Kansas State Hosts Arkansas In Second Round Of NCAA Tournament
Mar 16, 2002 | Women's Basketball
March 16, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game #33
No. 11/11 Kansas State (25-7)
vs. Arkansas (20-11)
Date:Sunday, March 17, 2002 - 8:36 p.m.
Site:Bramlage Coliseum (13,340)
Television: ESPN FullCourt - Rich Waltz (play-by-play) & Amy Prichard (color)
Internet: FANSlive GameTracker on kstatesports.fansonly.com
Radio: The Wildcat Sports Network: WIBW 580 AM in Topeka. Ed O'Donnell will call the action and Erick Harper the color live at 8:36 p.m.
Records:Kansas State is 25-7 overall and finished 11-5 in the Big 12. Arkansas is 20-11 overall and finished 9-7 in the SEC Conference.
Coaches: Kansas State coach Deb Patterson (Rockford (Ill.) College '79) is 96-83 (.536) in her sixth season at K-State. Arkansas coach Gary Blair (Texas Tech, '72) is 176-108 (.619) in his ninth season at Arkansas.
Series: The series is tied at 1-1.
MANHATTAN, Kan. - The No. 11/11 Kansas State women's basketball teamhas a new dance partner in the NCAA Tournament when the Wildcats host the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks (20-11) in the NCAA Mideast Second Round at 8:36 p.m. on Sunday in Bramlage Coliseum.
ESPN will broadcast the game on its Fullcourt Package. Rich Waltz will have the play-by-play while Amy Prichard will provide color for the game.
K-State (25-7), a No. 3 seed in the tournament, earned a second appearance in the "Big Dance" with a commanding 93-65 victory over the No. 14 seed Kent State on Friday. The win was the first NCAA Tournament victory for the Wildcats since 1983.
Sixth-seeded Arkansas reached the second round with a 78-68 victory over the No. 11 seed Clemson on Friday. The Lady Razorbacks are making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
The winner of the Mideast Subregional will advance to the Sweet Sixteen in Milwaukee, Wis., at the U.S. Cellular Arena on March 23.
Setting The Scene -Both Kansas State and Arkansas will be looking to punch its ticket for the Sweet Sixteen on Sunday and both will be relying on their "big three" to step to the front of the line and lead the team.
Kansas State sports sophomore Nicole Ohlde and freshmen Laurie Koehn and Kendra Wecker as its "big three" while Arkansas claims juniors India Lewis and Dana Cherry and sophomore Shameka Christon as its "big three." The trios combined for 122 (KS - 71, UA - 51) of the two first round games' 171 points (71.3 percent).
The Wildcats are making their first-ever appearance in the second round because in 1981-82 and 1982-83 the NCAA Tournament only fielded a 32-team bracket and teams went from the first round to the Sweet Sixteen.
Sunday's game will be the last appearance this season for the Wildcats in the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum. With a win, K-State would improve its Purple Palace record to 126-62. Seniors Kristin Rethman and Shalondra Booker will also be making their curtain call on Sunday.
Kansas State Closing In On Milestone Win -Kansas State needs a win Sunday to reach 600 victories in school history. Entering the season, only 14 programs had reached the 600-win mark, including Texas which has over 700 wins. Texas Tech entered the elite group earlier this season.
A Look At The Bracket -A victory in Sunday's game will advance the Wildcats to the Mideast Regional in Milwaukee, Wis., at the U.S. Cellular Arena on Saturday, March 23. A victory in the Sweet Sixteen would then advance K-State to the Elite Eight on Monday, March 25.
A Quick Glance at Kansas State -One of the nation's youngest starting lineups suits up for Kansas State. Sixth-year head coach Deb Patterson starts three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior. The fivesome is 13-4 overall. The starters make up 90 percent of the team scoring and 74.5 percent of the rebounding.
Big 12 first team all-conference selection Nicole Ohlde leads the team in scoring, field goal percentage and blocks. The 6-foot-4 center is averaging 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 blocks while shooting 57.5 percent from the field.
Freshman Laurie Koehn is K-State's second-leading scorer and she is the nation's top three-point threat. The 5-foot-8 guard is posting 17.6 points per game and is shooting 42.9 percent from three-point range. She is averaging 3.6 treys per game and 4.6 in the last five games.
