K-State Hosts 2021 Preseason WNIT Beginning Friday

Friday, November 12, 2021
Western Kentucky (0-1, 0-0 C-USA) vs. North Carolina A&T (0-1, 0-0 Big South)
4 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

UT Martin (0-0, 0-0 OVC) at Kansas State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
6:30 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

Sunday, November 14, 2021
Western Kentucky (0-1, 0-0 C-USA) at Kansas State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
1 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

UT Martin (0-0, 0-0 OVC) vs. North Carolina A&T (0-1, 0-0 Big 12)
3:30 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

Monday, November 15, 2021
Western Kentucky (0-1, 0-0 C-USA) vs. UT Martin (0-0, 0-0 OVC)
4 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

North Carolina A&T (0-1, 0-0 Big South) at Kansas State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
6:30 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Missy Heidrick & Kristin Waller
Sideline: Kelsey Bigelow & Katherine Benhardt

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Online: kstatesports.com
Play-by-Play: James Westling & Matt Walters
Analyst: Kristin Waller & Andria Jones

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com

PROMOTIONS & TICKETS
Tickets
Call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets

COACHES
Kansas State: Jeff Mittie (Missouri Western '89)
Overall: 580-332/30th season | At K-State: 126-97/8th season

UT Martin: Kevin McMillan (Rhodes College '89)
Overall: 240-142/13th season | At UT Martin: Same

Western Kentucky: Greg Collins (Louisville '88)
Overall: 49-39/4th season | At Western Kentucky: Same

North Carolina A&T: Tarrell Robinson (North Carolina A&T '01)
Overall: 175-93/10th season | At North Carolina A&T: Same

SERIES HISTORY
K-State vs. UT Martin
Overall: First meeting
In Manhattan: -
Last Meeting: -
Head Coach Jeff Mittie vs. UT Martin: First meeting

K-State vs. Western Kentucky
Overall: Series tied, 1-1
In Manhattan: 1-0
Last Meeting: March 28, 2006, K-State won 57-56 (ot) in Manhattan
Head Coach Jeff Mittie vs. Western Kentucky: 3-7

K-State vs. North Carolina A&T
Overall: First meeting
In Manhattan: -
Last Meeting: -
Head Coach Jeff Mittie vs. North Carolina A&T: 1-0

MANHATTAN, Kansas - For the first time since the 2002-03 season, Kansas State will take part in the Preseason WNIT as the Wildcats will welcome UT Martin, Western Kentucky and North Carolina A&T to Manhattan for three games in Bramlage Coliseum.

• K-State's games in the Preseason WNIT can be seen live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, as Brian Smoller (play-by-play), Missy Heidrick (analyst), Kristin Waller (analyst), Kelsey Bigelow (sideline) and Katherine Benhardt (sideline) will have the call.

Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women's basketball
1. 500th Game in Bramlage
• With its game on Friday against UT Martin, K-State will play its 500th game in the 34-season history of Bramlage Coliseum. K-State owns an all-time record of 352-147 (.705) inside the purple palace.
2. Lee Named to Pair of Watch Lists
• Ayoka Lee added two more national award watch lists to her 2021-22 mantle, as she was selected for the Women's Preseason 50 for the 2022 John R. Wooden Award and the 2022 Women's Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Watch List.
3. Lee Nearing 1K
• With 23 points, Ayoka Lee will become the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 or more career points. When she reaches the milestone, Lee will become the 27th player in program history and the sixth center to reach 1,000 or more career points and 500 or more career rebounds.
4. Cats Hit Century Mark in Opener
• For the first time since the 1990-91 season, K-State scored 100 or more points in a season-opener. The 103 points in the season-opener marked the fifth time K-State has scored 100 or more points in a season-opener.
5. Brushing Up in the Paint
• K-State scored 56 points in the paint against Central Arkansas. The 56 points marked the most since scoring 60 against Tulsa on November 14, 2016.

Number to Know
.597

• Ayoka Lee ranks second in school history for career field goal percentage at .597.
• Among active players in NCAA Division I, Lee ranks tied for fifth in the nation and is third among Power 5 players.
• Lee's 17 made field goals in the opener are the most in the nation after the opening two days.

