Kansas State Athletics

GAME #32 - 2018 Postseason WNIT
Saint Louis (17-15, 9-7 A-10) vs. Kansas State (16-15, 7-11 Big 12)
Thursday, March 15, 2018  |  7 p.m.  |  Bramlage Coliseum  |  Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
K-StateHD.TV
• Brian Smoller (play-by-play)
• Kristin Waller (analyst)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
• Brian Smoller (play-by-play)
• Kristin Waller (analyst)
Listen Online: www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com

COACHES
Kansas State: Jeff Mittie (Missouri Western '89)
Overall: 531-288/26th season  |  At K-State: 77-53/4th season
vs. Saint Louis: 6-0

Saint Louis: Lisa Stone (Iowa '84)
Overall: 610-322/32nd season  |  At Saint Louis: 107-85/6th season

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (16-15, 7-11 Big 12)
G: #10 Kayla Goth  |  G: #12 Rachel Ranke  |  F: #1 Kaylee Page  |  F: #11 Peyton Williams |  F: #50 Shaelyn Martin
                
Saint Louis (17-15, 9-7 A-10)
G: #3 Jackie Kemph  |  G: #5 Aaliyah Covington  |  F: #10 Jenny Vliet  |  F: #15 Paige Rakers  |  F: #42 Maddison Gits

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads, 2-0
In Manhattan: 2-0
Last Meeting: December 6, 2003; K-State won 94-54


MANHATTAN, Kansas - Kansas State will make its sixth Postseason WNIT appearance, as the Wildcats host Saint Louis on Thursday night at 7 p.m., in Bramlage Coliseum. This is K-State's fourth straight postseason appearance.

• Thursday's game will be available on K-StateHD.TV, as Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Kristin Waller (analyst) will have the call.
• The Wildcats have registered an overall record of 16-15 this season, which marks the fourth straight season K-State will finish above .500 and the first time since eight straight seasons from 2001-02 to 2009-10.
• Kansas State has been led this season by junior Kayla Goth, sophomore Peyton Williams and freshman Rachel Ranke.
• Goth, an All-Big 12 Second Team, leads the Wildcats in scoring (17.0 ppg) and assists (6.8 apg). She has set career season-highs in 15 categories.
• Goth is the first player in program history and one of nine players in the country with 500 or more points and 200 or more assists this season. She has been responsible for 53.6 percent of K-State's made field goals this season. She is the only player in the Big 12 at 50.0 percent or higher for her team's made field goal responsibility.
• Williams, an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, has set career season-highs in 16 categories and leads the team in field goal percentage (.538), free throw percentage (.847) and blocks (43; 1.4 bpg).
• The forward from Topeka, Kansas, is the 12th sophomore in program history with 400 or more points in her second season.
• Ranke, an All-Big 12 Freshman Team selection, is averaging 11.8 points which has been boosted by 2.7 three-point field goals made per game.
• Ranke is second in program history for 3-point field goals made by a freshman (85) and is tied for eighth for single-season 3-point field goals made by all players.

Number to Know
71.4
• #KStateWBB has been solid from the free throw line this season, converting at a 71.4 percent (397-of-556) clip.
• This is the eighth season in program history that K-State has tallied a 70.0 percent or better free throw percentage with a minimum of 500 or more free throws attempted in a season.
• K-State features five players this season shooting 70.0 or better from the foul line this season, including Peyton Williams (84.7 percent) and Shaelyn Martin (82.9 percent) pacing the team.

At a Glance: Saint Louis
• Saint Louis (17-15, 9-7 A-10) is making its third straight WNIT appearance this season. The Billikens finished tied for fifth in the Atlantic 10 standings.
• On the sideline, Saint Louis is led by sixth-year head coach Lisa Stone. Stone is 107-85 (.557) in her time in St. Louis.
• The Saint Louis roster features 10 upperclassmen including six seniors among its 14 players. Leading the Billikens on the floor this season are senior guard Jackie Kemph and senior forwards Maddison Gits and Paige Rakers.
• Kemph, a 2018 All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection, is pacing the Billikens with 15.8 points and 7.1 assists. Kemph joins K-State's Kayla Goth as one of nine players in the nation with 500 or more points and 200 or more assists.
• Gits is second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points and leads the squad in rebounding at 9.5 per game.
• Rakers is third on the team with 10.3 points and 3.7 rebounds.