Rookie Kendra Wecker does a little of everything for the Wildcats. The 5-foot-11 forward is third on the team in scoring (16.5) and first in rebounds (8.0). She is also dishing out 2.9 assists and making 1.8 steals. Wecker is shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Scoring under double figures is freshman Megan Mahoney and senior Kristin Rethman. Mahoney, a 6-foot forward, is averaging 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and a squad-best 4.7 assists per contest. Considered one of the team's best defenders, Mahoney also is second on the squad in steals (50).
Rethman, K-State's second all-time three-point shooter, is averaging 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 three-pointers an outing. She is hitting a team-best 47.8 percent of her treys and ranked second in the country.
Kansas State averages 75.7 points per game, and is shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from three-point range and 73.3 percent from the free-throw line.
A Quick Glance At Arkansas -No. 6 seed Arkansas enters the second round with a 20-11 overall record. The Lady Razorbacks beat Clemson, 78-68, on Friday to reach the second round for the sixth time in the program's history.
Arkansas finished seventh in the SEC with a 9-7 record. Arkansas reached the semifinals of its league tournament but lost to SEC Champion Vanderbilt, 81-78.The Lady Razorbacks have three players averaging in double digits for head coach Gary Blair.
Sophomore Shameka Christon is averaging 16.6 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds a game. The 6-foot-2 forward also has 46 blocks.
Junior India Lewis is posting 13.9 points an outing and is the Lady Razorbacks' top three-point threat, hitting 86 treys, and thief, making 70 steals.
Dana Cherry, a 5-foot-8 junior, is the third Arkansas player scoring in double digits. She is tallying 13.2 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Arkansas is averaging 72.1 points a game and giving up 64.3. It is shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 30.9 percent from three-point range and 65.1 percent from the charity stripe.
Kansas State No. 11 In Both Polls -The Kansas State Wildcats moved up two spots in the Associated Press and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' polls at the beginning of this week to rank No. 11.
Kansas State, currently 25-7 overall, reached its highest ranking on Jan. 14 when the 'Cats jumped five spots to No. 9 in the AP poll. The Wildcats debuted in both polls on Jan. 7 at No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 18 in USA Today's poll. Prior to their Jan. 7 ranking, the Wildcats had received votes in the previous five polls.
This week's ranking in the AP poll is the 77th ranking in school history for K-State.Kansas State's highest AP ranking was when the 'Cats were No. 6 on Dec. 4, 11 and 18, 1983, and Dec. 5, 1982.
Kansas State and the NCAAs -When Kansas State and Arkansas meet Sunday, it will mark the first time the Wildcats have ever advanced to a NCAA Second Round game. The 1981-82 and 1982-83 teams advanced directly to the Sweet Sixteen as the NCAA fielded only a 32-team tournament in the early '80s.
K-State is hosting for just the third time in the program's history. Manhattan was the site of the 1981-82 first round and Sweet Sixteen games and a first round game in 1982-83.
The Wildcats have a 4-5 record in the NCAA Tournament and have reached an Elite Eight (1981-82), two Sweet Sixteens (1981-82, 1982-83) and participated in six first rounds (1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1987-88, 1996-97 and 2001-2002). Kansas State is 3-3 all-time in first-round games.
K-State's highest seed in the tournament was a No. 3 seed in 1982-83 and 1983-84. The Wildcats other seeds were No. 4 in 1981-82, No. 9 in 1987-88 and No. 10 in 1996-97. The highest seed Kansas State has played in the NCAA Tournament was No. 1 when the No. 4 Wildcats beat Old Dominion, 76-67, in Manhattan in the Sweet Sixteen in 1981-82.
The last time K-State won two NCAA Tournament games was in 1981-82 when the 'Cats beat Stephen F. Austin, the No. 5 seed, 78-75 in the first round and the No. 1 seed Old Dominion, 76-67 in the Sweet Sixteen.
As far as honors and records, K-State All-American Priscilla Gary was named to the Midwest All-Regional Team in 1983. Angie Bonner holds the Midwest First/Second-Round record for highest free throw percentage when she sank all 11 of her free throws vs. Illinois State on March 19, 1983.
