Wildcats Take On Texas In Second Round Of The Big 12 Tournament
Mar 05, 2002 | Women's Basketball
March 6, 2002
Game #30
No. 13/12 Kansas State (23-5, 11-5)
vs. No. 12/14 Texas (19-8, 10-6)
Date: Wed., March 6, 2001 - 2:30 p.m.
Site: Municipal Auditorium (9,700)
Television: Fox Sports Net - Kevin Eschenfelder (play-by-play) & Brenda VanLengen (color) - Live
Satellite Coordinates: AUXILIARY - Galaxy 11, T2, Channel 2
Radio: The Wildcat Sports Network: WIBW 580 AM in Topeka. Ed O'Donnell will call the action and Erick Harper the color live at 2:30 p.m.
Records: Kansas State is 23-5 overall and 11-5 in the Big 12. Texas is 19-8 overall and 10-6 in the Big 12.
Coaches: Kansas State coach Deb Patterson (Rockford (Ill.) College '79) is 94-82 (.534) in her sixth season at K-State. Texas coach Jody Conradt (Baylor, '63) is 669-194 (.775) in her 26th season at Texas.
Series: Texas leads the series, 6-4 (more series information on page three).
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With hopes of extending the Cinderella season, the No. 13/12 Kansas State women's basketball team will face No. 12/14 Texas in the second round of the sixth annual Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas State, the No. 4 seed, received a bye into the tournament after finishing the regular season in a tie for third place with a record of 23-6 overall and 11-5 in the Big 12.
Texas advanced to the second round with a 63-61 victory over No. 12 seed Kansas on Tuesday in the first round. The Longhorns are 20-8 overall and are the No. 5 seed after finishing the Big 12 portion of their schedule 10-6.
The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net. Kevin Eschenfelder will call the game with Brenda VanLengen providing color commentary.
Kansas State claimed the regular season meeting with Texas, 80-76 in double overtime, in Austin.
If the Wildcats advance in the tournament, they will face top seed and XX-ranked Oklahoma (24-3, 14-2) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Setting The Scene- If the Kansas State-Texas game during the regular season was a battle, then the second meeting has all the makings of a war.
It took two overtimes - fifty minutes - to decide the game in Austin. Six players, four for Kansas State and two for Texas, played over 40 minutes and K-State freshman Laurie Koehn played the entire game.
Since then, Kansas State has won three of its last seven games and Texas five of eight contests, including victories over nationally ranked Tennessee and Oklahoma.
K-State will be looking for its first win at the Big 12 Tournament since beating the Colorado Buffaloes, 55-51, on March 2, 1999. Texas advanced to the second round last season and were in the 2000 championship game.
Both need a victory to stay in the hunt for homecourt advantage in the impending NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats have a 5-4 record against ranked teams this season while Texas has a 7-6 record.
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 senior and the fivesome is 11-3 overall and 8-3 overall. The starters make up 90.5 percent of the team scoring and 74.5 percent of the rebounding.
Last year's Big 12 Freshman of the Year and all-conference candidate, Nicole Ohlde leads the team in scoring, field goal percentage and blocks. The 6-foot-4 center is averaging 18.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 blocks while shooting 57 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 43.2 percent from three-point range. She is averaging 3.6 treys per game and 5.5 in the last two games.
Rookie Kendra Wecker does a little of everything for the Wildcats. The 5-foot-11 forward is third on the team in scoring (16.3) and first in rebounds (8.2). She is also dishing out 2.7 assists and making 1.8 steals. Wecker is shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 85.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Scoring just under double figures is freshman Megan Mahoney. The 6-foot forward is averaging 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and a squad-best 4.6 assists per contest. Considered one of the team's best defenders, Mahoney also is second on the squad in steals (45).
Kansas State averages 75.9 points per game, and is shooting 49.4 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from three-point range and 73.1 percent from the free-throw line.
A Quick Glance At Texas- Texas enters this afternoon's game on a four-game winning streak after knocking off No. 12 seed Kansas on Tuesday. The Longhorns ended their regular season with the Jayhawks with a 61-46 victory on Feb. 26, but just got by KU yesterday.
UT is 19-8 overall and finished the Big 12 regular season at 10-6 and in fifth place.
Hall of Fame head coach Jody Conradt has two of her starters averaging in double figures.
