Kansas State University Athletics

Saturday, March 2
Manhattan, Kan.
1 p.m.

Kansas State University

19-10, 10-7

75
vs
67

Texas Tech

12-16, 3-14

1
2
3
4
F
Texas Tech
21
17
19
10
67
Kansas State
19
20
24
12
75

Wildcats Earn 10th Big 12 Win in 75-67 Victory on Senior Day

Mar 02, 2019 | Women's Basketball

MANHATTAN, Kansas – All five K-State starters scored in double-figures, including a game-high 24 points and 15 rebounds from junior Peyton Williams, as Kansas State won its 10th Big 12 Conference game of the season by defeating Texas Tech, 75-67, on senior day at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday.

K-State (19-10, 10-7 Big 12) extended its Big 12 winning streak to four-straight with the win on Saturday, the longest win streak since the 2016-17 season, where the Wildcats also won four-in-a-row. The 10 Big 12 wins marks the sixth-time in Big 12 history reaching 10 or more conference wins in a season and the first since 2010-11.

Saturday also marked senior day for the Wildcats, honoring Kayla Goth and Kali Jones, who have now combined for 79 wins in their K-State careers. The duo combined for 21 points on Saturday, including 10 points from Goth, marking her 62nd double-digit scoring game in her career and 21st of the season, while Jones registered 11 points for her seventh double-digit scoring effort of her career.

The Wildcats were led by a complete scoring effort that included five individuals reaching double-digits, including a game-high 24 points from Williams, who shot an impressive 9-of-13 from the floor while gathering a season-high 15 rebounds. In addition to Williams, sophomore Rachel Ranke (11), Jones (11), Goth (11) and freshman Christiana Carr (10) all reached double-figures, marking the third time this season the Wildcats had five individuals in double-figures.

Goth, an All-America candidate, added 12 assists to her final line. The 12 assists ties her career-high and provided her with her sixth double-double of the season, the most of any guard in the Big 12.

Saturday's victory marks the eighth-straight for K-State over Texas Tech, with their last loss in the series coming in 2015. K-State improves their record in the series against the Lady Raiders, 23-13, while going 10-5 at home.

Texas Tech (12-16, 3-14 Big 12) was led by 20 points from junior Brittany Brewer, who shot 9-of-17 in the game. Zuri Sanders added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The K-State seniors started their day with a pair of baskets, as Goth hit her first shot of the day on a jumper. Two possessions later, Goth found Jones in the lane for a layup as K-State trailed 5-4 just 1:30 into the game.

Jones' lay-in spurred a 13-2 run, as K-State would pull ahead 15-7 with 4:29 left in the first quarter, where the Wildcats scored on 7 of their first 9 shots from the field.

After a Texas Tech timeout, the Lady Raiders put together a run of their own, stringing together 12-straight points to give them the lead at 19-15 with 2:12 left in the first quarter. The Lady Raiders were able to ride out the first quarter with a 21-19 lead.

K-State wasted no time retaking the lead in the second quarter, as the Wildcats went on a 13-0 run behind seven points from Ranke and four points from Williams, giving K-State a 32-21 lead with 5:58 left in the quarter. The 11-point lead was the largest lead of the half for either team.

Just before the half, Texas Tech was able to re-take the lead, as the Lady Raiders went on an 15-0 run to bring the score to 36-32 with 1:24 left in the half.

Despite the late Texas Tech run, the Wildcats responded by taking advantage before halftime on a 3-pointer from Ranke. The Ranke 3-pointer gave K-State a 39-38 lead at the break, as K-State shot 57.6 percent (15-of-29) from the field in the half, including 16 combined points from the seniors and a team-high 11 points from Ranke.

In the second half, Williams had the hot hand as she scored nine-consecutive points for the Wildcats, giving them a 53-44 lead with 5:54 left in the third quarter, at which point Williams had 17 points on 6-of-7 from the field, paired with two steals.

Coupled with Williams's nine second-half points, Carr accounted for the other seven points to open up the second half for the Wildcats, as the duo accounted for the first 16 points for K-State in the second half to help K-State to a 55-46 lead with 5:21 left in the quarter.

In the third quarter, K-State shot 64.3 percent (9-of-14) to bring their lead to six points at 63-57.

In the final quarter of play, the Wildcats relied on their shooting from the free throw line, as K-State shot 12-of-18 from the line in the game. The Wildcats went on to shoot 50 percent (28-of-56) from the floor, marking the sixth time this season K-State shot 50 percent or better from the floor.

