Kansas State University Athletics
Sunday, January 5
Manhattan, Kan.
12 p.m.
Kansas State University
6-6,0-1Big 12
63
vs
74
West Virginia
11-1,1-0Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
West Virginia
19
16
21
18
74
Kansas St.
12
10
23
18
63
K-State Drops Big 12 Opener to (19/21) West Virginia
Jan 05, 2020 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State opened its 24th season of Big 12 women's basketball on Sunday afternoon in Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats were unable to spring the upset on (19/21) West Virginia, as the Mountaineers captured the win, 74-63.
"I think early, we had some aggressive turnovers that kept us from having momentum offensively," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie. "We just hit a stretch where we weren't getting good shots. Our ability to move the ball in that stretch was poor. We were getting caught up in the physicality of West Virginia opposed to staying true to what we worked on. I thought we battled in the second half. Thought we did some decent things, but every time we made a push, to West Virginia's credit, they made some big shots."
West Virginia (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) was sparked in the first quarter by Kirsten Deans. The freshman came off the bench to record nine straight points for the Mountaineers to turn a one-point lead into a seven-point advantage, 19-12, heading into the second quarter.
K-State (6-6, 0-1) was led in the second quarter by Angela Harris, who scored eight of K-State's 10 points in the frame. The Mountaineers would lead by as many as 15, 35-20, before an Ayoka Lee layup closed the Wildcats within 13 at the break, 35-22.
The Wildcats shot 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from the field in the opening half, while West Virginia turned in a 41.2 percent (14-of-34) effort.
West Virginia expanded its lead to 48-30 with 4:46 remaining in the third quarter, as Kyrse Gondrezick connected on three straight 3-pointers.
The Mountaineers would hold a 56-38 lead with 1:12 remaining, but a 7-0 K-State run closed the deficit to 56-45 entering the fourth quarter. Peyton Williams scored five or the seven points during the rally. In the quarter, Williams registered nine points as the Wildcats outscored the Mountaineers in the frame, 23-21.
In the fourth quarter, West Virginia kept K-State at arm's length. The Wildcats closed to within 11, 58-47, on a layup from Ayoka Lee. The Mountaineers answered each time the Wildcats scored to keep the lead in double digits.
K-State featured four players in double figures, led by Harris with 16 points and four assists. Williams tallied her seventh double-double of the season with 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. With the effort, Williams pocketed her 28th career double-double and moved into third on the K-State career double-doubles list.
Senior Jasauen Beard made her third start of the season and responded with 13 points and six rebounds. This was her fourth game in double figures this season and a new season-high on the glass.
Redshirt freshman Ayoka Lee tallied 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, nine rebounds and two blocks in her Big 12 debut.
West Virginia was led by the trio of Gondrezick, Tynice Martin and Madisen Smith. Gondrezick finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, while also dishing out eight assists. Martin tallied 18 points and Smith poured in 15, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
K-State shot 57.1 percent in the second half, and tallied a 43.6 percent (24-of-55) overall shooting performance. West Virginia shot 43.1 percent (28-of-65) and were 10-of-28 from 3-point range.
Kansas State will return to action on Saturday, January 11, as the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech at 3 p.m. Saturday's game can be heard on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com.
What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening statement...
"I think early, we had some aggressive turnovers that kept us from having momentum offensively. We just hit a stretch where we weren't getting good shots. Our ability to move the ball in that stretch was poor. We were getting caught up in the physicality of West Virginia opposed to staying true to what we worked on. I thought we battled in the second half. Thought we did some decent things, but every time we made a push, to West Virginia's credit, they made some big shots. That's what you're going to find in this league. You can do things well, but the other teams have players. There's a couple pros on that team right there. I thought (Tynice) Martin has always been a player that can get her own shot, and they've added (Kysre) Gondrezick to that. Gondrezick had a phenomenal day, we knew that coming in. We gave special attention to her and still, she ends up with 24 points. What's even more impressive than that is that she does it in a manner where she still got eight assists today. That's a high number for her. That's probably a season and probably a career high for her, so she played very well. There were things that I thought we did. Obviously offensively, we were better in the second half. I thought we were able to get the ball in better spots. Still got to find a way to get some points from the arc, and right now that's a struggle."