Sophomore Stacy Stephens leads the Longhorn attack, averaging a team-leading 14.5 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Heather Schreiber is tallying 14.2 points an outing and leads the team with 38 steals.
Senior Kenya Larkin is the Longhorns' assist leader, dishing out 5.5 assists per game. She also is scoring 6.7 points a contest.
On the year, Texas is shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from the three-point arc and 71.2 percent from the free-throw line. The Longhorns are outrebounding opponents by 6.3 boards a game. They are scoring 72.8 points per game and giving up 64.7 an outing.
Kansas State Moves Up In Both Polls- The Kansas State Wildcats moved to 13th in the Associated Press poll and to 12th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll.
Kansas State, currently 23-6 overall, reached the top 10 on Jan. 14 by jumping 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.
Patterson, Ohlde Named Finalists For ESPN The Magazine Awards- K-State head coach Deb Patterson was named one of three finalist for the ESPN The Magazine Coach of the Year. Minnesota's Brenda Oldfield and South Carolina's Susan Walvius join Patterson on the finalist list.
Sophomore Nicole Ohlde is a finalist for Center of the Year, Iowa State's Angie Welle and Vanderbilt's Chantelle Anderson are also among the finalist.
Patterson - Big 12 Coach of the Year- Kansas State women's basketball coach Deb Patterson was honored as the 2001-2002 Big 12 Conference's Women's Basketball Coach of the Year as voted on by the league's head coaches.
Patterson, K-State second women's basketball coach of the year (Matilda Mossman, 1987, Big Eight), was honored by her peers after leading the Wildcats to a tie for third in the Big 12 regular season race with an 11-5 mark and current overall record of 23-6 heading into the Big 12 Tournament. The Wildcats improved their conference win total by nine games this season after finishing tied for 11th last year at 2-14. Kansas State entered the national rankings on Jan. 7 and has been ranked eight consecutive weeks, including two weeks in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll. The Wildcats' AP poll debut at No. 14 was the highest debut during the season since the poll expanded from 20 to 25 teams in 1989.
Ohlde, Koehn, Wecker - All-Conference- Sophomore Nicole Ohlde picked up the second all-conference honor of her career when she was named first team All-Big 12. Freshmen Laurie Koehn and Kendra Wecker were both honored as third team All-Big 12 selections.
Ohlde, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and third team all-conference selection last year, is the second Wildcat in school history to be named to the Big 12 first team (Andria Jones, 1997). The Clay Center, Kan., native is the only underclassman on the first team.
Koehn and Wecker become just the second and third freshmen at Kansas State since the inception of the Big 12 Conference to be honored on an all-conference team and the only two rookies on any all-Big 12 team this season.
Koehn Named ESPN.com's Rookie of the Year- Rookie Laurie Koehn was named ESPN.com's Rookie of the Year earlier this week. Koehn was a third team All-Big 12 selection.
Three Wildcats Named Academic All-Big 12- Three Wildcats were named to the 2001-2002 Women's Basketball Academic All-Big 12 Teams as announced by the conference office. Seniors Kristin Rethman and sophomores Andrea Armstrong and Nicole Ohlde were all named to the first team.
Rethman has been a first team member three years, while Armstrong and Ohlde make their first appearance on the academic all-Big 12 team.
A Kansas State Victory Wednesday Would...
...give K-State its first season with at least 24 wins since 1983-84 when the 'Cats.
finished the season 25-6 and advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional in Monroe, La.
...improve the Wildcats' Big 12 Tournament record to 6-5 and neutral site mark to 4-1.
...put head coach Deb Patterson's overall win-loss record at 95-82.
...improve Kansas State's all-time record to 598-385.
...be K-State's second win this season over Texas and its third straight.
...give the Wildcats their first victory in the Big 12 Tournament since 1999.
...strengthen Kansas State's chances of hosting a NCAA First and Second Round game in Manhattan.
Millennium Mark- Sophomore Nicole Ohlde enters Wednesday's game needing nine points to become Kansas State's 28th 1,000 point scorer and the second fastest to reach the millennium mark. She currently has 991 points in 56 games and is 27th on K-State's all-time scoring list.
K-State all-American Priscilla Gary scored 1,000 points in 54 games when she was a junior and senior for the Wildcats in 1981-83.
Ohlde, who averages 18.2 points per game, needs 10 points to move into 26th past Susan Green (1983-87) on the all-time scoring list.
