Regional Matchup With UMKC Ahead For K-State

KANSAS STATE (6-1) vs. UMKC (2-6)

Game #8

December 11, 2005 3:00 p.m. (CT)

Bramlage Coliseum (13,340)

at Manhattan, Kan.

Television: Fox Sports Midwest

Radio: K-State Sports Network

Series History: K-State leads 5-3

Internet: Live statistics on www.k-statesports.com

GAME PREVIEW

Kansas State (6-1) got a little breathing room this week after enduring a six-game home-and-away stretch through three time zones over the course of 11 days. The Wildcats persevered under the conditions, going 5-1 against Santa Clara, Wyoming, Delaware State, Texas-Pan American, Saint Joseph’s and Louisiana Tech. K-State gets right back into action and hosts UMKC (2-6) on Sunday, Dec. 11 at Bramlage Coliseum. The regional matchup between the Wildcats and Kangaroos will be broadcast on Fox Sports Midwest at 3 p.m.

A LOOK AT UMKC

Second-year head coach Bo Overton continues the building process at UMKC after much success as an assistant at Big 12 Conference foe Oklahoma from 1998-04. Last season, he led the Cinderella Kangaroos to the Mid-Continent Tournament Championship game, falling short to Oral Roberts (42-48) and the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. Leading up to the title game, UMKC upset second-seeded Valpo in the quarterfinals and Oakland in the semis. The Kangaroos would finish the year at 10-20. They are currently on a two-game losing skid with recent road losses at Arkansas (57-84) on Dec. 4 and at in-state rival Kansas (51-73) on Dec. 7. Two of their regular starting five are sidelined with injuries including senior guard Sammi Knapic (9.7 ppg and 2.4 rpg) and junior guard Jowan Ortega (8.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg).

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

No. Name 2005-06 Stats

20 Tobey Beer, G, 5-5, Fr. 4.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg

40 Leigh Mead, G, 6-0, Jr. 9.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg

13 Alysa Klein, F, 6-3, So. 7.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg

55 Stephanie Brown, F, 6-1, Jr. 11.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg

50 Liz Obrecht, C, 6-1, Sr. 6.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg

ON THE TUBE

The UMKC at Kansas State game can be viewed regionally on Fox Sports Midwest via cable and on the following FSN alternate channel numbers on satellite including DirecTV (648) and Dish Network (448). Ben Boyle will call the action live from Bramlage Coliseum alongside former Wildcat Missy (Decker) Heidrick who makes her television debut as a color analyst for the network.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State leads 5-3 in the all-time series having won the last two-straight meetings with UMKC including a 63-31 win a year ago at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The Kangaroos were held to a season-low 31 points, their lowest point production ever in the program’s history. UMKC’s previous all-time low was 32 points in a game against Missouri Western in 1981 and Iowa State in 1988. Prior to last year’s meeting, both schools despite the proximity between Kansas City and Manhattan, did not meet since the 2000-01 season. The Wildcats are an undefeated 4-0 when playing the Kangaroos in Manhattan. The Cats last win at home resulted in a 62-49 victory on Nov. 17, 2000. K-State’s three losses in the series have only been on the road in 1987, 1989 and 1992.

SCHOOL TIES

Two players on the UMKC roster hail from the state of Oklahoma including a former prep teammate of Kansas State’s Twiggy McIntyre. UMKC freshman guard Tobey Beer and McIntyre were both coached by Beer’s mother, Leah, at Sapulpa High School. McIntyre is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,964 career points and helped the Lady Chiefs to a 24-3 record in Class 6A, a conference and regional title and an appearance in the state semifinals as a senior. A year after McIntyre graduated, Beer led Sapulpa to the 2003-04 state championship tournament and was the state of Oklahoma’s top three-point shooter (54.0 percent) as a junior.

