scored by a K-State player in the T-Mobile Center, surpassing the 29 scored by Makol Mawien vs. Kansas in the Big 12 Championship on March 9, 2018.
- Haggerty scored his 37 points on 13-of-21 field goals, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and 7-of-8 free throws to go with a game-high 8 assists and 7 rebounds… He now has scored in double figures in 69 of 77 games in college, including 48 games of 20 or more points and 6 games of 30 or more points.
- Haggerty joins Michael Beasley in 2007-08 as the only Wildcats to score 20 or more points in 5 consecutive games to start a season.
- Haggerty is the first Wildcat to post a stat line of 30 or more points, 5 or more rebounds and 5 or more assists since Barry Brown Jr. had 34 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists at Baylor on Jan. 22, 2018.
- Johnson scored his 14 points on 6-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 29 minutes… He now has double figures in 43 career games, including 3 of 5 games this season.
- Bashir scored his 12 points on 4-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, with 4 rebounds in 23 minutes… He now has scored in double figures in 40 career games, including 4 of 5 this season.
WHAT’S NEXT
K-State will play Nebraska (5-0) in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic on Friday night in the second game of a doubleheader at the T-Mobile Center. Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. CT and will air on Peacock and NBC Sports Now. Tickets are available through the T-Mobile Center ticket office at t-mobilecenter.com/events/detail/hall-of-fame-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.