Series History
-Texas leads the all-time series, 6-4.
-The Wildcats are 4-2 versus the Longhorns since the inaugural season of the Big 12 in 1996-97.
-K-State beat Texas in Austin for the first time with an 80-76 double overtime victory on Jan. 30.
-Kansas State is 3-1 at home, 1-4 on the road and 0-1 at neutral sites against Texas.
-Against Texas, K-State is 0-4 in the 80s, 2-1 in the 90s and 2-1 in 2000s.
-The Wildcats and Texas first met in 1982.
-K-State associate head coach Kamie Ethridge, a 1987 Texas graduate, captained the 1986 national championship team on her way to earning the Wade Trophy, the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Player of the Year award and the Broderick Cup. She was also inducted into the UT Women's Athletics Hall of Honor in 2000. Ethridge is one of eight former players, coaches and administrators named to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2002.
-Kansas State has beaten Texas three times while the Longhorns were ranked. The Wildcats beat the No. 12 Longhorns, 68-67, on Jan. 11, 1997, No. 7 Texas, 72-63, on Jan. 5, 2000 and this season.
-Senior Kristin Rethman and Tracy Cook of Texas were members on the Big 12 All-Stars Foreign Tour this summer.
Last Time They Met- Kansas State's march from worst to first kept rolling along.
Laurie Koehn scored 28 points and Nicole Ohlde had 24 points and 11 rebounds to send the Wildcats to an 80-76 double-overtime victory over No. 14 Texas.
Kansas State, which finished tied for last in the Big 12 last year, stayed in first place in the league with the win and reached 20 victories for the first time since 1989-90. It was also the Wildcats' first-ever win in Austin.
"It's just great to get a road win," said Kansas State coach Deb Patterson. "You're in double-overtime, on the road, you just find a way to win,"
"I don't think it mattered where we were, it just felt great.
The Big 12's leading three-point shooting team finished 11-of-27 from beyond the arc. Koehn hit seven to push her league-leading total to 87 this season.
Ohlde, who had just four points in the first half, gave the Wildcats crucial breathing room with a turnaround jumper that made it 77-73 with 2:17 to play in the final period.
The basket proved vital as the Longhorns would shoot just 1-of-8 from the floor in the second overtime to finish a 34 percent shooting effort for the game.
Kendra Wecker added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats. She scored the first and last points of the final overtime and grabbed the last rebound when Heather Schreiber's shot to tie with a second left missed everything.
Wecker was fouled on the play and converted two free throws for the final margin.
Both Wecker and Ohlde played the overtimes with four fouls.
"The adrenaline was going," said Ohlde, who played 43 minutes. "The game was going back and forth. I don't think you can get tired in that situation."
Longhorns center Stacy Stephens, who was able to muscle Ohlde under the basket for position most of the night, scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead Texas. The Longhorns outrebounded K-State 60-44.
A three-pointer by Texas' Asha Hill tied it 66-66 with 35 seconds left in regulation. Her 3-point attempt at the end of the first extra period rattled off the rim.
Millennium Mark II- Senior Kristin Rethman tallied 15 points against Missouri to move into a tie for 21st with former teammate Kim Woodlee on the career scoring list. She has 1,058 career points and now needs 14 points to move past Sue Leiding (1983-87) and into 20th.
A Dunk? Sophomore Nicole Ohlde attempted the first dunk of her career in the Wildcats' win over Missouri on Feb. 27. The 6-foot-4 forward received a pass from freshman Kendra Wecker with eight seconds left in the game and had the dunk go off the back of the rim.
Chart Mover-Senior Kristin Rethman moved into fourth on the Big 12 career three-point field goals made chart on Feb 27 when she sank five three-pointers. The guard has 255 career three's and needs 20 to pass Stacy Frese of Iowa State, who sank 274.
The Corning, Kan., native is second on Kansas State's all-time three-point field goals made, men or women, list. She trails KSU's all-time three-point shooter Kim Woodlee by 30 treys.
In the K-State women's record book, Rethman has no where to go but up when it comes to career three-point records. Rethman is second in makes (255), in attempts (587) and first in percentage (.434) in the Kansas State record book. She needs 31 treys and 97 attempts to overtake Kim Woodlee in both categories.
Rethman is just the second Wildcat in school history to have 250 career three-pointers.