K-State will conclude its 2018-19 regular season schedule on Monday night, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, as the Wildcats face Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. Monday night's game will be broadcast on FS Oklahoma, on the K-State Sports Network, for free at kstatesports.com and on the K-State Sports app.

WHAT THEY SAID
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH

Opening statement…
"...it was going to be a hard fought game, it was going to be a close game. It's kind of been that way all year, it's kind of been that way all year for Texas Tech. They have really played well, I give them credit. They had Iowa State on Tuesday, they were up seven with 1:41 to go and Iowa State comes back and wins by two. Any of the experts out there that were writing that these were going to be two games - this game in particular I figured was going to be aa one or two possession game down the stretch. We got exactly what we figured. It came a little bit differently. I would've liked us to control the ball better, we had too many turnovers in stretches where we could've stretched out the lead. Ultimately give them credit, they kind of create that by mixing up defenses well, give you different looks, and if you're not fundamental it's pretty easy to turn it over against them."

On overcoming the turnover and offensive rebounds being a sign of his team's maturity...
"They're one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, they're just right behind Baylor and Texas in the Big 12. Their offensive rebound percentage is one of the best in the country, we knew that coming in, that was not a surprise. Zuri Sanders getting eight or nine, whatever she ended up with, we at least down the stretch kept her out of getting them. They're tough, they're physical, they're big down low, they rotate bodies down there, they're very good.
To our credit, we found just enough offense, found just enough ball movement, got to the free throw line in key stretches in the fourth and were able to finish strong."

On the back-and-forth nature of the first half…
"You feel like you're doing a lot of really good things but we were our own worst enemy, we had five straight turnovers.
Our youth shows in that area - a veteran team maybe has one or two and everybody collectively says, okay I gotta be fundamental. We have a tendency in that stretch to try to do too much.

"(Kayla) Goth was a little amped up today, she kept wanting to throw a 55-yard touchdown pass - boy that would've been fun to have seen one, wouldn't it? She was a little amped up to get that play. We had opportunities, we just needed to settle down a little bit. I still don't like, we need to limit those runs, we've talked about that this week. This was a game of what exactly I said I didn't want. We had an 11-point lead, they come back and take a four-point lead
We're just not, In those stretches, disciplined enough at times, and fundamental enough at times. We just have to continue to work at that."

On being nervous at all in the fourth quarter...
"I don't know about that. Look, if you aren't excited to coach at this time of the year, if you aren't a little nervous every game - I get that every game of the year. I get a little amped up every game of the year, I don't sleep great. I'm a little amped up for seven months. I felt ok, I felt like we were going to get good possessions, that's the main thing for me. Control what you can control, I felt like when we went into the huddle I had a team that was paying attention and was going to finish strong. When the ball goes in the basket, those things - what I believe we control is can we be focused on the defensive end, can we control things at the end in terms of our emotions, can we get good ball movement, can we do those things? I felt like in our timeouts that we would do those things."

On the type of challenge this game presented...
"It just continues to get back to the emphasis of what we need to do to play well. You're always trying to limit, if the other team's a good transition team, how can we limit what they do well. From our standpoint we came into this game, wanted to control transition, I thought for the most part we were pretty good there. Offensive rebounding, we were pretty spotty there. They got 16, I wanted to keep them under 15, we're close but they got some key ones. We did a good job of keeping them off the free throw line, we didn't necessarily talk about that, but we talked about not bailing their guards out, so I think we did a good job of that. Offensively, our struggles were self-inflicted - you're a little amped up, too many turnovers, it wasn't like they were trapping us, it wasn't like they were denying a lot of things, we just lost discipline at times, then the 11 turnovers in the first half allowed them to stay in the game. Our goal second half was to have six turnovers, we almost got there. We had seven in the second half. Our team was obviously better and better down the stretch."

On Kali Jones turning in a fitting end to her career inside Bramlage Coliseum with nine rebounds…
"It was so cool - one I was really happy she got them down the stretch - but it was just kind of cool after the game it was a fitting ending for Senior Day. Now we've got a lot of basketball left, but for today it was awesome to see her do that. It was awesome for Goth to control the end of the game so well. We were able to control the end of the game, I love the pass to Peyton in the end, where she really has an open look and she finds Peyton late with about two seconds left in the shot clock and that was kind of the dagger that ended it. We had some cool plays for the seniors in the end."


