Kansas State University Athletics
Sunday, October 31
Manhattan, Kan.
1 p.m.
Kansas State University
0-0,0-0Big 12
68
vs
39
Washburn (exhib.)
0-0,0-0Mid-America Intercollegiate
1
2
3
4
F
Washburn
10
5
10
14
39
Kansas St.
19
15
13
21
68
K-State Eases Past Washburn in Exhibition Opener
Oct 31, 2021 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State women's basketball used a stifling defensive effort in the second quarter to build a healthy margin and open its exhibition schedule with a 68-39 win over Washburn on Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
"I was pleased with the energy of our team and I was pleased with the intentions of our team," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie about Sunday's exhibition. "I was pleased, while we weren't shooting the ball very well for most of the game, I thought our defense and the talk was really good and the things we have talked about not being tied to playing great, you know you need to be consistent. I thought our team really grew in that area, I think that's been something that people can make too much out of one game, one situation that's something I have seen consistently over 31 days, 30 practices and 1 game. This team I have seen if I have corrected them said, 'hey we're not where we need to be, we're drifting off,' they have come back very quickly, so I like that about this group."
K-State held a nine-point lead after the first quarter, 19-10, as junior center Ayoka Lee tallied seven points and all 10 active Wildcats saw the floor.
Washburn closed the gap to six, 19-13, on a 3-pointer to open the second quarter. This would be Washburn's first of only two made field goals in the quarter, as K-State held the Ichabods to a 15.4 percent (2-of-13) effort from the field in the second 10 minutes.
Following the Washburn 3-pointer, K-State used a 15-2 run over the remainder of the half with freshman Serena Sundell and Lee each scoring four points apiece to pace the Wildcats during the quarter. Lee finished the afternoon a rebound shy of a double-double, as she carded 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
The Wildcats would outscore the Ichabods, 15-5, to build a 34-15 lead at the half.
The Wildcats improved its lead to 22, 47-25, at the end of the third quarter. Lee scored a pair of field goals, while sophomore Rebekah Dallinger added her only 3-pointer of the afternoon during the third stanza.
K-State closed the game on a high-note, outscoring Washburn, 21-14, in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats would build their largest lead of the day, 32, as Jada Moore scored K-State's final six points of the game on drives to the rim.
As a team, K-State shot 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from the field including a 31.3 percent (5-of-16) effort from beyond the arc. Washburn ended the day at 26.4 percent (14-of-53) from the floor including a 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from 3-point range. K-State ended the game with a 48-33 advantage on the glass and blocked six shots while pocketing 11 steals.
K-State will end its exhibition slate on Friday, November 5, as the Wildcats host Pittsburg State at 6:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit kstatesports.com/tickets or call (800) 221-CATS.
Friday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and will be available on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com and on the K-State Sports app.
What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
"Welcome back, good to do this in person. Obviously a couple of things, I thought it was good being back in Bramlage with a crowd. I thought it was good to be back with the band, back with the energy that we've come to learn. I thought it was a solid crowd for the Halloween weekend, a pretty energetic crowd. I was pleased with the energy of our team and I was pleased with the intentions of our team. I was pleased, while we weren't shooting the ball very well for most of the game, I thought our defense and the talk was really good and the things we have talked about not being tied to playing great, you know you need to be consistent. I thought our team really grew in that area, I think that's been something that people can make too much out of one game, one situation that's something I have seen consistently over 31 days, 30 practices and 1 game. This team I have seen if I have corrected them said, 'hey we're not where we need to be, we're drifting off,' they have come back very quickly, so I like that about this group."
On Serena Sundell's first performance...
"I thought it was good. I thought steady, really steady, I thought she did a good job of mixing up that balance, running the offense, pushing the envelope a little bit. I will look at it on film later tonight to see where we can continue to help her, but I thought it was good."
On the performance by the young players...