Only three coaches in K-State annuals have guided their teams to an NCAA Tournament berths - Deb Patterson (1996-97), Matilda Mossman (1987-88) and Lynn Hickey (1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84).
K-State's Regional History -The Wildcats have played in three different regions in its six-year tournament history. K-State has a 2-2 record in the East Regional and a 1-3 record in the Midwest Regional. Kansas State is 1-0 in the Mideast Regional.
Wildcat Seed History
*Kansas State is the No. 3 NCAA Tournament seed for the third time in the program's history.
*The Wildcats are 2-2 all-time as the No. 3 seed, losing in the first round in 1983-84, going 1-1 in 1982-83 and 1-0 thus far this year's tournament.
*K-State has been seeded as low as 10th in the NCAA Tournament (1997-98).
*Kent State was the lowest seed the 'Cats had ever faced. Prior to the Golden Flashes the lowest seed the Wildcats played was No. 8 Northwestern in 1987-88.
*Kansas State has a 1-1 record vs. No. 6 seeds.
Series History
*Sunday's game will break the 1-1 series tie.
*The Wildcats are 1-0 vs. the Lady Razorbacks in Manhattan.
*The Wildcats and Arkansas first met in 1982. K-State hosted the Lady Razorbacks in the Converse Little Apple Classic. The 11th-ranked 'Cats prevailed, 86-79.
*Kansas State has an 6-13 record against teams from the Southeastern Conference.
*The Arkansas volleyball team made a trip to the Little Apple in December for the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats beat the Lady Razorbacks 3-2 in the first round.
A Kansas State Victory Sunday Would...
...give K-State its first season with at least 26 wins since 1979-80 when the 'Cats finished the season 26-9 and advanced to the AIAW National Tournament in Atlanta, Ga.
...improve the Wildcats' NCAA Tournament record to 5-5.
...put head coach Deb Patterson's overall win-loss record at 97-83.
...improve Kansas State's all-time record to 600-386.
...be K-State's second win over Arkansas.
...give the Wildcats their second victory in the NCAA Tournament since 1981-82.
...advance the Wildcats to the Sweet Sixteen.
Records Abound -It was a record-breaking night for the Wildcats on March 15. The 'Cats broke or tied 11 Kansas State NCAA Tournament records. The following is a list of those marks:
Single-Game: Individuals
Points:27, Laurie Koehn*
Three-Point FG:5, Laurie Koehn
Three-Point FGA:10, Laurie Koehn
Assists:8, Megan Mahoney*
* - tied the record
Single-Game: Team
Points:93
Points (Half):48, first
Field Goal Attempts:68
Three-Point Field Goals:8
Three-Point Field Goal Attempts:21
Assists:29
Personal Fouls:22
Triple Threat -Kansans Nicole Ohlde (22 pts.), Laurie Koehn (27 pts.) and Kendra Wecker (22 pts.) were the triple threat on March 15. The trio combined for 76.3 percent (71 of 93) of the Wildcats' points.
K-State has never had three players score 20-plus points in the same NCAA game.
Personal Best -Sophomore Kimmery Newsom grabbed her first rebounds of the season on Friday, snarring a season-high two.
Fine Shooting -
Kansas State shot 54.4 percent from the field against Kent State, marking the 16th time this season the Wildcats have shot 50 percent or better from the field.
A Few Things To Watch For -Kansas State is 18-1 when holding its opponents to under 40 percent from the field, 20-0 when leading at halftime, 10-1 when scoring 40 or more points in the first half, 21-1 when scoring 70-plus points and 9-3 when limiting foes to less than 70 points and 9-0 with less than 60 points. Additionally, the Wildcats are undefeated when they outrebound their opponent.
Arkansas is 11-4 when holding opponents to under 40 percent from the field, 12-1 holding them under 60 points and 18-6 when forcing more turnovers. The Lady Razorbacks are also 18-0 when leading at half and 8-0 when they outrebound their opponent.
A complete set of notes can be found by downloading the .pdf of the notes from the top of the page on Acrobat Reader.