KAYLA GOTH, SENIOR GUARD
On the Senior Day ceremony…
"I was just trying to get through it. Trying to focus on the season left. But the crowd we had today was unbelievable. I do not know the last time we had that many people at a game. I do not know if it was for Senior Day or the doubleheader or what but I am very appreciative for the crowd that we had today. I am very appreciative that we could get the win."

On her highlight video during the ceremony…
"I think it is just interesting to see how you change and how you yourself change. It is not only physically but as a player. I did a lot of stupid things as a freshman that may have been highlights but I probably got yelled at for. But I think it is just cool to see yourself evolve and see how you are able to progress over your career here. You see the older players, you see the camaraderie you had with them and what you had with your teammates now. I think it is super cool to see."

On pulling out the win…
"I think we knew that it was going to be tough coming in here. They just led Iowa State for 38 minutes so I think we knew it was going to be tough coming in here and we kind of had to battle. They go on a couple really good runs that we really needed to minimize and I think we did that better throughout the game. They are obviously a really tough team. They are kind of a tough matchup for us so overall I thought we played pretty well."

On her mentality to finish the game the right way…
"I think just finish. I think earlier in the season we would have struggled to finish a game like that. That was just drilled into my mind and I kept drilling it into them. 'Just finish, finish, finish.' We knew what we needed to do to win that game. Just being able to execute, I would say."

On dribbling out the clock at the end of the game…
"It is cool. Very appreciative for it. I put my heart and soul into this program for the last four years and for the next, hopefully, month here. So that standing ovation...it just means a lot. Coming from the people that I have played for for the last four years. Those are the people you want to get the wins for and want to progress in the tournament for. It is pretty cool."

On her expectations of Senior Day…
"It has pretty much been the same for the last four years. Emotions are obviously different since it is for you but I honestly think I might have been more emotional for the last three years than what I was this year. You have a different mentality as a senior. You know that there is still a lot of season left and you know that you want to be able to be successful in that. I think as an underclassmen it was more like, 'Oh my god, they are leaving us!' But I think you have a different mentality as a senior."

KALI JONES, SENIOR FORWARD
On the Senior Day ceremony...
"Like I have always said, K-State has been like family to me and they definitely came out and supported us, like what they have been doing all season. But tonight was very special. Like KG [Kayla Goth] said, I was just trying to get through it without the tears and everything. It was great and very emotional."

On her highlight video during the ceremony…
"The progression is just awesome. Physically, for me, watching all of those hairstyles. And basketball-wise, how I really did not play that much last year to the progression of how I played this year. It was great."

On her mentality to finish the game the right way…
"Just continue to keep the score far apart and, in a polite way, run them into ground."

PEYTON WILLIAMS, JUNIOR FORWARD
On sending out the seniors with a win…
"There were definitely ups and downs to this game but I think there was a point where all of us said, 'Okay, no more messing around. We have to win this game for Kali [Jones] and Kayla [Goth].' It feels really good to send them out in such a way because they have given so much to the program. Obviously Kayla, because she is one of the best point guards in the country. Kali Jones has worked her butt off to get where she is at. So to give back in that way to them is really meaningful."

On the runs in the first half…
"It was really weird. It felt like everything was going right one second and then we just could not hold the ball all of a sudden. As a young team, we had troubles with consistency in the beginning and I think we are still battling that sometimes. I think that came back to bite us there for a second but in the second half it evened out a little bit more."

On younger players fitting into their roles…
"That has heavily contributed to our success - diversifying our offensive attack. Rachel [Ranke] and Chrissy [Carr] are learning what shots are better for them and finding their rhythm. Not feeling as rushed or needing to feel like they have to chuck up threes. I think they are finding that rhythm, which is helping them. Laura [Macke] has really stepped up in a lot of areas. She has gotten some key rebounds and she is really understanding what her job is. She does not need to make the big plays but she needs to do the dirty work. She has to get rebounds and she has to go make some layups. So yeah, I think everybody has stepped up a little bit...knowing what their job is and doing that job."

Team Stats

TTU
K-STATE
FG%
.403
.500
3FG%
.278
.389
FT%
.800
.667
RB
34
37
TO
17
18
STL
12
7

Game Leaders

Pts
24
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4

Players Mentioned

G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
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