"I thought everybody had good moments, I thought once again J (Jaelyn Glenn) didn't get off to a great start in this game, missed some easy ones then she ended up with three threes. But what they've been consistent on is that they have not changed in practice. They can have a bad stretch of practice and they're still competing, they're still trying to learn. But that has really gone all the way back to the summer. It's not something I worry about. I don't wake up and go, 'I wonder if Serena is going to show up at practice hard tomorrow?' It's not one of my concerns, it's not one of my concerns for the Glenn twins. I don't worry about it, they have proved from day one when they stepped on campus. We're just trying to help them continue to adjust to the college level, be ready. Today what I enjoyed the most about watching them today, I thought our defense got better, when they started to get a rhythm of, 'Hey, this is what Washburn is trying to do against us'. And I just saw us get better there. So I've been very pleased with that group. I've been very pleased with our returners in that area as well. It's something that I think we're continuing to grow and I've seen it. Probably for me, I was just anxious to get it against someone else. I wanna see it against a team they don't know. I wanna see it in the lights. I wanna see it, (Rebakah) Dallinger for example, she wants to play well, everybody wants to play well, she was probably drifting into that mindset of, 'Oh I'm not playing well. I need to play well'. We had a little talk in the huddle with the entire group. She comes out immediately and drills a three. I just think that if this team will immerse themselves in each other and do that and keep giving to each other, they're going to look up and play pretty well."
On what he liked from the different lineup combinations...
"I think people can get caught up in combinations. Certainly our job as a coach is to get good combinations out there, but as I told the players from day one, you're either ready or you're not. You've gotta be ready to handle the job and do the job whether you're a freshman or a senior. You've gotta know the plays. You've gotta have things in a game where you need to switch a position and you need to be able to help your team. What I saw today was I think all 10 did some good things and can do that."
On learning from today's turnovers...
"I said good intentions. A lot of our turnovers were really trying to get the ball into the post. At least half of them were those types of passes. I thought today what was good for us was that we have to be able to do that in tight spaces. Washburn obviously really crowds the post. Obviously we have a size advantage, but let's give Washburn credit. They put a lot of traffic around our centers today. I was ok with it. I thought our players were trying to find their angles to do that, so I never like turnovers. I've been searching for that perfect zero turnover game and I haven't found it yet. I think our group's intentions were really good today."
On the growth he hopes to see between now and Friday's exhibition...
"I'll have a better idea of that when I look at the film to see some areas that need to be shored up. I think the continued growth of our basketball team is continuing to get good shots, continuing to play with a ton of energy, continuing to not have the lulls where we do get a little bit internal and then just seeing areas as coaches where we can help them a little bit better. But I think I can walk out of here today and think, 'Ok, we've got a good starting point.' This group has grown up a lot in the last 45 days. I'll be excited to get a new test, because Pitt plays differently than Washburn. They're both quality teams and well coached, so that will be a different challenge. I'll be excited to see how this team prepares now that they have a game under their belt. Hopefully not any differently. Hopefully they'll come in and get better, but that remains to be seen."
AYOKA LEE, JUNIOR CENTER
On how the young players did today...
"I thought it was great. I think something that has been consistent since we started was the energy the freshmen brought in. I had no doubt that it would transfer over to the court and it did. It was good."
On the team's defensive performance...
"I thought our defense was good. We communicated well in the first half, and then coming out into the second half we knew it would be harder playing defense further from our bench. That's an adjustment we had to make, but I think we did it well. I thought our guards did a good job on our switches. Bigs did a good job helping. Me and Taylor (Lauterbach) did a great job helping. Through the scrambles, I thought we did really well."
On Taylor Lauterbach...
"I thought she played great today. I thought she did so good, especially on defense. Playing good defense, helping when she needed to help, playing through the scramble and communicating. She did really good."
SERENA SUNDELL, FRESHMAN GUARD
On her first performance and if there were any nerves…
"I was nervous but trusted my preparation. If there weren't nerves, something would be off so it was good nerves for sure."
On getting the start in the first exhibition game...
"I was excited. Playing point guard is a big role, but I was confident in our preparation. My teammates have done a great job supporting me and telling me that I got this. Yes, I was nervous, but I was excited and ready to take on the role."
