Wildcat Make First True Road Trip When They Travel To Wisconsin-Green Bay
Dec 09, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2002
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Game #10
No. 7/7 Kansas State Wildcats (8-1)
vs. UW-Green Bay Phoenix (6-1)
Date:Thurs., Dec. 12, 2002 - 7 p.m. CT
Site:Phoenix Sports Center - 1,800 -Green Bay, Wis.
Television: None
Radio:Mid America Sports Network - Steve Webster (play-by-play)
Internet: none
Records:Kansas State is 8-1 overall. UW-Green Bay is 6-1 overall.
Coaches: Kansas State coach Deb Patterson (Rockford (Ill.) College '79) is 105-85 (.552) in her seventh season at K-State. UW-Green Bay is coached by Kevin Borseth (Lake Superior State '76), who is 92-36 (.718) in his fifth season at UWGB.
Series: Kansas State leads the series, 2-1.
MANHATTAN, Kan. - The No. 7/7 Kansas State Wildcats (8-1) make just their second road trip of the season when they travel north to Green Bay, Wis., to take on red-hot Wisconsin-Green Bay (6-1) on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Phoenix Sports Center.
Both teams are sporting winning streaks, K-State three and UW-Green Bay six, and both teams' lone loss came on the road. But it is Kansas State that is on the road Thursday, going against a Phoenix squad that has a 13-game unbeaten streak on their home court. Additionally, UWGB has already knocked off one ranked team, then-No. 25 TCU, 60-58, on the road on Dec. 3.
K-State capped its three-game homestand with a 3-0 record and the Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic title. The Wildcats won their seventh Classic in eight years with a dominating, 60-36, victory over Weber State. UW-Green Bay had a 2-0 week, beating TCU and Ohio State, 74-64, at home on Dec. 8.
Thursday's game can be heard on KMAN (1350 AM), KBLS (102.5), KNDY (1570 AM), KTPK (106.9 FM), KXKU (106.1 FM) and KINZ (95.3 FM).
Kansas State leads the series, 2-1 after beating UW-Green Bay, 85-66, last year in Manhattan.
Setting The Scene
Kansas State takes its three-game winning streak on the road Thursday when it plays Wisconsin-Green Bay. The contest is just the second road game and the first true road trip for the Wildcats after dropping a 63-57 game at then-No. 7 Stanford in the Stanford Tournament.
K-State has been traditionally strong on the road against non-conference teams, sporting a 17-8 mark in road contests only during the Deb Patterson era, including a 4-0 record last year.
The Wildcats will be looking for their ninth win this season to match last season's record of 9-1 over the first 10 games. The 'Cats currently have the sixth-best start in school history and a victory on Thursday would put the 2002-03 Wildcats into a four-way tie for the fourth-best start in the program's history.
Kansas State will face a feisty Phoenix squad that is turning heads with a six-game winning streak and victories over notable opponents.
UW-Green Bay, which received 35 votes in the latest Associated Press poll, has notched four victories in its home winning streak. It has won its last 13 home games dating back to last season. Michigan State was the last team to beat the Phoenix, 68-53, on Dec. 15, 2001.
A Quick Glance at Kansas State
Kansas State continues its pressure-packed non-conference schedule on Thursday. The Wildcats have an 8-1 record against six of nine opponents that were ranked or receiving votes at the time they played the 'Cats.
Throughout the nine games, seventh-year head coach Deb Patterson has stuck with four sophomores and a junior as her starting lineup. She has started sophomore Laurie Koehn at the point, sophomore Megan Mahoney at wing, sophomore Kendra Wecker at small forward, Brie Madden at power forward and center Nicole Ohlde at center. The five have accounted for 91.5 (639-698) percent of the K-State's scoring and 80.8 (313-387) percent of the Wildcats' rebounding. Four average double-digits in scoring, two grab eight or more rebounds a game and four average over 3.5 assists an outing.
K-State is shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 75.9 percent from the free-throw line. The Wildcats are averaging 77.6 points a game and allowing 56.6 points an outing.
A pair of All-American candidates lead the Wildcats offensively. Wecker is averaging 19.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Ohlde is registering 17.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.2 blocks a contest.