Wildcats Reach 100,000- Kansas State reached the 100,000 fan mark at K-State last regular-season home game on Feb. 27.
A total of 9,649 fans attend the game to push the home attendance mark to 100, 017.
The Wildcats averaged 7,694 fans in their 13 home contests this season, but more importantly 10,711 fans the final eight games.
Kansas State is only the 10th school this season to go over 100,000 fans according to the unofficial women's basketball Division I home attendance figures compiled by the University of Wisconsin.
Rebounding Record Falls-Freshman Kendra Wecker broke the freshman rebounding record and is now assaulting it. Wecker has 238 boards after grabbing 15 on Feb. 27. She topped fellow teammate Nicole Ohlde's mark of 220 set last season.
The Race Is On - Part II- Rookie Laurie Koehn beat fellow freshman Kendra Wecker in a race to see which one would become the first freshman in school history to score 500 points in a season. Koehn tallied 27 points on Feb. 27 to give herself the record with 509 points. Wecker currently has 472 points.
500 Points In A Season- All-American candidate Nicole Ohlde became the first Wildcat since Andria Jones in 1996-97 to score 500 points in a single season. Ohlde has 527 points and is the first sophomore to do it since Angie Bonner tallied 521 points in 1982-83. Ohlde entered the top 10 single-season list at 10th when she scored 10 points against Colorado.
For those of you wondering, the most points scored in a single season is 686 by Tammie Romstad in 1979-80.
More On 500 Points- Kansas State has never had three players score 500 points each in a season. Five Wildcat teams have had two 500-point scores.Rebound Monsters
Freshman Kendra Wecker and sophomore Nicole Ohlde and have 238 and 233 rebounds respectively thus far this season. The last time a pair of Wildcats had 200 rebounds in a season was in 1980-81 when the junior duo of Shelly Hughes (273) and Kim Price (200) combined for 473 rebounds.
Kansas State Closing In On Milestone Win- Kansas State needs three wins to reach 600 victories in school history. Entering the season, only 14 program's had reached the 600-win mark, including Texas which has over 700 wins. Texas Tech entered the elite group earlier this season.
Season High- Marysville, Kan., native Kendra Wecker registered a career high six steals in a victory over Missouri on Feb. 27. The 5-foot-11 forward's previous personal-best was five set versus Nebraska on Jan. 12.
All-Conference Performer- Last year's Big 12 Rookie of the Year Nicole Ohlde put together another all-conference type season and is now working on a possible all-American campaign this year.
Ohlde, a first-team all-conference selection, is the Wildcats' leading scorer (18.2), shot blocker (65) and field goal shooter (.570).
More on Ohlde:
- She ranked fourth in scoring (19.2), fifth in rebounding (8.7), first in blocks (42), and third in field goal percentage (.546) in the Big 16 games.
- She is the only Wildcat to score in double figures in 28 of 29 games this season. She has scored in double digits in 50 of 56 career games.
- The Clay Center, Kan., native has 12 20-plus point games.
- Ohlde has 11 (fourth) double-doubles in overall games this season and seven (third) in Big 12 games.
Ohlde But A Goodie- With 19 points and 11 rebounds on Feb. 17, sophomore Nicole Ohlde recorded her 11th double-double of the season and the 17th of her career. She is now third on the season chart and fourth on the all-time list. Her next double-double will tie her on the season list with Carlisa Thomas (1986-87) and leave her seven behind Thomas on the career chart.
Ohlde also registered three straight double-doubles between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2 becoming the sixth Wildcat to post three consecutive double-doubles in school history.
Double-Double II- Freshman Kendra Wecker added to her double-double list with 12 points and 15 rebounds against Missouri on Feb. 27. The rookie has 11 double-doubles on the season and ranks fourth in overall games and third in Big 12 contests.
Double Digit Diva- All-American candidate Nicole Ohlde has turned into double digit diva over the Wildcats' 29 games.
She has scored in double-figures in 28 of 29 games this season. Western Michigan on Nov. 26 in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas was the only team to limit Ohlde to single digits in points (seven).
20-Something- Freshman Laurie Koehn tallied 27 points on Feb. 27 to record her 10th 20-plus point game of the season.
Sophomore Nicole Ohlde has 12 after tallying 22 points on Feb. 13. Rookie Kendra Wecker has eight after tallying 20 vs. Oklahoma on Feb. 13.