"I was pleased with the energy of our team and I was pleased with the intentions of our team," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie about Sunday's exhibition. "I was pleased, while we weren't shooting the ball very well for most of the game, I thought our defense and the talk was really good and the things we have talked about not being tied to playing great, you know you need to be consistent. I thought our team really grew in that area, I think that's been something that people can make too much out of one game, one situation that's something I have seen consistently over 31 days, 30 practices and 1 game. This team I have seen if I have corrected them said, 'hey we're not where we need to be, we're drifting off,' they have come back very quickly, so I like that about this group."
K-State held a nine-point lead after the first quarter, 19-10, as junior center Ayoka Lee tallied seven points and all 10 active Wildcats saw the floor.
Washburn closed the gap to six, 19-13, on a 3-pointer to open the second quarter. This would be Washburn's first of only two made field goals in the quarter, as K-State held the Ichabods to a 15.4 percent (2-of-13) effort from the field in the second 10 minutes.
Following the Washburn 3-pointer, K-State used a 15-2 run over the remainder of the half with freshman Serena Sundell and Lee each scoring four points apiece to pace the Wildcats during the quarter. Lee finished the afternoon a rebound shy of a double-double, as she carded 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
The Wildcats would outscore the Ichabods, 15-5, to build a 34-15 lead at the half.
The Wildcats improved its lead to 22, 47-25, at the end of the third quarter. Lee scored a pair of field goals, while sophomore Rebekah Dallinger added her only 3-pointer of the afternoon during the third stanza.
K-State closed the game on a high-note, outscoring Washburn, 21-14, in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats would build their largest lead of the day, 32, as Jada Moore scored K-State's final six points of the game on drives to the rim.
As a team, K-State shot 40.9 percent (27-of-66) from the field including a 31.3 percent (5-of-16) effort from beyond the arc. Washburn ended the day at 26.4 percent (14-of-53) from the floor including a 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from 3-point range. K-State ended the game with a 48-33 advantage on the glass and blocked six shots while pocketing 11 steals.
K-State will end its exhibition slate on Friday, November 5, as the Wildcats host Pittsburg State at 6:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit kstatesports.com/tickets or call (800) 221-CATS.
Friday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and will be available on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com and on the K-State Sports app.
What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
"Welcome back, good to do this in person. Obviously a couple of things, I thought it was good being back in Bramlage with a crowd. I thought it was good to be back with the band, back with the energy that we've come to learn. I thought it was a solid crowd for the Halloween weekend, a pretty energetic crowd. I was pleased with the energy of our team and I was pleased with the intentions of our team. I was pleased, while we weren't shooting the ball very well for most of the game, I thought our defense and the talk was really good and the things we have talked about not being tied to playing great, you know you need to be consistent. I thought our team really grew in that area, I think that's been something that people can make too much out of one game, one situation that's something I have seen consistently over 31 days, 30 practices and 1 game. This team I have seen if I have corrected them said, 'hey we're not where we need to be, we're drifting off,' they have come back very quickly, so I like that about this group."
On Serena Sundell's first performance...
"I thought it was good. I thought steady, really steady, I thought she did a good job of mixing up that balance, running the offense, pushing the envelope a little bit. I will look at it on film later tonight to see where we can continue to help her, but I thought it was good."
On the performance by the young players...
