Heartbreaker in Kansas City: Wildcats Fall 86-85 in Hall of Fame Classic Thriller

David Castillo dribbles the ball past a Nebraska defender. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

K-State and Nebraska basketball players reach into the air for a jump ball. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

A K-State basketball player falls backward on the court. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

David Castillo and PJ Haggerty bump chests after scoring. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

A K-State basketball player shoots a three pointer. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

PJ Haggerty shoots the basketball over a Nebraska defender. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

A Nebraska player celebrates after beating K-State in T-Mobile Arena. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

While it was not March Madness, the stakes were high as two former conference rivals played for a chance to bring home a local title. Both teams were coming off huge wins over Mississippi State and New Mexico the previous night and held double-digit halftime leads. It was a battle between two high-scoring offenses and two strong defenses.

First Half

The game got underway, and like the previous night, it was a fairly even start until the Cornhuskers went on a run to go up 14-7. It felt like déjà vu for Kansas State, as they scored first but then saw their opponent go up by two or more points within the first 5 minutes.

Nebraska players like Pryce Sandfort, Sam Hoiberg, and Rienk Mast hit threes from beyond the arc and scored in the paint. The Cornhuskers reused the same formula on both ends of the floor that they had used against New Mexico, ultimately forcing the Wildcats to miss many of the shots that players like PJ Haggerty usually made.

As the half drew to a close, the Wildcats found their stride primarily through free throws and jumpers, going on a 23-8 scoring run to trim the Cornhusker lead to seven. A three-point jumper by Jamarques Lawrence with four seconds left put Nebraska over Kansas State 45-35 going into halftime.

Second Half

The Wildcat faithful could not have asked for a better start to the half. Kansas State scored 11 unanswered points to retake the lead 46-45 in the first three minutes of the second half. During this run, they forced the Cornhuskers into multiple turnovers from players stepping out of bounds or traveling.

Kansas State and Nebraska traded three-point shots and turnovers throughout the entire second half as they continually stole the lead back from each other. Abdi Bashir Jr. shone in the second half with 15 points from beyond the arc and three more from the free-throw line. The Wildcats also grabbed 13 defensive rebounds out of 15 to help them take and momentarily keep the lead.

With less than a second left, Castillo was called for fouling Sam Hoiberg while going for a rebound. Hoiberg made the first free throw to give Nebraska an 86-85 lead and then intentionally missed the second with one-tenth of a second remaining. The lob pass from Nate Johnson could not produce the game-winning play the Wildcats were hoping for.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers captured their first Hall of Fame Classic title with an 86-85 victory. Freshman forward Braden Frager was named tournament MVP after averaging 18 points and shooting 72% over the two games.

Back to business

All of the starters recorded at least three rebounds, and three of them scored at least 12 points for Kansas State. Abdi Bashir Jr. led the team with 27 points, along with six rebounds and seven assists, to help keep the game close.

Since this was an in-season tournament, both teams quickly got back to business with conference play approaching. The Wildcats head to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and will return home to face Bowling Green on December 1.