Kansas State University Athletics
Sunday, November 29
Manhattan, Kan.
1 p.m.
Kansas State University
1-0,0-0Big 12
66
vs
51
Southern
0-1,0-0SWAC
1
2
3
4
F
Southern U.
14
14
13
10
51
Kansas St.
11
18
16
21
66
K-State Pulls Away from Southern in Fourth Quarter
Nov 29, 2020 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State extended its win streak in season-openers with a strong fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon to pull away from Southern 66-51, at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (1-0) has won 11 straight season-openers, the second-longest streak in program history behind a 12-game streak from the 1975-76 season to the 1987-88 season. The Wildcats are 44-9 all-time in home-openers, including a 29-4 mark in home-openers in Bramlage Coliseum.
With a one-point lead at the half, 29-28, K-State went to Ayoka Lee who delivered the first nine points of the second half for the Wildcats and kept K-State in front, 38-34, with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter. Lee would score 11 points in the third stanza, as K-State held a 45-41 lead entering the fourth.
A putback from Lee and a driving layup from Carr to begin the final frame gave the Wildcats its largest lead of the afternoon at 49-41, with 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats would build their advantage to 11, 56-45, on a Laura Macke jumper with 4:23 to play. Southern cut the lead to nine, but a layup from Sydney Goodson with 2:53 remaining started a 10-4 K-State run to close out the game.
Lee ended the afternoon with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds and four blocks. Carr added 15 points including a 3-of-7 effort from 3-point range.
Southern (0-1) held a four-point lead, 20-16, with 6:42 to play in the second quarter following a layup from Raven White.
The Wildcats would then use a 9-4 run, as Carr knocked down an off-balance jumper, then connected on her third 3-pointer of the half. Carr then found Macke along the baseline to give K-State a 25-24 lead with 3:25 remaining in the second frame. Macke ended the game with eight points and four rebounds.
The Jaguars would go in front by three, 28-25, with 1:37 left after a pair of layups from Genovea Johnson.
The Wildcats would hold a one-point lead at the half, 29-28, as Macke connected on a jumper and Rachel Ranke finished a transition layup with 38 seconds on the clock. Ranke led the K-State bench with seven of the 17 bench points.
For the afternoon, K-State shot 46.0 percent (29-of-63) from the field while Southern was held to a 35.0 percent (21-of-60) performance.
Defensively, K-State tallied 10 blocked shots. The most since recording 10 at TCU on February 1, 2020. Emilee Ebert tied with Lee for game-high honors with a career-high four blocks. Ebert added four points, four rebounds and a career-high six assists.
K-State begins the month of December with the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday, December 3, against (11/12) Kentucky. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Thursday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and available on the K-State Sports Network.
What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening statement…
"Certainly this early in the year, we just aren't in sync in terms of scoring the basketball and moving it to the right player and having an awareness of that. That's been our biggest struggle the last two games. We saw that continue today. As the game went on we were a little bit better, but we are still are late to moving to the ball and late on seeing things. We have different phases of players that have been in and out like a lot of teams this year, and that's just one of the things that is going to be a challenge all year long is to have some consistency in those areas and we have certainly struggled in this early part. The exhibition game, I played four point guards, I probably haven't done that in 30 years of coaching. But we had some players that had missed some significant time and were just coming back, so certainly that's a part of it. I thought we had a good fourth quarter and played better as the game went on. I think Southern had a nice game plan, shortened the game and iso'd us. That was effective early because they knocked down some early mid range jumpers, but as the game wore on they missed some and we were able to do a better job defensively."
On Emilee Ebert…
"I thought she had a fantastic second half. Really used her size well and kept them in front, and then has the athletic ability to get up the floor quickly. I was not happy with her rebounding in the first half, we had a significant amount of players who played 10 or more minutes without a board, and she was one of them. But she made the correction, and really played well in the second half. Out of all our players, she moved the ball to the right players with decent timing, so yeah really big second half for her."