Block Party- Nicole Ohlde broke the single-season blocks record when she registered two blocks against Nebraska on Feb. 10.
The 6-foot-4 sophomore has 65 blocks this season after rejecting three shots against Missouri on Feb. 27.
Ohlde is also in second place on the career list. Ohlde also trails Olga Firsova (1998-00), the all-time shot blocker, by 18 career blocks.
Block Party II-Center Nicole Ohlde has been a force in the paint when it comes to blocking shots this season. She has 65 blocks after only blocking 17 last season. Ohlde has 12 games with three or more rejections and four of those performances rank among the top 10 in school history. She also led the Big 12 with 42 blocks in league games.
Don't Foul The Wildcats-Kansas State has five players shooting over 80 percent from the foul line, including three of the five starters.
Top 10 In Assists- Rookie Megan Mahoney moved into a tie for sixth place on the K-State single-season assist list with Betsy Sloan (1981-82) when she dished out six assists vs. Missouri on Feb. 27. Mahoney has 135 assists on the season and needs three to move into fifth past Essense Perry (137, 1998-99) and five to move past Mary Jo Miller (1989-90) and Gayla Williams (1980-81) who had 139 assists each.
Koehn For Three-Rookie Laurie Koehn could become the Big 12 Conference's all-time single-season three-point shooter. The Hesston, Kan., native has 105 treys this season and needs three more to pass Rene Hanebutt of Texas Tech, who sank 107 three-pointers in 1999.
Koehn broke the Kansas State record and the freshman mark for three-point field goals made in a season.
Three-Point Threats-If one thought three-point shooting was Kansas State's strong suit last year, then this season one would be amazed.
After hitting 189 three-pointers last year (6.75 per game), the Wildcats are on pace to tally approximately 228 treys in 2001-2002 after averaging 7.6 three-pointers in 29 games.
One of the biggest reasons for the surge is freshman Laurie Koehn. The rookie has sank nearly half (105) of the Wildcats' 221 three's, averaging 3.6 treys a game and shooting 43.2 percent from three-point range. Koehn leads the country in three-pointers and is ranked 15th in three-point percentage.
Ohlde A Playmaker? Sophomore Nicole Ohlde is turning some heads when is comes to dishing assists. The 6-foot-4 center dished out a career-high eight assists vs. Texas Tech on Jan. 27 and joins freshman Megan Mahoney (3 times) as the only Wildcats to have eight assists in a game this season.
For the year, Ohlde has 78 assists, third to Mahoney.
To give some perspective on a 6-foot-4 center dishing out so many assists, Genia Beasley (6-foot-2) and Rhonda Mapp (6-foot-3) each had 101 assists during one of their seasons at NC State while UConn's Rebecca Lobo had 129 in 1994-95.
Dishing The Rock- Senior Kristin Rethman moved into fifth place on the career assists chart when she surpassed Jenny Coalson (1995-2000) with five assists on Feb. 13. She needs 42 assists to move past Nadira Hazim (1987-91) into fourth.
Dishing The Rock II- Freshman Megan Mahoney added to her assist total with six versus Missouri on Feb. 27. A native of Black Hawk, S.D., Mahoney averages 4.6 assists per game, but also has an impressive 1.43 assist-to-turnover average. Mahoney has had six or more assists in 10 games this season.
More On Assists-While Kansas State has had to make due with rotating its guards at the point position this season, but the output hasn't been affected.
Between seniors Kristin Rethman and Shalondra Booker and freshmen Laurie Koehn, Chelsea Domenico, Kari Hanson and Megan Mahoney, the group has a 1.20 (323 to 268) assist-to-turnover ratio.
Assist-To-Turnover Ratio-Kansas State had a 1.35 (19 to 14) assist-to-turnover ratio vs. Missouri on Feb. 27, marking the 15th time this season the Wildcats have had more assists than turnovers.
Unselfish- The Kansas State starters are unselfish when it comes to passing the ball. All five starters have 60 or more assists this season or average at least 2.1 assists a game.
Rejection- Kansas State broke the school record for blocks in a game when it rejected 10 Oklahoma shots on Feb. 13. The 10 blocks surpassed the nine recorded against Southwest Missouri State on Dec. 4, 1990.
The 10 blocks are also the most by a Big 12 team in league games this season.
