Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, February 8
Manhattan, Kan.
2 p.m.
Kansas State University
10-11,4-6Big 12
40
vs
54
Baylor
21-1,10-0Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
Baylor
13
18
15
8
54
Kansas St.
8
10
10
12
40
K-State Locks in Defensively Against (2/1) Baylor
Feb 08, 2020 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State looked to spring the upset on (2/1) Baylor on Saturday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats held the Lady Bears to its lowest point total in five seasons, but Baylor held the Wildcats to a season-low point total for a 54-40 win.
K-State's defense held the Lady Bears to a 38.3 (23-of-60) field goal percentage and outrebounded Baylor, 44-43. The 54 points by Baylor were their fewest since carding 45 at Oklahoma State on December 30, 2015. It was the fewest points K-State has allowed to Baylor since the Wildcats downed the Lady Bears on Feb. 8, 2003, 65-53.
The first quarter was a sign of things to come for both teams, as they combined to shoot 25 percent (8-of-32) from the field with Baylor (21-1, 10-0 Big 12) holding a 13-8 lead. Ayoka Lee paced K-State with four points and five rebounds.
Lee ended the day by tying the school record for double-doubles in a freshman season with her 12th. This equals the mark set by Kendra Wecker in 2001-02. The center from Byron, Minnesota, finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
In the second quarter, K-State (10-11, 4-6 Big 12) used a 7-0 run and grabbed a 15-13 lead with 7:16 to play. Christianna Carr scored five of the seven points during the rally.
The Lady Bears responded with a 16-0 run to build a 29-15 lead with 1:27 remaining. The Wildcats went without a made field goal for the final 7:15 of the second quarter. K-State cashed in three free throws to pull within 13, 31-18, at the half.
Baylor outscored K-State, 15-10, in the third quarter. Peyton Williams scored six of the 10 points for the Wildcats. Williams ended the game with 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
The Wildcats, who would win the fourth frame (12-8), held Baylor scoreless for nearly six minutes to begin the final quarter. K-State strung together an 8-0 run to pull to within 10, 46-36, with 5:20 remaining. Lee and Williams combined to score all eight points during the run.
The Lady Bears would hold K-State without a field goal for the final 6:07 of the game. The Wildcats were held to four made free throws, as Baylor used an 8-4 run over the final 4:10 of the game to seal the win.
K-State will begin a two-game road trip on Tuesday, February 11 at West Virginia. Game time on Tuesday is 6 p.m. (CT). Tuesday's game will be available online at WV Mountaineer TV, as well as on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com.
What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening statement...
"Tough scoring all day long. Baylor, I think, is certainly the best defensive team we've played all year and not having seen everybody, I think they're the best defensive team in the country because one through five they defend. They have a great awareness, great size, great athletic ability. Getting (Lauren) Cox and (NaLyssa) Smith both healthy, they're a factor. They're very talented defenders, and their perimeter defense is on point."
On missed shots...
"You always have a chance to make them. There were smaller windows. The thing I think that we're struggling with is that we're still hesitating a little bit on making those passes, and when you hesitate for half a second, they have great closing ability to, whether it be the post or whether it be a perimeter player. That probably is impacting our windows to shoot. Baylor closes those small windows very quickly. I thought that the best shots were early today. Early to start this game, I thought we were getting exactly the kind of shots we talked about getting. We just weren't finding the bottom of the net very much. Then, I think Baylor adjusted to what we were doing and that got harder and harder."
On the runs we made throughout the game…
"We had a couple of opportunities there. We got an offensive rebound and had some opportunities there to make a three on a scramble play. I mean, they're number one in one poll, they're number two in another. They've got good players. Go to the other end. You've got to defend. If you give them a small window, they capitalize on it. I thought our group covered up the defensive end very well. Especially late, we were really covering up some things late. Peyton got some steals in there. J Beard was active in that stretch. There were some really good things. Defense wasn't our problem today, there were some good things there. Going forward, my message to the team right now is that we just faced a Texas Tech team that hit 20 threes prior to coming in here. Just because they hit 20, we had a job to do to hold them to seven. Just because we struggled today shooting, that won't impact us on Tuesday. We'll get back to executing and getting better shots. I like the way we're sticking to game plans right now. I like the way this group is at both ends of the floor. If we continue to do that we're going to be a good basketball team in February."