On the ball movement…
"I would grade the ball movement as poor right now. We are really hesitant. We aren't seeing things very well, and late on plays. We are missing the obvious at times. Some of that is just getting back in and once again, players are not in sync with each other, but that is just part of it and we will have to fight through it."
On making adjustments …
"We didn't make any adjustments. I tried to let them play here, and while that has been frustrating at times, I feel like the benefit would be they would have to grind through it. We just talked about moving the ball to the open player better. We did talk about them getting in a zone and getting to the backside help, so we need to pass fake the ball better. I thought we skipped the ball better against the zone, but I never felt like we were really in a good rhythm against the zone."
On the upcoming game against Kentucky...
"I have a lot of concerns heading into Kentucky. You're going to have to make shots against a quality team like Kentucky and a very talented team. They can score the basketball, so you have to be able to score with them, and right now we just haven't been able to score the ball, so you're dead on from our offensive side of the ball, we have to score better."
CHRISSY CARR, JUNIOR GUARD
On stepping up with Lee out of the lineup in the first half…
"Honestly, this year is just full of ups and downs with COVID and injuries. Anything can happen. It's very unexpected on what can happen, and just knowing that when you're on the court, things can happen. You've just gotta be ready to be aggressive, and I feel like Yokie is such a big presence for us. She does create a lot of open plays for us. When she had to go out with her nose to get that figured out, I just told the team that we need to keep being aggressive. We can't just take breaks off when Yokie is off the court. That was kind of my mindset and what I was communicating to the team, as well, just be aggressive, keep running the court and beating them up the floor and we'll make up for those points until she gets back in."
On Friday's exhibition helping to prepare the team for today…
"It's always good to have games under your belt before it actually counts. We had an opportunity to see where we could fix things. I came in on Saturday and watched a lot of film on defensive mistakes that I needed to clean up before today. The exhibition game did help a lot going into today's game, because I had some game film of not playing against my own teammates that know the plays and stuff like that. We could get a gauge of how we were doing offensively and defensively with a team that hasn't seen us play. I think it was very useful. It helped us out today. We just gotta keep moving forward and keep the energy moving forward."
On finishing strong defensively…
"The saying, 'it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish', I hold that close to my heart, because you can have a terrible start but if you have the will to fight back and just keep punching it, you never know what teams you can come back on. I feel like we did a good job of making sure we guard the ball really well, get some steals, keep pushing and keep our feet on their throats just so we could get some energy not just in today's game but now getting some energy going into Thursday's game. It's a big game, so I'm happy we had some energy in the fourth quarter and showed some good things moving forward. We'll correct the things we need to correct this week and get back after it on Tuesday."
On Sydney Goodson's performance today…
"Ever since she got here, it's been awesome. It's been nothing but great things. I really just love the energy she brings to the court. She's a good listener and is also a great communicator. One of the great things about her is that she really brings people together. I can really see that with this year's team. She brings people together on the floor and off the floor, and that's one thing that's really helped me out as a player, as well. On the court, she plays hard and comes with a lot of energy. She has a smile on her face even if she messes up. She's there to give you a high five even if you mess up. She isn't harping on you, so that's always a good thing to have when you're on the basketball court is someone that keeps it positive but gets serious when it's time to get serious. I don't know about a grade, necessarily, but I have enjoyed playing with her over the past couple of days and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do together on the court."
On playing with no fans…
"I feel like you could definitely hear a lot more things on the court. We were talking in the locker room about toning back the attitude and yelling. We really need to keep it in house, because you can hear a lot more and it's a lot more visible. It is weird, because at Bramlage and with women's basketball we get supported so much by our fans. It was different not having our fans here. I miss them. I miss the booing when there's a bad call. I feel like it's only Coach Mittie and a couple of players yelling at the refs. I do miss the boos and the crowd getting us amped up. Once everything gets taken care of and we can have fans back, it'll be even more fun whenever they get back. It'll be more appreciated when they get back now that we know what it's like to not have fans."
