Heads hung, and disappointment spread through Bramlage Coliseum as many fans filed out with two minutes left in the game.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” K-State head coach Jerome Tang said. “We didn’t deserve to wear a K-State uniform tonight. If I could have walked out, I’d have walked out a lot earlier. I’d have left with some of the fans.”
Kansas State struggled on both ends of the floor, falling 82-66 against the Bowling Green Falcons. The Wildcats shot 39.3% from the field and just 26.1% from 3-point range.
The Wildcats started slow, allowing the Falcons to score the first five points before Khamari McGriff made a layup to put K-State on the board.
Frequent empty possessions created early scoring droughts. With 7:32 remaining in the first half, the Wildcats trailed by seven and were 1 of their last 7 from the field.
K-State gained momentum after a media timeout when Nate Johnson grabbed a steal and fed David Castillo for a 3-pointer. A defensive stop and rebound by Abdi Bashir Jr. led to a McGriff dunk that cut the deficit to two.
But the Wildcats closed the half with another dry spell, allowing Bowling Green to end on a 6-0 run and take a 49-35 halftime lead.
“I just think that we just got to get tougher,” Castillo said. “When the lights come on, and the ball is in the air, who’s going to go grab the ball? If we don’t change that, it’s going to be tough.”
The Wildcats faced a double-digit deficit throughout much of the second half. PJ Haggerty’s 3-pointer with 7:21 remaining trimmed the margin to eight, but that was as close as K-State came.
“We never put any real pressure on them,” Tang said. “We never did. And whenever we cut it to single digits, they scored. And they probably scored at the rim or got a wide-open shot because they made you pay every time you made a mistake. We don’t know how to sit down and guard the ball and keep it in front of us so that we don’t cause rotations, so you don’t have to help, and we got to get better at that.”
Despite frustrations with the defense, Tang expressed dissatisfaction with the offense and questioned the underlying effort involved.
“I’m concerned with the types of shots that we took,” Tang said. “But more important than that was the effort you know and so we’ll go look at the shots but I think the most important thing was the effort that we gave didn’t give us a chance to win tonight.”
Even as the defeat weighed on fans, players and coaches, Tang turned his attention to his team’s mindset and determination.
“This is not a question of these guys’ character or ability, but it is a question of their approach to every team that they’re going to play,” Tang said. “Those guys [Bowling Green] had a chip on their shoulder and they came in here to win a basketball game. We look like we just came to play, and that’s what happens when you don’t show up and you don’t bring it, you’re going to get beat. That is what is going to happen.”
K-State returns to Bramlage Coliseum to face Seton Hall on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m.