Last Time Out
at K-State 103, Central Arkansas 40 (Nov. 9, 2021; Manhattan, Kan.)
• K-State won its season-opener for the 12th straight season and the eighth time under head coach Jeff Mittie.
• The Wildcats scored 64 second half points to ease past the Sugar Bears, which included a school record-tying 34 in the fourth quarter.
• Ayoka Lee (43), Emilee Ebert (16) and Rebekah Dallinger (11) combined for 70 points to become the third K-State trio since 1986-87 to score 70 or more points in a game.

Block & Pocket
• When combining blocks and steal totals in a single-game, K-State is 26-0 over the last 16 seasons when achieving a combination of 20+ steals and blocks in the same game.
• K-State is 17-0 under head coach Jeff Mittie when achieving a combination of 20+ steals and blocks in the same game. The Wildcats recorded a combination totalling 20 (11 steals/9 blocks) against Central Arkansas on November 9, 2021.

Three is not a Crowd, It's a Benefit
• Since 2011-12, when three or more players reach double figures in scoring in the same game, K-State is 130-66 (.663).
• Against Central Arkansas on Nov. 9, the trio of Ayoka Lee, Emilee Ebert and Rebekah Dallinger combined for 70 points.
• The 70 points among the three players were the third-highest total among three K-State teammates in a game since 1986-87 and the first time since Feb. 27, 2019.
• K-State was 5-6 when three or more players scored in double figures in the 2020-21 season.

Magic Number is 70 Points
• Since the 2001-02 season, K-State is 218-26 (.893) when scoring 70 or more points in a game including a 66-12 (.846) record in the Jeff Mittie era.
• Kansas State opened the 2021-22 season with 103 points against Central Arkansas on Nov. 9. This was tied for the fifth-highest single game total since the 1999-00 season.
• The 103 points were the most in a season-opener since the 1990-91 season and marked the fifth time K-State scored 100 or more points in a season-opener.
• In the 2020-21 season, the Wildcats scored a season-high 86 points against Texas Tech on February 24. The Wildcats scored 70 or more points in seven games (5-3) last season.
• This was the 26th time K-State has scored 100 or more points in a game and the third time under Mittie. K-State owns a 26-0 record in games scoring 100 or more points.

Sundell Sets the Table
• Freshman guard Serena Sundell helped K-State to a season-opening win with her distribution.
• Sundell handed out nine assists with one turnover against Central Arkansas on Nov. 9.
• Her nine assists set the school record for assists in a K-State debut.

Nobody Does It Like Ayoka Lee
• Ayoka Lee is approaching a career scoring milestone and opened the 2021-22 season with the school record for points in a single-game.
• In her career, Lee has scored 977 points in 55 career games (17.8 ppg). Her career scoring average of 17.8 ranks tied for third in school history. With 23 points, she will become the 44th player in school history with 1,000 or more career points.
• Against Central Arkansas on November 9, Lee scored a career-high and school record 43 points on 17-of-25 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 from the free throw line.
• Her 43 points tied for the 11th highest single-game total in Big 12 history and were the most by any player in the nation in the first game this season.
• She is the fourth player in program history to score 30 or more points in a game four or more times in a career.
• During the 2020-21 season, Lee averaged a career-best 19.1 points per game while scoring a career-high 478 points. She ranked seventh in the Big 12 and 41st in the nation in scoring. Nationally among centers, Lee ranked second in the nation for scoring average.
• Her scoring average in 2020-21 was the highest by a Wildcat since Brittany Chambers set the school record at 21.0 per game in 2012-13.
• With her 478 points in the 2020-21 season, Lee established a new career-high and was the 17th player in program history to register two or more consecutive seasons with 400 or more points scored.
• According to HerHoopStats.com, Lee led the Big 12 and ranked third in the nation in PER (39.9). PER measures a player's value based on their box score stats.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Rebekah Dallinger

Emilee Ebert

Ayoka Lee

Serena Sundell

Kansas State University Athletics