P.J. Haggerty scored 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting as Kansas State demolished Mississippi Valley State 108-49 in a nonconference game on Monday in Manhattan, Kan.
The Wildcats (6-4) needed a shot of confidence after a four-game losing streak had threatened to derail their season. They received it quickly against the overmatched Delta Devils.
Haggerty, the nation’s leading scorer, found his groove early on, making his first four shots on the way to 15 first-half points. He finished 5 of 6 from long distance for Kansas State, which hit 52.8% from 3-point range as a team while racking up 30 assists and 34 points in the paint.
Kansas State built a 16-6 lead over the game’s first five minutes, surged ahead 25-9 over the next three minutes and had a 32-12 advantage with 9:16 to go in the half.
David Castillo notched 19 points for Kansas State, which never trailed. Nate Johnson wound up with 14 points, six assists, and five steals, and Abdi Bashir Jr. added 15 points on five 3-pointers.
Mississippi Valley State (1-9) lost its eighth game in a row. Michael James paced the Delta Devils with 23 points on 10-of-23 shooting. The rest of the team had just six made field goals on 39 attempts (15.4%).
James scored 10 first-half points on 5-of-12 shooting, while his teammates went 1-for-19 in the opening 20 minutes as Kansas State built a 55-21 lead at the break.
The Wildcats continued to pour it on in the second half, building a 41-point advantage (66-25) on a Johnson 3-pointer with 15:15 to go and a 52-point lead, 84-32, when Haggerty hit a trey with 10:31 left.
Kansas State broke 100 points for the first time this season when C.J. Jones hit a 3-pointer with 6:27 to play. The lead reached 61 two minutes later, 106-45, on a Marcus Johnson trey.
The Delta Devils will next play at home for just the second time this season when they oppose Tarleton State on Dec. 16. Kansas State travels to Creighton on Saturday.