50th Season of K-State WBB
• Kansas State women's basketball is playing its golden anniversary season in 2017-18, as the Wildcats will celebrate the 50th season of the program.
• According to the NCAA, K-State joins 25 other women's basketball programs in NCAA Division I history to play at least 50 straight seasons of intercollegiate women's basketball, including six programs reaching the mark with K-State this season: Belmont, Dayton, East Tennessee State, Kansas, Stephen F. Austin and UMBC.
• K-State's record in its 50th season of women's basketball stands at 930-582 (.615), entering the season ranked 18th in NCAA Division I women's basketball history for program wins. K-State is averaging 18.7 wins per season.
• The Wildcats have accumulated 24 20-win seasons and have secured 321 victories inside Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State has 180 wins in the Big 12 Conference.
• In postseason play, the Wildcats have 13 wins in the NCAA Tournament and 14 wins in the WNIT.
• Kansas State has registered 220 victories when they were ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll and achieved 80 wins against teams ranked in the AP poll.

Wildcats With 300+ Wins in Bramlage
• K-State is 321-128 (.715) all-time inside Bramlage Coliseum, which is in its 30th season of existence.
• In his career in games played in his home venue, Mittie is 325-85 (.793).
• Kansas State has protected its home floor with determination against non-conference foes with a record of 175-29 (.858) record. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 29-4 (.879) in non-conference games in Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State was 14-4 at home last season. The Wildcats reached double figures in home victories for the 28th time in program history. The Wildcats have won 10 or more games in Bramlage in three straight seasons.

Marching Toward the Finish Line
• During the third month of the year but the final month of the basketball season, K-State owns a 124-91 (.577) record in March.
• K-State head coach Jeff Mittie is 7-7 in the month of March during his time in Manhattan.

Wildcats Send Back Shots Under Mittie
• In the first four seasons under head coach Jeff Mittie, Kansas State has piled up blocked shots. Under Mittie, K-State has sent back 603 shots for 4.64 per game in the 130 games. K-State's 603 blocked shots are the most over a 4-season span since K-State blocked 615 shots from 2005-06 to 2008-09.
• The Wildcats have 147 blocks this season (4.74 bpg). K-State ranks 38th in the nation and third in the Big 12 in blocks per game. According to herhoopstats.com, K-State ranks 34th in the nation in block rate (11.8 percent).
• K-State has 18 games this season with five or more blocks. This is the fourth straight season with 100 or more blocks and the 12th time in program history.

Goth, Williams Form Potent Duo
• K-State's Kayla Goth (17.0 ppg) and Peyton Williams (14.1 ppg) have combined to average 31.1 points per game this season. In Big 12 action, the pair averaged 32.1 points per game.
• The duo, who have each surpassed career season-highs in scoring, is responsible for 46.0 percent of K-State's total point production this season. In league play, they were responsible for 48.7 percent of K-State's points.
• The last time K-State had a duo responsible for 45 percent or more of the team's point production was in 2012-13 when Brittany Chambers (21.0 ppg; 778 pts) and Haley Texada (11.8 ppg; 423 pts) were responsible for 53.0 percent of K-State's points.
• Each player has improved their scoring average by 10.0+ points this season, as Goth has improved by 11.2 points (5.8 to 17.0 ppg) while Williams has improved by 10.4 points (3.7 to 14.1 ppg). Goth ranks fourth in the nation in scoring average increase, while Williams is seventh.
• According to Stats, Inc., Goth and Williams are the only teammates in the nation this season to increase their scoring average by 10.0 or more points this season. This is the first time in program history that two players have improved by 10 or more points from one season to the next.
• Goth and Williams have reached double figures in the same game 22 times this season, including a high of 47 combined points against Northern Iowa on Dec. 21.
• Goth and Williams are fourth in the Big 12 in percentage of their team's overall point total.