On Baylor Head Coach Kim Mulkey saying K-State's defense was not the reason for their offensive struggles...
"I think we had something to do with it, and then there were probably windows that she felt like, I can't speak for her in terms of her execution, she can only speak to what she's not pleased with execution wise. I thought our defense was solid. They probably missed some shots in transition that they normally finish. They probably missed some shots in there that they normally make. What impacted us even more in the first half was the foul trouble. We've got our starting center on the bench. We've got our starting point guard on the bench. Those things impacted us."
PEYTON WILLIAMS, SENIOR FORWARD
On the pace of the offense…
"One of the things that we talked about on offense was slowing the pace down a little bit and playing more to a speed that wouldn't let them just run away and allow a lot of up-and-down. I think we wanted it to be a little bit more methodical and slower-paced. I think we were moving the ball within the offense that we were talking about as the game plan."
On if moving the ball inside and back out was part of the game plan…
"We talked about it. They're big inside and they're a big shot-blocking team. That's one of their strengths. We talked about being able to move a little bit on the outside, maybe get some three looks, maybe get it back in and reshuffle the person behind you to get an open shot on an up-and-under. Just to get them moving and not allowing them to stay in one place and block shots."
AYOKA LEE, REDSHIRT FRESHMAN CENTER
On if her performance against Baylor's post players boosts her confidence…
"Obviously I didn't shoot as well as I could have and fouls were a problem. I'm glad I could contribute that way, but I think a lot of it is that we are trying to build off the good, but the outcome is still that we lost. I think right now it's just trying to build off the good and take that to the next game."
KIM MULKEY, HEAD COACH
On scoring a season-low 54 points…
"I'd like to tell you it was their defense, but I don't think it was. I'd like to tell you our defense was great too - don't think it was. Just an ugly game. I think you're in February. It's the grind of the season. You're in the second half of the Big 12 now and kids are trying hard. It just happens. That was tough to coach and tough to watch I'm sure for the fans."
On double-teaming K-State's post players...
"We didn't double them. If you look, we got caught. We just moved post players around. Two of our post players got in foul trouble. Sometimes when Lee got it, we'd go down there and try to strip it, but we didn't double. K-State is not a team this year that shoots a high percentage from the three. They have two players that average double-doubles. I wouldn't shoot them either if I had those two kids."
On if Baylor's fanbase fully appreciates the program's accomplishments…
"I don't know. Sometimes I don't really think about it. We just grind and get ready for the next game. I know someday I'll retire and I'll look back and probably smell the roses a little bit. I certainly hope that Baylor people recognize it and don't take it for granted, but it's not easy. You will see coaches and programs get on a roll and a run and make it to a Final Four, and you never hear from them again. Then you'll see a program maybe win a Big 12 championship, and you'll never hear from them again. That's hard to do, but what's even harder is to maintain a level of elite consistency. That's hard. I've been blessed to coach some of the greatest players. I've been blessed to have a coaching staff that brings those great players to our program. We don't have a lot of turnover on our staff. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about what we have to do today to maintain it. But I can't answer for fans or people on the outside."
On the team only attempting four three-pointers…
"We've actually been shooting a lot more threes than that. I think this particular team shoots more threes than any I've ever had. The opportunity wasn't there to shoot them today. We would come off on ball screens and they would be out there denying the ball. They didn't want us to have ball reversals, so the jumper at the foul line was open all night. Sometimes we'd make some there, and sometimes we'd want to go in there and try to drive on the big girls. Shoot the jumper. You could just tell both teams were fatigued today. It was a struggle. It was like at a snail's pace and missed layups, fouling, just one of those games. I can only speak for my program, but it won't go down as a game you want to go back and show highlights. You might go back and teach. We found a way to win, and that's hard to do."