STATISTICAL COMPARISON

2005-06 Category KSU UMKC

Overall Record 6-1 2-6

Points Per Game 80.1 59.8

Scoring Margin +21.4 -8.6

Rebounds Per Game 41.6 36.2

Rebounding Margin +10.9 +1.3

Field Goal Percentage .492 .415

Field Goal% Defense .373 .419

Three-Point FG% .336 .364

Free Throw Percentage .694 .672

Assists Per Game 19.6 13.6

Turnovers Per Game 17.1 22.9

Blocks Per Game 5.3 1.8

Steals Per Game 7.9 7.1

LOUISIANA TECH RECAP

The Wildcats claimed their first-ever win in the all-time series against Louisiana Tech with a 77-66 victory on Dec. 6 at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcat defense held La. Tech (3-2) to just 19 field goals on 31.7 percent shooting. Much of the Lady Techsters’ offense came from the free throw line where they converted 21-of-26 attempts (80.8). Twiggy McIntyre turned in her second 20-point game of the season with a game-high 21 shooting 5-of-9 from the three-point line. Kimberly Dietz added 16 and Marlies Gipson a career-high 14. The biggest storyline of the contest was a school-record tying 20 rebounds from Shalee Lehning, who made her first career start against Louisiana Tech. She now shares the single-game record with former Wildcat greats Carlisa Thomas (Feb. 11, 1987) and Kendra Wecker (Dec. 1, 2001). Lehning played the entire 40 minutes of the game, the first for a Wildcat this season. She was one point (nine points) and two assists (eight assists) shy of recording the fourth-ever triple-double in school history. K-State’s starting five in the contest contributed 61.0 percent of the team’s scoring and 64.4 percent of the team’s rebounding against La. Tech.

THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

The Kansas State Athletics Department, in conjunction with Fort Riley, have launched the second annual Operation Santa Claus toy drive. Santa’s helpers will be collecting toys at each of the Bramlage Coliseum entrances prior to the women’s basketball game vs. UMKC. The first 500 fans to bring a new, unwrapped toy for children ages 14 and under will receive free admission. Volunteers will receive, wrap and distribute toys to military families throughout the Junction City and Manhattan communities. They will also accept monetary donations from fans who already have tickets to the game. Willie Santa will sign autographs and take pictures near the southeast entrance, while members of last year’s Senior Class will be signing autographs outside the Legends Room.

TWIGGY REIGNS FROM THREE

Not only has Twiggy McIntyre shown her range this season from beyond the three-point arc, she has done it with accuracy. She is currently shooting 52.5 percent from the three-point line (21-40) through seven games played and has three games over 60 percent (Santa Clara, UTPA and Saint Joseph’s) and one over 55 percent (Louisiana Tech). In the Big 12 Conference, McIntyre ranks second in three-point field goal percentage and second in three-point field goals made (3.00 avg). She has made five-or-more threes in three contests thus far and currently ranks 18th nationally in free throw percentage (93.8) as of Dec. 5.

ON TOP OF THEIR GAME

The Wildcats annually rank among the top 25 teams when it comes to leading the nation in several NCAA statistical categories. In the first edition of the season, K-State currently ranks in the top 20 in six stat categories including scoring offense (12th, 80.7), scoring margin (10th, 23.2), field goal percentage (6th, 50.1), rebound margin (15th, 10.8), three-point field goals per game (18th, 7.0) and assists per game (8th, 19.7). The Cats have shot over 45 percent or better from the field five times this year and no less than 43.5 percent through seven games played.

WILDCATS IN THE RPI

Each season, Kansas State holds a strong presence in the RPI ratings index. According to CollegeRPI.com, the Wildcats are 17th and the third-highest rated Big 12 Conference team behind defending national champion Baylor (1) and Oklahoma (9). The Cats are also 33rd in strength of schedule with quality wins against Santa Clara and Louisiana Tech, two teams which advanced to postseason play a year ago. Of the top 20-rated RPI teams, K-State is one of seven unranked schools not to appear in either top 25 national poll.

THE SIXTH MAN

The Wildcats have averaged 5,163 fans per game in five home games played this season at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State annually ranks among the top 10 in NCAA Division I women’s basketball attendance. With the popularity of the women’s game and growth of the sport, the Wildcats currently rank 12th best in the nation in home attendance.

NCAA CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

The 2005-06 athletic season marks the 25th anniversary of several NCAA Women's Championships including women’s basketball. In 1981, the NCAA began sponsoring women's championships, which opened the door to increased athletic and academic opportunities for female athletes. Today, the NCAA sponsors 44 women's championships in 20 sports, providing more than 150,000 women with an opportunity to compete for national titles each year.

BENCH PRODUCTION

You know you have depth when your entire roster has played significant minutes through seven games played this season. K-State’s reserves have contributed on both the offensive and defensive ends with 42 percent of the team’s scoring and 55 percent of the team’s steals off the bench. Two of the six leading scorers on the team (McIntyre and McFarland) have added a special spark off the bench for the Wildcats.

Schedule

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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at (18/14) Baylor on Feb. 23, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Iowa State on Mar. 1, 2026 at 1 p.m.

Regional Matchup With UMKC Ahead For K-State

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