AYOKA LEE, SOPHOMORE CENTER
On the tough start in the first half...
"I think the biggest thing was just getting good position for me and then our guards just taking the time to look and swing the ball so we're in positions where it's an easier pass. For me, just getting good position and knowing where to go at what time was probably the biggest thing. So I think more things we were doing than things they were doing, because I think everything they did I think we've seen before. I just think we needed to do a better job of getting the ball in a better position, me posting up in better positions."
On the effort to get the ball inside in the second half…
"Yeah, for sure. That's been a big thing the past couple of days is just getting post touches and playing together. Getting inside, they kind of stopped helping, a little less in the second half. They're getting shots, and it's easier to get it inside. I'm getting shots. It's just playing together that I think was a big thing. Coach Mittie made a big emphasis of that."
On facing double teams against Southern....
"I think it's definitely something I have to make a quicker adjustment to. I think just keeping the ball high is a big thing, and then just finishing for me is a big thing that I just need to adjust to and get better at. Also just finding gaps, especially in the zone, was probably something I struggled with and we struggled with a little bit. Just keep working through it and getting better."
On chemistry with the new point guards....
"I'm just excited to play with them finally. Syd's been great since she's been here. She's definitely one of those people that's talking to us continuously. Jada is awesome, especially coming in as a freshman, her quickness and ability to get it up the floor. I just really like playing with them. In terms of post passes, it's kind of the thing of playing together that we still need to work on kind of, but when we were playing together, I thought we had a lot of good looks and a lot of good passes."
K-State (1-0) has won 11 straight season-openers, the second-longest streak in program history behind a 12-game streak from the 1975-76 season to the 1987-88 season. The Wildcats are 44-9 all-time in home-openers, including a 29-4 mark in home-openers in Bramlage Coliseum.
With a one-point lead at the half, 29-28, K-State went to Ayoka Lee who delivered the first nine points of the second half for the Wildcats and kept K-State in front, 38-34, with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter. Lee would score 11 points in the third stanza, as K-State held a 45-41 lead entering the fourth.
A putback from Lee and a driving layup from Carr to begin the final frame gave the Wildcats its largest lead of the afternoon at 49-41, with 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats would build their advantage to 11, 56-45, on a Laura Macke jumper with 4:23 to play. Southern cut the lead to nine, but a layup from Sydney Goodson with 2:53 remaining started a 10-4 K-State run to close out the game.
Lee ended the afternoon with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds and four blocks. Carr added 15 points including a 3-of-7 effort from 3-point range.
Southern (0-1) held a four-point lead, 20-16, with 6:42 to play in the second quarter following a layup from Raven White.
The Wildcats would then use a 9-4 run, as Carr knocked down an off-balance jumper, then connected on her third 3-pointer of the half. Carr then found Macke along the baseline to give K-State a 25-24 lead with 3:25 remaining in the second frame. Macke ended the game with eight points and four rebounds.
The Jaguars would go in front by three, 28-25, with 1:37 left after a pair of layups from Genovea Johnson.
The Wildcats would hold a one-point lead at the half, 29-28, as Macke connected on a jumper and Rachel Ranke finished a transition layup with 38 seconds on the clock. Ranke led the K-State bench with seven of the 17 bench points.
For the afternoon, K-State shot 46.0 percent (29-of-63) from the field while Southern was held to a 35.0 percent (21-of-60) performance.
Defensively, K-State tallied 10 blocked shots. The most since recording 10 at TCU on February 1, 2020. Emilee Ebert tied with Lee for game-high honors with a career-high four blocks. Ebert added four points, four rebounds and a career-high six assists.
K-State begins the month of December with the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday, December 3, against (11/12) Kentucky. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Thursday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and available on the K-State Sports Network.