K-State's defense held the Lady Bears to a 38.3 (23-of-60) field goal percentage and outrebounded Baylor, 44-43. The 54 points by Baylor were their fewest since carding 45 at Oklahoma State on December 30, 2015. It was the fewest points K-State has allowed to Baylor since the Wildcats downed the Lady Bears on Feb. 8, 2003, 65-53.
The first quarter was a sign of things to come for both teams, as they combined to shoot 25 percent (8-of-32) from the field with Baylor (21-1, 10-0 Big 12) holding a 13-8 lead. Ayoka Lee paced K-State with four points and five rebounds.
Lee ended the day by tying the school record for double-doubles in a freshman season with her 12th. This equals the mark set by Kendra Wecker in 2001-02. The center from Byron, Minnesota, finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
In the second quarter, K-State (10-11, 4-6 Big 12) used a 7-0 run and grabbed a 15-13 lead with 7:16 to play. Christianna Carr scored five of the seven points during the rally.
The Lady Bears responded with a 16-0 run to build a 29-15 lead with 1:27 remaining. The Wildcats went without a made field goal for the final 7:15 of the second quarter. K-State cashed in three free throws to pull within 13, 31-18, at the half.
Baylor outscored K-State, 15-10, in the third quarter. Peyton Williams scored six of the 10 points for the Wildcats. Williams ended the game with 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
The Wildcats, who would win the fourth frame (12-8), held Baylor scoreless for nearly six minutes to begin the final quarter. K-State strung together an 8-0 run to pull to within 10, 46-36, with 5:20 remaining. Lee and Williams combined to score all eight points during the run.
The Lady Bears would hold K-State without a field goal for the final 6:07 of the game. The Wildcats were held to four made free throws, as Baylor used an 8-4 run over the final 4:10 of the game to seal the win.
K-State will begin a two-game road trip on Tuesday, February 11 at West Virginia. Game time on Tuesday is 6 p.m. (CT). Tuesday's game will be available online at WV Mountaineer TV, as well as on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com.
What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening statement...
"Tough scoring all day long. Baylor, I think, is certainly the best defensive team we've played all year and not having seen everybody, I think they're the best defensive team in the country because one through five they defend. They have a great awareness, great size, great athletic ability. Getting (Lauren) Cox and (NaLyssa) Smith both healthy, they're a factor. They're very talented defenders, and their perimeter defense is on point."
On missed shots...
"You always have a chance to make them. There were smaller windows. The thing I think that we're struggling with is that we're still hesitating a little bit on making those passes, and when you hesitate for half a second, they have great closing ability to, whether it be the post or whether it be a perimeter player. That probably is impacting our windows to shoot. Baylor closes those small windows very quickly. I thought that the best shots were early today. Early to start this game, I thought we were getting exactly the kind of shots we talked about getting. We just weren't finding the bottom of the net very much. Then, I think Baylor adjusted to what we were doing and that got harder and harder."
On the runs we made throughout the game…
"We had a couple of opportunities there. We got an offensive rebound and had some opportunities there to make a three on a scramble play. I mean, they're number one in one poll, they're number two in another. They've got good players. Go to the other end. You've got to defend. If you give them a small window, they capitalize on it. I thought our group covered up the defensive end very well. Especially late, we were really covering up some things late. Peyton got some steals in there. J Beard was active in that stretch. There were some really good things. Defense wasn't our problem today, there were some good things there. Going forward, my message to the team right now is that we just faced a Texas Tech team that hit 20 threes prior to coming in here. Just because they hit 20, we had a job to do to hold them to seven. Just because we struggled today shooting, that won't impact us on Tuesday. We'll get back to executing and getting better shots. I like the way we're sticking to game plans right now. I like the way this group is at both ends of the floor. If we continue to do that we're going to be a good basketball team in February."