"I thought everybody had good moments, I thought once again J (Jaelyn Glenn) didn't get off to a great start in this game, missed some easy ones then she ended up with three threes. But what they've been consistent on is that they have not changed in practice. They can have a bad stretch of practice and they're still competing, they're still trying to learn. But that has really gone all the way back to the summer. It's not something I worry about. I don't wake up and go, 'I wonder if Serena is going to show up at practice hard tomorrow?' It's not one of my concerns, it's not one of my concerns for the Glenn twins. I don't worry about it, they have proved from day one when they stepped on campus. We're just trying to help them continue to adjust to the college level, be ready. Today what I enjoyed the most about watching them today, I thought our defense got better, when they started to get a rhythm of, 'Hey, this is what Washburn is trying to do against us'. And I just saw us get better there. So I've been very pleased with that group. I've been very pleased with our returners in that area as well. It's something that I think we're continuing to grow and I've seen it. Probably for me, I was just anxious to get it against someone else. I wanna see it against a team they don't know. I wanna see it in the lights. I wanna see it, (Rebakah) Dallinger for example, she wants to play well, everybody wants to play well, she was probably drifting into that mindset of, 'Oh I'm not playing well. I need to play well'. We had a little talk in the huddle with the entire group. She comes out immediately and drills a three. I just think that if this team will immerse themselves in each other and do that and keep giving to each other, they're going to look up and play pretty well."
On what he liked from the different lineup combinations...
"I think people can get caught up in combinations. Certainly our job as a coach is to get good combinations out there, but as I told the players from day one, you're either ready or you're not. You've gotta be ready to handle the job and do the job whether you're a freshman or a senior. You've gotta know the plays. You've gotta have things in a game where you need to switch a position and you need to be able to help your team. What I saw today was I think all 10 did some good things and can do that."
On learning from today's turnovers...
"I said good intentions. A lot of our turnovers were really trying to get the ball into the post. At least half of them were those types of passes. I thought today what was good for us was that we have to be able to do that in tight spaces. Washburn obviously really crowds the post. Obviously we have a size advantage, but let's give Washburn credit. They put a lot of traffic around our centers today. I was ok with it. I thought our players were trying to find their angles to do that, so I never like turnovers. I've been searching for that perfect zero turnover game and I haven't found it yet. I think our group's intentions were really good today."
On the growth he hopes to see between now and Friday's exhibition...
"I'll have a better idea of that when I look at the film to see some areas that need to be shored up. I think the continued growth of our basketball team is continuing to get good shots, continuing to play with a ton of energy, continuing to not have the lulls where we do get a little bit internal and then just seeing areas as coaches where we can help them a little bit better. But I think I can walk out of here today and think, 'Ok, we've got a good starting point.' This group has grown up a lot in the last 45 days. I'll be excited to get a new test, because Pitt plays differently than Washburn. They're both quality teams and well coached, so that will be a different challenge. I'll be excited to see how this team prepares now that they have a game under their belt. Hopefully not any differently. Hopefully they'll come in and get better, but that remains to be seen."
AYOKA LEE, JUNIOR CENTER
On how the young players did today...
"I thought it was great. I think something that has been consistent since we started was the energy the freshmen brought in. I had no doubt that it would transfer over to the court and it did. It was good."
On the team's defensive performance...
"I thought our defense was good. We communicated well in the first half, and then coming out into the second half we knew it would be harder playing defense further from our bench. That's an adjustment we had to make, but I think we did it well. I thought our guards did a good job on our switches. Bigs did a good job helping. Me and Taylor (Lauterbach) did a great job helping. Through the scrambles, I thought we did really well."
On Taylor Lauterbach...
"I thought she played great today. I thought she did so good, especially on defense. Playing good defense, helping when she needed to help, playing through the scramble and communicating. She did really good."
SERENA SUNDELL, FRESHMAN GUARD
On her first performance and if there were any nerves…
"I was nervous but trusted my preparation. If there weren't nerves, something would be off so it was good nerves for sure."
On getting the start in the first exhibition game...
"I was excited. Playing point guard is a big role, but I was confident in our preparation. My teammates have done a great job supporting me and telling me that I got this. Yes, I was nervous, but I was excited and ready to take on the role."
CATS WIN!!#KStateWBB pic.twitter.com/phtKgZZiPX
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) October 31, 2021
Build off the W #KStateWBB x #BeKStateGr8 pic.twitter.com/luHuUjbvfv
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) October 31, 2021
Team Stats
Wash
KState
FG%
.264
.409
3FG%
.133
.313
FT%
.600
.692
RB
33
48
TO
24
18
STL
7
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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