On Jasauen Beard's performance…
"I thought JB (Jasauen Beard) competed hard in the second half. I think when JB plays hard, things are going to happen. Some might not be great all the time, but things are going to happen. She's a better player, though, when things are happening. She's a better player for us when things are happening. You have to live with some things because she gets amped up and gets ahead of herself, but certainly in the second half, I thought she played very well. I think her energy in the first half wasn't as good, and it was a significant change in the second half."
On West Virginia's performance…
"I thought West Virginia really moved the ball in a timely manner today. I didn't think we were flying around defensively as much. We're still trying to get our group to trust rotation better, but I would also say that Madisen Smith shot it well today. (Kysre) Gondrezick shot it well today. They got a couple broken plays in the first half where (Tynice) Martin gets a three, Gondrezick gets a three. We've got to clean those things up. We talked about 7 of 28, 7 of 30 was a number that would be alright. We've got to cover it up, though. One of 15 from three from us, we're not going to be able to sustain another team knocking 10 down. We've either got to knock more down or figure out a way to keep them from knocking some down."
On players on the bench receiving more playing time…
"I've probably got to trust them a little more. It's really about effort. Those that are giving effort get a lot longer leash. If I don't feel like you're engaged or giving effort, then that leash is pretty short. You can make mistakes, but I have to see great effort. I have to see those things. Some of them it's about cutting loose in the game with that effort, because I do think that group practiced well this week. When I say me trusting them more, that would be where I would probably have to trust them more in a game and get them through that. We've got a good opportunity this week. That group did practice well this week, so if they can put together another good week of practice, that will be helpful for us going forward."
PEYTON WILLIAMS, K-STATE SENIOR FORWARD
On finding more rhythm in the second half...
"The second half brought more poise on offense. We were trying to push it a lot and trying to get a fast offense going at them. In the second half, we got more into our motion offense, allowing the guards to find their cuts and allowing us to open up the middle. We also ran some set plays that allowed us to get into the middle. We just got more comfortable finding the openings. "
On losing momentum in the fourth quarter...
"It felt like the momentum was ours. Madisen Smith hit three 3's in a row. She was one we talked about. Don't underestimate her, but if she gets an open shot, we'd rather have her with an open shot than Gondrezick. To her credit, she really stepped up when her team needed her and that prevented us from getting over the hump. It was tough to overcome in some of the areas, but I thought we fought back in a way I thought we could've done earlier. It was good to see it in the end."
MIKE CAREY, WEST VIRGINIA HEAD COACH
On his thoughts following the game...
"First of all, we gave Kansas State a comeback. They'll play hard. Jeff has them playing hard for 40 minutes, so it didn't surprise me. We gave up one offensive rebound the first half and six the second. We just weren't moving and playing defense. I'm a little disappointed in our second half, but we were able to hang on and win."
On how West Virginia was shooting from behind the arch…
"Well, they were in the zone. We were going inside-out. Whenever we went to the high post, they had to converge. Then we went out and hit some shots. We normally hit a bit more than that to be honest with you. I thought we missed some easy ones. Then, I thought we started settling for them too much and not attacking their zone. It was good to get a win. We head to Kansas next and we stay on the road. Our first games were on the road, so we got a win in the first one."
On the performance in the second half of Peyton Williams and Ayoka Lee…
"We got lazy. We stopped fronting and quit executing. It was just unbelievable. We had a good game plan going in and shutting them down. First half we executed, and second half we didn't. That's how good they are. If you don't execute what you are doing against them, they make you pay."