Another New Season, Another New Goth    
• Junior guard Kayla Goth took on the point guard role for K-State in the 2017-18 season.
• For the season, the native of DeForest, Wisconsin, is averaging a team-high 17.0 points on a .467 field goal percentage including a 3-point field goal percentage of .352. She is also averaging 3.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.9 steals. Goth is shooting .500 on two-point field goal attempts this season.
• Goth ranks sixth in the Big 12 in scoring, leads the league in assists and is sixth in assist to turnover ratio (2.0).
• She has set career season-highs in 15 statistical categories including: points (526), field goals made and attempted (188-of-403), rebounds (122), assists (211), blocks (16), steals (59), free throws made and attempted (118-of-164) and double-doubles (5).
• She has improved her scoring average from her sophomore to junior season by 11.2 points per game (5.8 in 2016-17 to 17.0 in 2017-18). This would be the second-largest scoring average increase from one season to the next in school history.
• Goth is the eighth player in program history to score 500 or more points in their junior season, including the second guard to achieve the feat (Priscilla Gary; 1981-82). She ranks fourth in school history for points in a season by a junior.
• She is the first player in program history to achieve 500 or more points and 200 or more assists in a season. She is one of nine players in the nation this season with 500 or more points and 200 or more assists.
• Goth has 17 games this season with at least 15 points and five assists. She has more games with 15 or more points and five or more assists (17) than every other K-State player since the start of the 2014-15 season (10).
• She is the first player since Brittany Chambers (10 games) in 2012-13 to record six games with 20 or more points and five or more assists in a season.
• Against Kansas, Goth finished with a stat line of 21 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. She is the first player in program history to record 20 or more points and 12 or more assists in a game.
• In Big 12 games, Goth averaged 16.7 points which ranked seventh in the Big 12 while also pacing the league in assists at 7.0 per game. She was responsible for 54.3 percent (126 assists/108 field goals made) of K-State's made field goals in Big 12 games.
• Against Texas Tech, Goth registered a career-high 27 points on a career-best 11-of-19 shooting and added nine assists, six rebounds and three steals.

Page Filling Up the Stat Book    
• Senior forward Kaylee Page has provided a diverse stat line to open the 2017-18 season.
• Page is averaging 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.9 blocks. She is second on the team with her career-high 27 blocks this season.
• For her career, Page is the fourth player in program history with 100 or more made three-pointers, 50 or more blocks and 50 or more steals - joining Megan Mahoney (2001-05), Kendra Wecker (2001-05) and Ashley Sweat (2006-10).
• Page recorded her first double-double of the season and the third of her career with 13 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks at Iowa State.
• Against Oklahoma State on January 13, Page tallied a season-high 20 points which included a career-high six connections from beyond the arc.
• The Wamego, Kansas, native has 11 career games with 10 or more points and five or more rebounds in the same game.
• In the 2016-17 season, Page came off the bench to average 6.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 21.9 minutes of action.
• Page set career season-highs for field goals made (71), 3-point field goals made (49) and steals (27).
• Page scored in double figures in a career-best 10 games last season, including a high of 15 points at TCU on Feb. 18.

Williams Strong from the Foul Line    
• Forward Peyton Williams has improved from the charity stripe in her second season.
• For the season, Williams is shooting 83-of-98 (.847) from the foul line to rank third in the Big 12 and 42nd in the nation. She has set a new career season-high for made free throws. She has made five or more free throws in seven games this season.
• Williams owns a current streak of 25 consecutive free throws made. Boosting her streak, was a career-best 8-of-8 effort at TCU on Feb. 17.
• For her career, Williams is shooting .783 (112-of-143).