KANSAS STATE (4-0) vs.
TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN (1-4)
Game #5
December 2, 2005 5:00 p.m. (CT)
Bramlage Coliseum (13,340)
at Manhattan, Kan.
Television: None
Radio: K-State Sports Network
Series History: K-State leads 1-0
Internet: Live statistics on www.k-statesports.com
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
A loaded four-team tournament field highlights the 11th edition of the Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic on Dec. 2-3 at Bramlage Coliseum. The Kansas State women’s basketball team (4-0) heads into its home-hosted tournament undefeated on the season and will face Texas-Pan American (1-4) in the second game on Friday at 5 p.m. Houston (1-3) and Saint Joseph’s (4-0) will play in the first game at 3 p.m. The winners of each contest will advance to the championship game on Saturday at 5 p.m., while the losing teams move on to the consolation game at 3 p.m.
WILDCAT CLASSIC HISTORY
The Wildcats have won eight of the last 10 tournament titles of the Wildcat Classic. Last season, a seventh-straight title for the Wildcats was halted as Liberty upset then No. 19-ranked K-State (77-56) in the championship game. It was the first time since the 1997 Classic that the Wildcats did not win their home-hosted tourney. Junior Claire Coggins was named to the all-tournament team along with former Wildcats Megan Mahoney and Laurie Koehn.
SCOUTING UTPA
The Lady Broncs face host Kansas State in the first day of tournament action of the Wildcat Classic. K-State leads 1-0 in the all-time series between both schools. Back on Dec. 12, 1987, the Wildcats set a school single-game scoring record with a 110-point outburst against Texas-Pan American in Dallas, Texas. The 110-46 victory still ranks as the second-highest scoring output by a K-State team, behind the 2002-03 squad's 115-37 blowout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. UTPA is making its second all-time appearance in the Wildcat Classic having last competed in 2003, winning the consolation game for third-place. In their last contest against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 26, the Lady Broncs picked up their first win of the season (75-54). They previously opened the year off with a 85-32 loss at Auburn on Nov. 18.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
No. Name 2005-06 Stats
1 Rachel Jones, G, 5-5, Fr. 2.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
12 Devin Reed, G, 5-7, Sr. 5.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg
13 MaHogany Daniel, F, 5-10, Jr. 6.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg
15 Dominique Montague, G, 5-9, Sr. 11.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
24 Robin Garrett, C, 6-3, Fr. 4.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg
HOUSTON AT A GLANCE
The Cougars are making their first trip ever to the Little Apple and will take on Saint Joseph's in the first game of the Wildcat Classic Friday. Houston is the only team besides K-State among the four-team tournament field, which advanced to postseason play a year ago. Houston's NCAA Tournament run ended with a 65-43 loss in the first round to Boston College. Head coach Joe Curl rebuilds this season having lost seven letterwinners and four starters from last year's 21-9 squad including former Cougar standout Sancho Lyttle (18.8 ppg and 12.1 rpg) who was the nation’s leading rebounder last season. Lyttle was selected fifth overall by the Houston Comets in the 2005 WNBA Draft, behind former Wildcat Kendra Wecker who was picked fourth overall by the San Antonio Silver Stars.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
No. Name 2005-06 Stats
32 Jasmin Moore, G, 5-7, So. 4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
12 Sha’Ratta Hawkins, G, 6-0, Fr. 18.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg
4 Emily Fryters, F, 6-2, Sr. 4.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg
15 Ryan Meyers, F, 6-1, So. 10.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg
34 ShaQuaylon McKinney, C, 6-3, Jr. 1.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg
SAINT JOSEPH’S AT A GLANCE
Last season, the Hawks hosted K-State in the City of Brotherly Love and suffered a 68-49 loss at home to the Wildcats. With the victory in Philadelphia, the Wildcats tied up the all-time series at 1-1, having previously lost to Saint Joseph's (52-70) in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Ala. SJU will take on Houston in the first game of the Wildcat Classic and returns all five of their starters from a year ago. Saint Joe's opened the season with a home win over Princeton (58-46) on Nov. 18 and an upset of then-No. 23-ranked North Carolina State (54-52) on Nov. 20, the program's first top 25 upset since the 2001-02 season. They have been on a roll ever since, defeating Seton Hall (72-48) by 24 points on Nov. 30 and K-State fan favorite Bucknell (59-55) on Nov. 27.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