What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening statement…
"Certainly this early in the year, we just aren't in sync in terms of scoring the basketball and moving it to the right player and having an awareness of that. That's been our biggest struggle the last two games. We saw that continue today. As the game went on we were a little bit better, but we are still are late to moving to the ball and late on seeing things. We have different phases of players that have been in and out like a lot of teams this year, and that's just one of the things that is going to be a challenge all year long is to have some consistency in those areas and we have certainly struggled in this early part. The exhibition game, I played four point guards, I probably haven't done that in 30 years of coaching. But we had some players that had missed some significant time and were just coming back, so certainly that's a part of it. I thought we had a good fourth quarter and played better as the game went on. I think Southern had a nice game plan, shortened the game and iso'd us. That was effective early because they knocked down some early mid range jumpers, but as the game wore on they missed some and we were able to do a better job defensively."
On Emilee Ebert…
"I thought she had a fantastic second half. Really used her size well and kept them in front, and then has the athletic ability to get up the floor quickly. I was not happy with her rebounding in the first half, we had a significant amount of players who played 10 or more minutes without a board, and she was one of them. But she made the correction, and really played well in the second half. Out of all our players, she moved the ball to the right players with decent timing, so yeah really big second half for her."
On the ball movement…
"I would grade the ball movement as poor right now. We are really hesitant. We aren't seeing things very well, and late on plays. We are missing the obvious at times. Some of that is just getting back in and once again, players are not in sync with each other, but that is just part of it and we will have to fight through it."
On making adjustments …
"We didn't make any adjustments. I tried to let them play here, and while that has been frustrating at times, I feel like the benefit would be they would have to grind through it. We just talked about moving the ball to the open player better. We did talk about them getting in a zone and getting to the backside help, so we need to pass fake the ball better. I thought we skipped the ball better against the zone, but I never felt like we were really in a good rhythm against the zone."
On the upcoming game against Kentucky...
"I have a lot of concerns heading into Kentucky. You're going to have to make shots against a quality team like Kentucky and a very talented team. They can score the basketball, so you have to be able to score with them, and right now we just haven't been able to score the ball, so you're dead on from our offensive side of the ball, we have to score better."
CHRISSY CARR, JUNIOR GUARD
On stepping up with Lee out of the lineup in the first half…
"Honestly, this year is just full of ups and downs with COVID and injuries. Anything can happen. It's very unexpected on what can happen, and just knowing that when you're on the court, things can happen. You've just gotta be ready to be aggressive, and I feel like Yokie is such a big presence for us. She does create a lot of open plays for us. When she had to go out with her nose to get that figured out, I just told the team that we need to keep being aggressive. We can't just take breaks off when Yokie is off the court. That was kind of my mindset and what I was communicating to the team, as well, just be aggressive, keep running the court and beating them up the floor and we'll make up for those points until she gets back in."
On Friday's exhibition helping to prepare the team for today…
"It's always good to have games under your belt before it actually counts. We had an opportunity to see where we could fix things. I came in on Saturday and watched a lot of film on defensive mistakes that I needed to clean up before today. The exhibition game did help a lot going into today's game, because I had some game film of not playing against my own teammates that know the plays and stuff like that. We could get a gauge of how we were doing offensively and defensively with a team that hasn't seen us play. I think it was very useful. It helped us out today. We just gotta keep moving forward and keep the energy moving forward."
On finishing strong defensively…
"The saying, 'it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish', I hold that close to my heart, because you can have a terrible start but if you have the will to fight back and just keep punching it, you never know what teams you can come back on. I feel like we did a good job of making sure we guard the ball really well, get some steals, keep pushing and keep our feet on their throats just so we could get some energy not just in today's game but now getting some energy going into Thursday's game. It's a big game, so I'm happy we had some energy in the fourth quarter and showed some good things moving forward. We'll correct the things we need to correct this week and get back after it on Tuesday."