On whether they should have driven in more…
"Yeah on all their wings. When they are playing a 2-3 up, you should be able to drive that gap. We weren't doing that. We were settling so we played Syracuse and played the same thing, but we drove it a lot more. We just didn't do a good job driving and settled for threes."
"I think early, we had some aggressive turnovers that kept us from having momentum offensively," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie. "We just hit a stretch where we weren't getting good shots. Our ability to move the ball in that stretch was poor. We were getting caught up in the physicality of West Virginia opposed to staying true to what we worked on. I thought we battled in the second half. Thought we did some decent things, but every time we made a push, to West Virginia's credit, they made some big shots."
West Virginia (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) was sparked in the first quarter by Kirsten Deans. The freshman came off the bench to record nine straight points for the Mountaineers to turn a one-point lead into a seven-point advantage, 19-12, heading into the second quarter.
K-State (6-6, 0-1) was led in the second quarter by Angela Harris, who scored eight of K-State's 10 points in the frame. The Mountaineers would lead by as many as 15, 35-20, before an Ayoka Lee layup closed the Wildcats within 13 at the break, 35-22.
The Wildcats shot 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from the field in the opening half, while West Virginia turned in a 41.2 percent (14-of-34) effort.
West Virginia expanded its lead to 48-30 with 4:46 remaining in the third quarter, as Kyrse Gondrezick connected on three straight 3-pointers.
The Mountaineers would hold a 56-38 lead with 1:12 remaining, but a 7-0 K-State run closed the deficit to 56-45 entering the fourth quarter. Peyton Williams scored five or the seven points during the rally. In the quarter, Williams registered nine points as the Wildcats outscored the Mountaineers in the frame, 23-21.
In the fourth quarter, West Virginia kept K-State at arm's length. The Wildcats closed to within 11, 58-47, on a layup from Ayoka Lee. The Mountaineers answered each time the Wildcats scored to keep the lead in double digits.
K-State featured four players in double figures, led by Harris with 16 points and four assists. Williams tallied her seventh double-double of the season with 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. With the effort, Williams pocketed her 28th career double-double and moved into third on the K-State career double-doubles list.
Senior Jasauen Beard made her third start of the season and responded with 13 points and six rebounds. This was her fourth game in double figures this season and a new season-high on the glass.
Redshirt freshman Ayoka Lee tallied 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, nine rebounds and two blocks in her Big 12 debut.
West Virginia was led by the trio of Gondrezick, Tynice Martin and Madisen Smith. Gondrezick finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, while also dishing out eight assists. Martin tallied 18 points and Smith poured in 15, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
K-State shot 57.1 percent in the second half, and tallied a 43.6 percent (24-of-55) overall shooting performance. West Virginia shot 43.1 percent (28-of-65) and were 10-of-28 from 3-point range.
Kansas State will return to action on Saturday, January 11, as the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech at 3 p.m. Saturday's game can be heard on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com.
What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening statement...
"I think early, we had some aggressive turnovers that kept us from having momentum offensively. We just hit a stretch where we weren't getting good shots. Our ability to move the ball in that stretch was poor. We were getting caught up in the physicality of West Virginia opposed to staying true to what we worked on. I thought we battled in the second half. Thought we did some decent things, but every time we made a push, to West Virginia's credit, they made some big shots. That's what you're going to find in this league. You can do things well, but the other teams have players. There's a couple pros on that team right there. I thought (Tynice) Martin has always been a player that can get her own shot, and they've added (Kysre) Gondrezick to that. Gondrezick had a phenomenal day, we knew that coming in. We gave special attention to her and still, she ends up with 24 points. What's even more impressive than that is that she does it in a manner where she still got eight assists today. That's a high number for her. That's probably a season and probably a career high for her, so she played very well. There were things that I thought we did. Obviously offensively, we were better in the second half. I thought we were able to get the ball in better spots. Still got to find a way to get some points from the arc, and right now that's a struggle."