No. Name 2005-06 Stats
21 Ayahna Cornish, G, 5-9, Jr. 11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg
32 Timisha Gomez, G, 5-8, So. 5.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg
15 Maura McBryan, F, 6-0, Sr. 4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
22 Faith Schutte, F, 6-1, Sr. 10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg
43 Hillary Klimowicz, C, 6-2, Fr. 10.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
2005-06 Category KSU UTPA UH SJU
Overall Record 4-0 1-4 1-3 4-0
Points Per Game 83.5 50.6 53.5 60.8
Scoring Margin +30.8 -15.2 -14.5 +10.5
Rebounds Per Game 44.5 39.0 35.5 40.0
Rebounding Margin +17.3 -1.4 -9.5 +3.5
Field Goal Percentage 52.5 31.9 32.9 38.6
Field Goal% Defense 34.9 37.5 40.9 32.7
Three-Point FG% 37.5 37.9 30.2 26.0
Free Throw Percentage 71.8 63.9 68.8 70.3
Assists Per Game 19.8 10.4 8.5 12.8
Turnovers Per Game 18.0 20.2 19.3 16.5
Blocks Per Game 4.5 2.4 2.8 4.5
Steals Per Game 8.3 6.6 8.0 7.0
FROM THE SIDELINES
K-State head coach Deb Patterson leads all coaches in this weekend’s tournament field in seniority with 10 seasons under her belt, while Joe Curl (122-93) is in his eighth season at Houston, Cindy Griffin (76-53) in her fifth at Saint Joseph’s and DeAnn Craft (28-33) in her third at UTPA. Griffin previously coached alongside Patterson and associate head coach Kamie Ethridge as assistants under Jim Foster at Vanderbilt from 1993-95. Curl was named USBWA National Coach of the Year leading the Cougars to a school-record 28 victories in 2003-04. Craft is a native of Garden City, Kan., and became the first female athlete inducted into the Garden City High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
GOOD “D” ON DELAWARE STATE
The K-State defense held Delaware State to 16 percent from the floor on 4-of-25 shooting in the first half of play. It was the lowest performance in a half by an opponent since the Wildcats held Wyoming to 11.1 percent in last year’s season opener on Nov. 20, 2004. DSU scored 12 points in the first half and 30 points combined for the game. It was the fewest points scored by an opponent since Central Connecticut State scored a program-low 23 points against the Wildcats on Jan. 1, 2005. For the game, K-State held the Lady Hornets to 22.9 percent shooting, the lowest for an opponent since CCSU (20.5 percent).
RED-HOT SHOOTING WILDCATS
For the third-straight game, the Wildcats hit over 50 percent of their shots from the floor. Against Santa Clara, K-State had a season-best 59.4 percent shooting performance from the field (38-64) and tied a school single game record with 15 three-pointers against the Broncos. The Wildcats have kept on their hot streak shooting 51.0 percent (26-51) at Wyoming and 50.9 percent (29-57) vs. Delaware State. Last season, K-State hit over 50 percent from the floor in back-to-back games, but never strung together three-straight 50 percent shooting contests.
HER “POINT” OF VIEW
Sophomore Kimberly Dietz (Boulder, Colo.) is the second Colorado native to lead the Wildcats at the point position in recent years. Dietz is currently the team’s leading scorer averaging 13.8 points per game and holds an impressive 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio (15-4). She set new career-highs in points (23), assists (7), field goals made (8), field goals attempted (14), three-point field goals made (5) and three-point field goals attempted (14) at Santa Clara on Nov. 26. Dietz recorded her second double-digit outing of the season with a game-high 18 points vs. Delaware State. She has connected on 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) three-pointers this year. Former Wildcat point guard and fellow Coloradan Chelsea Domenico (Thornton, Colo.) made 53 starts and ended her career as K-State’s all-time leader in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.76).
CRASHING THE BOARDS
K-State has collected over 40 rebounds for the fourth-straight game this season and has outrebounded all four of its opponents by an average of 17.3 boards per game. Freshman forward Marlies Gipson, the team’s leading rebounder at 7.8 rebounds per game, brought down a career-high 16 rebounds at Santa Clara, which was four boards short of tying the school and freshman single-game record (20) held by former Wildcat great Kendra Wecker. Gipson registered a career-high 11 points against Delaware State.
GAME-BY-GAME REBOUNDING
Date Team Rebounds
11/20 Detroit 46
11/26 Santa Clara 43
11/28 Wyoming 45
11/30 Delaware State 44