On Sydney Goodson's performance today…
"Ever since she got here, it's been awesome. It's been nothing but great things. I really just love the energy she brings to the court. She's a good listener and is also a great communicator. One of the great things about her is that she really brings people together. I can really see that with this year's team. She brings people together on the floor and off the floor, and that's one thing that's really helped me out as a player, as well. On the court, she plays hard and comes with a lot of energy. She has a smile on her face even if she messes up. She's there to give you a high five even if you mess up. She isn't harping on you, so that's always a good thing to have when you're on the basketball court is someone that keeps it positive but gets serious when it's time to get serious. I don't know about a grade, necessarily, but I have enjoyed playing with her over the past couple of days and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do together on the court."
On playing with no fans…
"I feel like you could definitely hear a lot more things on the court. We were talking in the locker room about toning back the attitude and yelling. We really need to keep it in house, because you can hear a lot more and it's a lot more visible. It is weird, because at Bramlage and with women's basketball we get supported so much by our fans. It was different not having our fans here. I miss them. I miss the booing when there's a bad call. I feel like it's only Coach Mittie and a couple of players yelling at the refs. I do miss the boos and the crowd getting us amped up. Once everything gets taken care of and we can have fans back, it'll be even more fun whenever they get back. It'll be more appreciated when they get back now that we know what it's like to not have fans."
AYOKA LEE, SOPHOMORE CENTER
On the tough start in the first half...
"I think the biggest thing was just getting good position for me and then our guards just taking the time to look and swing the ball so we're in positions where it's an easier pass. For me, just getting good position and knowing where to go at what time was probably the biggest thing. So I think more things we were doing than things they were doing, because I think everything they did I think we've seen before. I just think we needed to do a better job of getting the ball in a better position, me posting up in better positions."
On the effort to get the ball inside in the second half…
"Yeah, for sure. That's been a big thing the past couple of days is just getting post touches and playing together. Getting inside, they kind of stopped helping, a little less in the second half. They're getting shots, and it's easier to get it inside. I'm getting shots. It's just playing together that I think was a big thing. Coach Mittie made a big emphasis of that."
On facing double teams against Southern....
"I think it's definitely something I have to make a quicker adjustment to. I think just keeping the ball high is a big thing, and then just finishing for me is a big thing that I just need to adjust to and get better at. Also just finding gaps, especially in the zone, was probably something I struggled with and we struggled with a little bit. Just keep working through it and getting better."
On chemistry with the new point guards....
"I'm just excited to play with them finally. Syd's been great since she's been here. She's definitely one of those people that's talking to us continuously. Jada is awesome, especially coming in as a freshman, her quickness and ability to get it up the floor. I just really like playing with them. In terms of post passes, it's kind of the thing of playing together that we still need to work on kind of, but when we were playing together, I thought we had a lot of good looks and a lot of good passes."
Cats Win!
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) November 29, 2020
Wildcats open 2021-22 campaign with 66-51 win over Southern. Lee (17 pts, 9 reb, 4 blk) keys second half surge, after Carr (15 pts) keeps Cats in it early. #KStateWBB x Honor the Journey pic.twitter.com/XFwYNLQfwU
Smooth & Sweet ... first of many 🏀 for Jada Moore. #KStateWBB x Honor the Journey pic.twitter.com/FGZ3rJl17N
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) November 29, 2020
Find the big kid #KStateWBB x @Yokie50 pic.twitter.com/OHfmo5e8bm
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) November 29, 2020
Defense ➡️ Offense
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) November 29, 2020
Goodson ➡️ Ranke #KStateWBB pic.twitter.com/1l4loUfSDR
Team Stats
SU
KState
FG%
.350
.460
3FG%
.000
.167
FT%
.450
.500
RB
34
44
TO
9
14
STL
9
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballK-State WBB | Feeding the Band
Wednesday, September 10
K-State WBB | Postgame Press Conference vs USC (NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen)
Saturday, March 29
K-State WBB | Postgame Highlights vs USC (NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen)
Saturday, March 29
K-State WBB | Player Press Conference (NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen - USC Preview)
Friday, March 28