On Jasauen Beard's performance…
"I thought JB (Jasauen Beard) competed hard in the second half. I think when JB plays hard, things are going to happen. Some might not be great all the time, but things are going to happen. She's a better player, though, when things are happening. She's a better player for us when things are happening. You have to live with some things because she gets amped up and gets ahead of herself, but certainly in the second half, I thought she played very well. I think her energy in the first half wasn't as good, and it was a significant change in the second half."
On West Virginia's performance…
"I thought West Virginia really moved the ball in a timely manner today. I didn't think we were flying around defensively as much. We're still trying to get our group to trust rotation better, but I would also say that Madisen Smith shot it well today. (Kysre) Gondrezick shot it well today. They got a couple broken plays in the first half where (Tynice) Martin gets a three, Gondrezick gets a three. We've got to clean those things up. We talked about 7 of 28, 7 of 30 was a number that would be alright. We've got to cover it up, though. One of 15 from three from us, we're not going to be able to sustain another team knocking 10 down. We've either got to knock more down or figure out a way to keep them from knocking some down."
On players on the bench receiving more playing time…
"I've probably got to trust them a little more. It's really about effort. Those that are giving effort get a lot longer leash. If I don't feel like you're engaged or giving effort, then that leash is pretty short. You can make mistakes, but I have to see great effort. I have to see those things. Some of them it's about cutting loose in the game with that effort, because I do think that group practiced well this week. When I say me trusting them more, that would be where I would probably have to trust them more in a game and get them through that. We've got a good opportunity this week. That group did practice well this week, so if they can put together another good week of practice, that will be helpful for us going forward."
PEYTON WILLIAMS, K-STATE SENIOR FORWARD
On finding more rhythm in the second half...
"The second half brought more poise on offense. We were trying to push it a lot and trying to get a fast offense going at them. In the second half, we got more into our motion offense, allowing the guards to find their cuts and allowing us to open up the middle. We also ran some set plays that allowed us to get into the middle. We just got more comfortable finding the openings. "
On losing momentum in the fourth quarter...
"It felt like the momentum was ours. Madisen Smith hit three 3's in a row. She was one we talked about. Don't underestimate her, but if she gets an open shot, we'd rather have her with an open shot than Gondrezick. To her credit, she really stepped up when her team needed her and that prevented us from getting over the hump. It was tough to overcome in some of the areas, but I thought we fought back in a way I thought we could've done earlier. It was good to see it in the end."
MIKE CAREY, WEST VIRGINIA HEAD COACH
On his thoughts following the game...
"First of all, we gave Kansas State a comeback. They'll play hard. Jeff has them playing hard for 40 minutes, so it didn't surprise me. We gave up one offensive rebound the first half and six the second. We just weren't moving and playing defense. I'm a little disappointed in our second half, but we were able to hang on and win."
On how West Virginia was shooting from behind the arch…
"Well, they were in the zone. We were going inside-out. Whenever we went to the high post, they had to converge. Then we went out and hit some shots. We normally hit a bit more than that to be honest with you. I thought we missed some easy ones. Then, I thought we started settling for them too much and not attacking their zone. It was good to get a win. We head to Kansas next and we stay on the road. Our first games were on the road, so we got a win in the first one."
On the performance in the second half of Peyton Williams and Ayoka Lee…
"We got lazy. We stopped fronting and quit executing. It was just unbelievable. We had a good game plan going in and shutting them down. First half we executed, and second half we didn't. That's how good they are. If you don't execute what you are doing against them, they make you pay."
On whether they should have driven in more…
"Yeah on all their wings. When they are playing a 2-3 up, you should be able to drive that gap. We weren't doing that. We were settling so we played Syracuse and played the same thing, but we drove it a lot more. We just didn't do a good job driving and settled for threes."
Team Stats
WVU
KState
FG%
.431
.436
3FG%
.357
.067
FT%
.800
.700
RB
36
32
TO
13
18
STL
13
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
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