Oh My Ohlde! - Sophomore Nicole Ohlde produced one of the finest basketball performances in recent K-State history on Jan. 27 vs. Texas Tech when the 6-foot-4 center had game-highs of 24 points and 11 rebounds, and a career-high eight assists.The Clay Center, Kan., native was just two assists shy of registering Kansas State's third triple-double. Carlisa Thomas is the only Wildcat to have accomplished a triple-double when she had 10 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists on Dec. 19, 1986 vs. UMKC and 12 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists on Feb. 4, 1987 vs. Oklahoma.
Nifty Fifty- It's one thing to play an entire game, but it's another to play an entire game and two overtime periods. Well, freshman guard Laurie Koehn did just that on Jan. 30. The Hesston, Kan., native played 50 minutes vs. Texas, the most ever in K-State history.
Not to be left out, sophomore Nicole Ohlde played 43 minutes, freshman Megan Mahoney 42 minutes and rookie Kendra Wecker 40 minutes in the two overtime game.
Iron Women- Freshman Laurie Koehn has played seven 40-minute games this season.
Koehn played 40 minutes against Middle Tennessee, Northern Arizona, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Iowa State and Oklahoma. She averages a team-leading 36 minutes per game.
Senior Kristin Rethman has played six 40-minute games this year and freshman Kendra Wecker and sophomore Nicole Ohlde have played in five. Rookie Megan Mahoney has played in four.
RPI's- Kansas State is ranked 14th in this week's Sagarin RPI rankings and eighth in the Collegiate Basketball News, CollegeRPI.com and WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings.
Kansas State In The NCAA- Three Wildcats and K-State are ranked in the latest NCAA statistics as of Feb. 25.
Individually, freshman Laurie Koehn ranks first in the country in three-point field goals (3.5), 13th in three-point field goal percentage (43 percent) and 15th in free throw percentage (88.0).
Sophomore Nicole Ohlde is ranked 18th in the country in field goal percentage (57.7 percent), 22nd in blocks (2.2) and 38th in scoring (18.5).
Freshman Kendra Wecker is 38th in free throw percentage (84.9 percent).
Kansas State is 26th in the country in win/loss percentage with a 22-6 record.
The Wildcats are fifth in the nation in three-point percentage (40.5 percent) and field goal percentage (49.5 percent), ninth in three-pointers per game (7.5), 24th in scoring offense (76.0) and 33rd in scoring margin (+10.4).
Flirting With More Records- If the season stopped prior to Wednesday's game, Kansas State would break school records for three-point percentage (.411), free-throw percentage (.731) and blocks (126).
Diaper Dandies-Kansas State's diaper dandies have been doing their stuff in the Wildcats' 29 games. The rookies are averaging 62.1 percent (1,368-of-2,201) of the 'Cats points and 57.4 percent (607-of-1,056) of K-State's rebounds.
Just Plain Good Defense-Kansas State is limiting its opponents to just 65.1 points per game and allowing the foes to shoot 38.2 percent from the field, 30.7 from three-point range and 69.2 from the foul line. This season, K-State has allowed only 11 foes to shoot over 40 percent from the field and 12 to score 65 or more points.
Limiting The Opponent- Kansas State allowed Kansas to score only 40 points on Feb. 17, the fewest points the Wildcats have allowed since 32 by Alabama State on Dec. 3, 1999.
The Jayhawks shot 29.8 percent from the field, the lowest field goal percentage by an opponent since Texas Southern shot 23.2 percent on Dec. 1, 2000.
Kansas Connection-The Kansas Connection continues to make an impact on the Wildcat lineup this season. Senior Kristin Rethman, sophomore Nicole Ohlde and freshmen Laurie Koehn and Kendra Wecker (junior Danielle Hutton is injured) have scored 78.6 percent (1,730 of 2,201) of K-State's points and grabbed 60.7 percent (642 of 1,056) of the Wildcats' rebounds.
Patterson Among Finalist- Kansas State's women's basketball coach Deb Patterson is among the 20 finalists for the women's Naismith College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, announced by Jackie Bradford, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The winner of the Naismith Award, the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball, will be honored in Atlanta on April 5, 2002 at the Cobb Galleria Centre.
In her sixth season at Kansas State, Patterson has led the Wildcats to a 23-6 record and 11-5 mark in the Big 12 Conference.
