KANSAS STATE (0-0) vs. DETROIT (1-0)
Game #1
November 20, 2005 2 p.m. (CT)
Bramlage Coliseum (13,340)
at Manhattan, Kan.
Television: None
Radio: K-State Sports Network
Series History: K-State leads 3-0
Internet: Webcast and live statistics
on www.k-statesports.com
GAME PREVIEW
The 2005-06 season officially gets underway as the Kansas State women’s basketball team hosts Detroit in its home opener on Sunday, Nov. 20, at Bramlage Coliseum. The game between the Wildcats and Titans is scheduled to tipoff at 2 p.m. Fans who present their ticket stub from the weekend’s football game or men’s basketball game will receive admission for $1.
OPENING DAY PLAY
Opening day has always been successful for the Wildcats with victories in 11 of the last 12 season home openers held at Bramlage Coliseum. Since its inaugural season in 1968-69, K-State is 29-8 in season openers (home and away). They are 26-9 all-time in home openers and 13-2 all-time in season openers held in the Purple Palace.
FROM THE MOTOR CITY
Detroit returns three starters and nine letterwinners from a squad which finished 9-20 a year ago. The Titans were picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League. Senior guard Lindsey Pasquinzo was named a preseason first teamer averaging a team-leading 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last year. Detroit most recently defeated Division II Findlay (64-48) in exhibition play on Nov. 13 and opened up the year with a 75-72 home victory over Western Carolina on Nov. 18, before traveling out to the Little Apple.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
No. Name 2005-06 Stats
11 Katie Solner, G, 5-6, Sr. 11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
12 Shawanna Stubblefield, G, 5-7, So. 12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg
31 Lindsey Pasquinzo, G, 5-11, Sr. 16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
5 Lauren Yurgens, F, 6-1, Jr. 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
30 Joanna Cooper, F, 5-11, Fr. 9.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
SERIES NOTES
K-State is an undefeated 3-0 in the all-time series with Detroit. Both teams last met during the 1993-94 campaign in a rare February non-conference matchup, with the Wildcats winning (64-50) in Detroit. The previous two contests were held in Manhattan in 1981 (70-35) and 1993 (69-56). In the three meetings combined, K-State has outscored the Titans by an average of 20.6 points per game.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
2004-05 Category K-State Detroit
Overall Record 24-8 9-20
Points Per Game 71.4 56.7
Scoring Margin +14.9 -7.5
Rebounds Per Game 39.4 33.1
Rebounding Margin +7.1 -7.8
Field Goal Percentage .446 .355
Field Goal% Defense .365 .428
Three-Point FG% .370 .308
Free Throw Percentage .733 .686
Assists Per Game 17.0 12.3
Turnovers Per Game 14.3 15.4
Blocks Per Game 4.0 1.8
Steals Per Game 8.8 9.9
HALFTIME TREAT
Kansas City’s Marching Cobras will perform at halftime of the Detroit game. They have performed for four U.S. Presidents, including the 52nd Inaugural Parade for Bill Clinton. Founded in 1969, the Cobras have won more than 300 first-place awards and have appeared on five national television shows. The group is made up of talented elementary and junior high school students from across the Greater Kansas City area who meet strict eligibility standards of good conduct and scholastic achievement. They are highly motivated, creative young people who work hard to perfect their routines and who serve as role models for other young people in the community.
38TH SEASON UNDERWAY
Celebrating its 38th season, K-State is among the top 15 all-time winningest programs in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history with 678 overall victories since 1968-69. The Wildcats have made 10 postseason appearances including one WNIT and nine NCAA Tournament berths. They are entering their 18th season of play in Bramlage Coliseum having won 99 games in the venue during the Deb Patterson Era. A victory over Detroit would give the Wildcats their 100th win in Bramlage since coach’s first season in 1996-97.
STARTING ON THE RIGHT FOOT
Only three Wildcats on this year’s roster have made the starting five throughout their careers at K-State, including senior Jessica McFarland with two starts, junior Claire Coggins (31) and sophomore Shana Wheeler (22). Should a freshman make the starting lineup vs. Detroit, it would mark the earliest start for a rookie since the 2001-02 season when former Wildcats Kendra Wecker and Megan Mahoney made their first collegiate start at Georgia Tech on Nov. 16, 2001. Both players rank first and second all-time in career games started (Mahoney with 129 and Wecker with 128).
EMPORIA STATE RECAP
In its first and only exhibition game of the season, Kansas State defeated Division II Emporia State (60-46) on Nov. 8. Junior Twiggy McIntyre led the Wildcats with a team-high 12 points and added four assists, three steals and four rebounds against the Lady Hornets. Sophomore Kimberly Dietz had nine points, while freshmen Shalee Lehning and Danielle Zanotti each scored eight apiece. With 14:08 remaining in the first half of play, K-State fans received their first glimpse of the freshman class comprised of Lehning, Zanotti, Marlies Gipson and JoAnn Hamlin. Sparked by McIntyre, K-State used a 22-6 run in the last nine minutes of the game to secure the victory over preseason No. 9 Emporia State. The Wildcats claimed their 14th consecutive exhibition win dating back to the 1998-99 season. All 11 Wildcats saw action against ESU, which had just one lead in the contest (39-38) at the 9:37 mark of the second half.
BREAKING THE FRESHMAN 15
Every first-year college student has heeded the warnings of the infamous "Freshman 15". However, K-State’s freshman class are making a different kind of gain - on the hardwood that is. Against Emporia State in exhibition play, the four freshmen played a combined total of 83 minutes which accounted for 41.5 percent of the game. Zanotti clocked in the most minutes (of any Wildcat in fact) off the bench with 26, while Gipson (24), Lehning (19) and Hamlin (14) saw increased minutes on the court for the Wildcats.
THE CLASS OF 2010
The Wildcats have signed two of the top seniors in the nation and in the state of Kansas for the 2006-07 women’s basketball season. K-State inked standouts Kari Kincaid, a 5-foot-10 shooting guard, out of Andover (Kan.) Central High School and Ashley Sweat, a 6-foot-2 forward, out of McPherson (Kan.) High School in the fall early signing period. A McDonald’s High School All-American and Wendy’s High School Heisman nominee, Kincaid averaged 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.0 blocks per game as a junior. Sweat, a three-time Street & Smith’s High School All-American honorable mention, led McPherson to an undefeated 25-0 record and state 5A championship title a year ago.
