P.J. Haggerty scored 34 points and Kansas State overcame Terrence Brown’s 33 points in an 81-78 win over Utah in Manhattan, Kan., on Tuesday night.

It was the first conference win for Kansas State after an 0-5 start in Big 12 play.

The nation’s fourth-leading scorer didn’t get going until the second half, when Haggerty exploded for 28 points. He added eight rebounds and four assists.

Utah fell below .500 on the season despite Brown going 14-of-24 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range.

The Wildcats (10-9, 1-5) also got big contributions from David Castillo (20 points) and Nate Johnson (17 points, five rebounds, six assists).

Utah (9-10, 1-5) saw Seydou Traore and Don McHenry post 15 points and six rebounds apiece.

The Wildcats were without two normal starters, Abdi Bashir and Khamari McGriff. With Bashir, a long-range specialist, out, the Wildcats managed not to miss a beat from distance, making 12 of 23 (52.2%).

After a first half of runs, much of the second half was nip and tuck, with neither team managing a lead larger than five.

After Utah took a 75-74 lead with under three minutes to play on six straight points from Brown, Haggerty responded with a three-point play to give Kansas State a 77-75 advantage.

Brown hit a layup to tie, then Haggerty answered again with a bank shot in the lane with 39 seconds left.

McHenry drew a foul with 11 seconds left, but only made one of his two free throws. Johnson answered with two free throws after a Utah foul, and Brown’s final desperation 3-point attempt missed.

Both teams made at least half of their shots in a high-scoring first half.

Utah opened with a 7-2 lead before Kansas State got hot, posting a 26-11 run to take a 28-18 lead.

The Utes battled back to tie the game with five minutes left in the half, with the Wildcats gaining a 46-43 advantage at the break, thanks to a game-high 17 points from Castillo.

Castillo was 5-of-7 from 3-point range in the half.

–Field Level Media