Koehn and Mahoney are also averaging double digits in points. Koehn is tossing in 15.7 a game and Mahoney 13.2 an outing. Koehn is K-State's leading three-point threat, hitting 26 this season. Mahoney is also the Wildcats' top playmaker, dishing out 5.4 assists per game.
Kansas State's fifth starter, Madden, is averaging 4.9 points and 6.2 rebounds over nine games. She is second on the team in blocks with 16.
A Glance At UW-Green Bay
UW-Green Bay has been turning some heads this season. The Phoenix are receiving votes in both the Associated Press poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll after starting their season 6-1 and chalking-up some impressive victories over Wisconsin (77-52), Oregon (69-53), SE Missouri State (74-49), Miami (83-72), then-No. 25 TCU (60-58) and Ohio State (74-64). Their lone loss was at Illinois (78-65) in the season opener.
UW-Green Bay head coach Kevin Borseth is in his fifth season and has an 92-36 record seven games into the season. He has three starters and 10 letterwinners returning from a squad that was 24-7 overall and 15-1 in the Horizon League. The Phoenix reached the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season where they lost to Texas, 60-55, in Austin.
UW-Green Bay is led offensively by 5-foot-10 guard Kristy Loiselle. She is averaging 14.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game. The senior is also shooting 50 percent from three-point range.
Chandra Johnson, a 6-foot-3 center, is pouring in 12.9 points and grabbing 4.1 rebounds and making 1.7 steals a game. Senior guard Elizabeth Dudley is averaging 8.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a team-leading 4.0 steals an outing. She is also hitting 58.8 percent from three-point range.
UW-Green Bay is shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 47.2 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line. The Phoenix are averaging 71.7 points and giving up 60.9 points a contest.
On their home court in four games, the Phoenix have averaged 75 points and allowed just 59.5 points. They have shot 46.9 (106-226) percent from the field, 48.6 (37-76) percent from three-point range and 78.4 (51-65) percent from the charity stripe.
Working Towards "The Best Start" On Record
The 2002-03 Wildcats are working their way up the "Best Starts" list this season.K-State is 8-1 and ranks seventh on the list of best starts.
Kansas State began the 2001-02 season with a 17-1 record, the best start in school history.
RPI's
Kansas State's 2002-03 schedule is ranked in the Top 10 in three RPI ratings. The Wildcats' schedule is the ninth toughest in the country in the Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women's College Basketball Ratings, ninth in The Women's RPI ratings and third in the WBCA ratings.
Five of the Wildcats' nine opponents have had RPI's in the top 50 in two of the three ratings.
Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic Title
Kansas State won its seventh Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic title on Dec. 7. The title was also the fifth straight for the Wildcats. K-State has now won the 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 titles.
K-State is 34-6 overall in its own tournaments and has captured 13 titles. In the Commerce Bank tournament, the Wildcats hold a 15-1 overall record.
All-Tournament Team
Kendra Wecker and Laurie Koehn were named to the 2002 Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team this past weekend.
Koehn was named MVP after averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 three-pointers per game and shot 43.3 percent from the field and 52.6 percent from three-point range. Wecker averaged 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals.
Wecker has been named to back-to-back all-tournament teams this season (Stanford) and was the MVP of the Preseason Women's National Invitation.
Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic & UW-Green Bay
In Kansas State head coach Deb Patterson's seven seasons, the Wildcats have played UW-Green Bay following the Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic twice and Thursday will be the third time. Additionally, the Phoenix played in the 1997 Wildcat Classic.
Series Notes
*Kansas State leads the series, 2-1.
*K-State makes its second road trip to Green Bay in the series and will be looking for its second straight win.
*K-State head coach Deb Patterson is 2-0 against UW-Green Bay.
*In last year's game, Laurie Koehn (27), Megan Mahoney (21) and Nicole Ohlde (20) each recorded 20-point games.
*The Kansas State-UW-Green Bay game will be the sixth contest and second consecutive in school history played against a team from Wisconsin - Marquette (0-1), UW-Green Bay (2-1) and UW-La Crosse (1-0).
*The Wildcats have never had a student-athlete from the Dairy State but assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Kristin Becker is from New Berlin, Wis.
Kansas State vs. Horizon League
The Wildcats are 8-3 against teams from the Horizon League. The last time K-State played a Horizon League team was last year when it beat UW-Green Bay.