The Naismith Awards program, now in its 34th year, honors the outstanding college basketball coaches in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of excellence in basketball.
Verizon Academic All-District- Sophomore Nicole Ohlde became just the second women's basketball player in school history to be name to a Verizon Academic All-District team. Ohlde joins Gayla Williams who earned third team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 1981. Ohlde's name and information will be forwarded to the national ballot and the Verizon Academic All-America Teams will be announced on March 8.
Student-athletes who maintain a 3.2 cumulative GPA for his/her career and have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing are eligible for the award sponsored by Verizon and the College Sports Information Directors of America. To date, 48 Wildcats have earned the academic honor.
Tidbits
- Deb Patterson ranks third all-time at K-State with 94 wins.
- Kansas State has had a three-pointer in 152 consecutive games. The last time Kansas State failed to sink a three-pointer was on Feb. 26, 1997, in a 64-60 win over Missouri. The Wildcats were 0-6.
- Kansas State's all-time record is 597-385.
- Sophomore Nicole Ohlde is 23-6 on the opening tip.
- K-State is 6-0 in games decided by five or fewer points.
- Freshman Laurie Koehn has made at least one three-point field goal in 27 of 29 games this season.
- Kansas State has drawn five charges this season.
- Kansas State has used three different lineups this season -
1. Kari Hanson, Laurie Koehn, Megan Mahoney, Kendra Wecker and Nicole Ohlde for eight games this season.
2. Chelsea Domenico, Laurie Koehn, Megan Mahoney, Kendra Wecker and Nicole Ohlde for seven games.
3. Kristin Rethman, Laurie Koehn, Megan Mahoney Kendra Wecker and Nicole Ohlde for 14 outings.
Home Sweet Home-Kansas State is making Bramlage Coliseum an unfriendly place for visitors.
KSU is averaging 82 points per game and is shooting 51.1 percent from the field, 46.8 percent from three-point range and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line. The 'Cats are limiting their opponents to 65.5 points a game and allowing them to shoot only 38.9 percent from the floor and 32.1 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
Fans, Fans, Fans- Wildcats fans set seven of the top 10 attendance marks in school history the last eight home games. Combined, 87,791 'Cat fans watched the last eight KSU games, an average of 10,973.
Second-Largest- Wildcat fans packed Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 27 and Feb. 2 and the crowds of 13,340 on each date were tied for the second-largest in women's basketball history. The crowds were also the 15th-largest in school history, men or women, since KSU joined the Big 12.
Additionally, the Jan. 27 and Feb. 2 crowds rank as the 22nd-largest crowds in Division I according to the unofficial 2001-2002 National Women's Basketball Division I Home Attendance List.
Record Attendance-Kansas State fans broke the school record for home attendance with 100,017.
Additionally, Kansas State broke the overall women's basketball attendance record. A total of 171,993 fans have seen the Wildcats play in their 29 games (5,930 per game) in 2001-2002.
School Record-Kansas State set the women's basketball school record for attendance when 13,466 fans attended the Jan. 12 game vs. Nebraska.
The mark is the 14th-largest Bramlage Coliseum crowd since K-State joined the Big 12 (men vs. Kansas on Feb. 22, 1992, 13,762).
Additionally, in the unofficial 2001-2002 National Women's Basketball Division I Home Attendance List, the Jan. 12 crowd was the second-largest that day (Miami at Connecticut) and ranks as the 20th-largest this season in all of Division I.
Fan-tastic Numbers-Kansas State is ranked eighth in the country in the recent unofficial women's basketball Division I home attendance figures.
The Wildcats have had 100,017 fans attend 13 home games this season for an average of 7,694 'Cat fans. Kansas State third among Big 12 teams on the list.
K-State will try to make it six years in a row in the top 30 after it ranked 28th in the official home attendances compiled by the NCAA last year.
Home Cookin' - Kansas State is 11-2 at home this season and have a 125-62 (66.8 percent) all-time record in Bramlage Coliseum.
In non-conference games, K-State has won 84.3 percent (75-14) of its games in the Purple Palace.
Since Deb Patterson took over as head coach, the Wildcats have posted a 54-23 mark at home, including an 11-1 campaign in 1996-97, the fourth-best home record in school history. Kansas State has posted its ninth straight winning record at home and the 30th in 34 seasons of Wildcat women's basketball.