On Baylor Head Coach Kim Mulkey saying K-State's defense was not the reason for their offensive struggles...
"I think we had something to do with it, and then there were probably windows that she felt like, I can't speak for her in terms of her execution, she can only speak to what she's not pleased with execution wise. I thought our defense was solid. They probably missed some shots in transition that they normally finish. They probably missed some shots in there that they normally make. What impacted us even more in the first half was the foul trouble. We've got our starting center on the bench. We've got our starting point guard on the bench. Those things impacted us."
PEYTON WILLIAMS, SENIOR FORWARD
On the pace of the offense…
"One of the things that we talked about on offense was slowing the pace down a little bit and playing more to a speed that wouldn't let them just run away and allow a lot of up-and-down. I think we wanted it to be a little bit more methodical and slower-paced. I think we were moving the ball within the offense that we were talking about as the game plan."
On if moving the ball inside and back out was part of the game plan…
"We talked about it. They're big inside and they're a big shot-blocking team. That's one of their strengths. We talked about being able to move a little bit on the outside, maybe get some three looks, maybe get it back in and reshuffle the person behind you to get an open shot on an up-and-under. Just to get them moving and not allowing them to stay in one place and block shots."
AYOKA LEE, REDSHIRT FRESHMAN CENTER
On if her performance against Baylor's post players boosts her confidence…
"Obviously I didn't shoot as well as I could have and fouls were a problem. I'm glad I could contribute that way, but I think a lot of it is that we are trying to build off the good, but the outcome is still that we lost. I think right now it's just trying to build off the good and take that to the next game."
KIM MULKEY, HEAD COACH
On scoring a season-low 54 points…
"I'd like to tell you it was their defense, but I don't think it was. I'd like to tell you our defense was great too - don't think it was. Just an ugly game. I think you're in February. It's the grind of the season. You're in the second half of the Big 12 now and kids are trying hard. It just happens. That was tough to coach and tough to watch I'm sure for the fans."
On double-teaming K-State's post players...
"We didn't double them. If you look, we got caught. We just moved post players around. Two of our post players got in foul trouble. Sometimes when Lee got it, we'd go down there and try to strip it, but we didn't double. K-State is not a team this year that shoots a high percentage from the three. They have two players that average double-doubles. I wouldn't shoot them either if I had those two kids."
On if Baylor's fanbase fully appreciates the program's accomplishments…
"I don't know. Sometimes I don't really think about it. We just grind and get ready for the next game. I know someday I'll retire and I'll look back and probably smell the roses a little bit. I certainly hope that Baylor people recognize it and don't take it for granted, but it's not easy. You will see coaches and programs get on a roll and a run and make it to a Final Four, and you never hear from them again. Then you'll see a program maybe win a Big 12 championship, and you'll never hear from them again. That's hard to do, but what's even harder is to maintain a level of elite consistency. That's hard. I've been blessed to coach some of the greatest players. I've been blessed to have a coaching staff that brings those great players to our program. We don't have a lot of turnover on our staff. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about what we have to do today to maintain it. But I can't answer for fans or people on the outside."
On the team only attempting four three-pointers…
"We've actually been shooting a lot more threes than that. I think this particular team shoots more threes than any I've ever had. The opportunity wasn't there to shoot them today. We would come off on ball screens and they would be out there denying the ball. They didn't want us to have ball reversals, so the jumper at the foul line was open all night. Sometimes we'd make some there, and sometimes we'd want to go in there and try to drive on the big girls. Shoot the jumper. You could just tell both teams were fatigued today. It was a struggle. It was like at a snail's pace and missed layups, fouling, just one of those games. I can only speak for my program, but it won't go down as a game you want to go back and show highlights. You might go back and teach. We found a way to win, and that's hard to do."
Team Stats
Baylor
KState
FG%
.383
.213
3FG%
.500
.000
FT%
.600
.737
RB
43
44
TO
10
12
STL
7
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
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