Kansas State men’s basketball had its first conference win well within reach on Saturday night in Stillwater, but another gutting finish left the Wildcats on the wrong side of the result, falling 84-83 to Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Leading by two, K-State fouled Oklahoma State on a 3-point attempt, sending the Cowboys to the line. Oklahoma State converted to pull ahead by one. With two seconds remaining, the Wildcats thought a foul by Oklahoma State would come, and PJ Haggerty was left with a rushed, deep heave that never reached the rim as the horn sounded, sealing another narrow loss.
“We thought they had fouls to give because they played unbelievable defense in the second half and only fouled four times,” head coach Jerome Tang said. “When you have that many fouls to give at the end with two seconds, we thought they might foul. I told them that if they foul, you make sure you get a shot up. I’ve got to do a better job communicating in those moments.”
The loss dropped K-State to 9-9 and 0-5 in Big 12 play, marking the sixth time in program history the Wildcats have opened conference play with five straight losses and the first time since the 1996-97 season. The Wildcats moved into sole possession of last place of the 16 teams in the Big 12 as Utah earned its first conference win, leaving K-State as the only winless team.