Marching Towards The Top
All-American candidate Nicole Ohlde is making steady progress towards becoming Kansas State's all-time leading scorer. The junior is 10th in career scoring with 1,232 points. She is 40 points shy of moving to ninth and passing Cassandra Jones who had 1,271 points from 1982-86.
An Elite Group
Nicole Ohlde is also working towards joining another elite group. The Wildcats have only five former players who have registered 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in their careers. The Clay Center, Kan., native has 1,232 points, 557 rebounds and enters Thursday's game with 171 assists.
Additionally, Ohlde could become the only Wildcat to have 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 blocks in a career.
Yet Another Career List
Nicole Ohlde has been moving up yet another career list. The 6-foot-4 center is currently 19th in career assists, one shy of 18th and six from 16th. Ohlde is the only Wildcat center ranked in the top 20 on the career list.
Chart Mover
Nicole Ohlde has no where to go but up when it comes to career records. Currently she is...
*10th in scoring with 1,232 points. Needs 40 for ninth.
*13th in rebounding with 557 boards. Needs five for 12th and 23 for 11th.
Kansas State's All-Time Leader
Junior Nicole Ohlde is Kansas State's all-time shot blocker with 106 blocks.
The Clay Center, Kan., native is currently 11th on the Big 12 Conference career list and needs two to pass Kacy Moffitt (1997-99) of Baylor and six to pass Crystal Boles (1997-98) of Texas Tech.
Ohlde is also ninth in career blocks per game in the league, blocking 1.5 (106 in 70 games).
Block Party
Brie Madden has excelled on defense this season with her rebounding and blocks. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, 27 more boards than she had nine games into her rookie season. Madden, who had a game-high 11 rebounds on Dec. 2, has led the Wildcats in rebounding in two of nine games.
The Arlington, Texas, native is second on the team in blocks with 16 after rejecting one against Weber State. She as 43 for her career, ranking her eighth on the career chart. Madden needs three blocks to move into seventh past Diana Miller (1987-91).
Just Plain Good Defense
Kansas State is limiting its opponents to just 56.6 points per game and allowing the foes to shoot 34.1 percent from the field, 26 percent from three-point range and 67.7 from the foul line.
This season, K-State has allowed only two foes to shoot over 40 percent from the field and two to score 65 or more points. Additionally, the Wildcats have held its last three opponents to an average of 44.6 points a game.
A Kansas State Victory Thursday Would...
...put head coach Deb Patterson's overall win-loss record at 106-85.
...improve Kansas State's all-time record to 610-388.
...extend K-State's winning streak to four games.
...give Kansas State a 3-1 lead in the series with UW-Green Bay.
...give the Wildcats their first road victory of the year.
...would give K-State wins over teams from the Big Sky, Mid-American, Atlantic 10, Pacific 10, Big Ten, Sun Belt, Horizon and Southwestern Conferences.
Up Next
After playing 10 games and in three tournaments, Kansas State will take a break for finals early next week before hosting Western Michigan on Dec. 20 at 5:30 p.m.
The Broncos started the season off 2-0 but went 1-1 at the KU Tournament this past weekend. UWM beat Illinois State (100-79), Cleveland State (93-78), lost to Western Illinois (84-76) and beat Texas Southern (86-51). The Broncos play at UMKC on Wednesday.
Western Michigan head coach Ron Stewart is in his sixth season and has an 71-77 record four games into the season. He has three starters and seven letterwinners returning from a squad that was 16-15 overall and 11-5 in the Mid-American Conference.
The Broncos are led offensively by 5-foot-9 guard Casey Rost. She is averaging 21.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.2 steals per game. Rost is also the team's top three-point threat, hitting 46.7 percent of her shots.
Kristin Koetsier, 6-foot-3 forward is averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Three other players are scoring in double figures to Western Michigan.Curleta Harris, a senior guard, is pouring in 11.5 points and shooting 50 percent from three-point range. Maria Jilian, a 5-foot-9 guard, is tallying 10.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists a game.
Western Michigan is shooting 52.3 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from three-point range and 77.5 percent from the free-throw line. The Broncos are averaging 88.8 points and giving up 73.0 points a contest.
