SE: Wildcats Continue Suffocating Defense in Win over NDSU
Nov 30, 2021 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Ayoka Lee scored 22 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and added 8 blocks for her sixth-straight double-double, Brylee Glenn scored 15 points, and Kansas State continued its stretch of suffocating defense in a 78-57 win over North Dakota State on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State held North Dakota State to just 34% (20 of 58) shooting from the floor, including 1 of 9 on 3-pointers, marking the seventh opponent to shoot worse than 36% this season against the Wildcats, 7-1, who frustrated another foe at home.
"They had a couple shooters who were coming in extremely hot," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. "We put a big emphasis on that."
K-State led 20-19 in the first quarter before the Wildcats rolled. They led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter — mostly due in part to their stellar defensive effort.
"The team was really good with the scout and really locked in defensively," Mittie said. "The defensive end is where I felt like we got the game going and it picked us up."
Lee, the All-America candidate, ranks near the top in the nation in points, rebounds and blocks, and Serena Sundell earned Big 12 Freshman Player of the Week on Monday after her breakout performances, but a portion of the spotlight so far this season deserves to go to the Wildcats' tenacious teamwide defensive effort.
"All of us come out and have that collective effort," Lee said. "I know my teammates are going to lock up. That's something we can build momentum from and play off of. Playing defense like that has been really fun and it's been fun to be on the floor with them."
K-State held North Dakota State to 2 of 14 shooting and forced 6 turnovers in the first quarter. The Bison didn't reach double-digit scoring until midway through the second quarter. They missed 10 shots in a row. K-State allowed them to shoot just 10 of 30 and forced 9 turnovers to take a 33-21 lead at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, North Dakota State had as many turnovers (11) as made field goals (11). Entering the fourth quarter, the Bison had more turnovers (17) than made field goals (14).
K-State has allowed opponents to shoot just 15 of 106 (14.1%) on 3-pointers at Bramlage, including just 1 of 21 on 3-pointers in the last two contests.
"We just come together on defense," Glenn said. "It doesn't matter if we're scoring well on offense, or sometimes when we're not scoring well, we put a big emphasis on defense. When they were making their runs and got to within one, we knew we just needed one stop. Then one stop turned into two and then three, and we put a big emphasis on that. Throughout our time in practice, Coach Mittie puts a big emphasis on it. We do a really good job on trying to do that. I think that's why we've been so successful defensively is because we are getting those stops and we are committed.
"That makes the offense come easier, too."
The Wildcats entered the game allowing just 48.9 points per game, which ranked 13th nationally, and 30.5% shooting from the floor, which ranked ninth. The Wildcats also allowed just 20.2% on 3-pointers, which ranked 15th nationally. They also forced 17.2 turnovers per game, which ranked 12th. They also averaged 6.7 blocks per game, which ranked 11th.
K-State held its each of its first four opponents to fewer than 49 points for the first time since 1972-73. The Wildcats held UT Martin to 30 points, the fewest in the Mittie era and fewest in 10 years. The Wildcats are 38-0 when holding opponents under 50 points. North Dakota State, 2-4, scored its 50th point with 3:14 left in the game.
"All of our players have committed to the defensive end of the floor," Mittie said. "We have some flaws that we must cover up. Tonight they were as good as they've been in terms of the scout. They've been pretty good. I've been pleased for our preparation for most of our games. I think this team has a chance to be a good defensive team. This team outrebounded us and that's a problem and we must correct that. We gave them too many extra chances and we fouled them more than we should have."
K-State does a tremendous job switching between zone and man-to-man defense and keeping offensive players and the ball in front of them on the court. There are hands in the opponents' faces. There are hands in the passing lanes. There are few second-shot attempts. There are fewer second-shot points. It has served the Wildcats well.
K-State players go around screens, they put a hand in the face, they break up passes, they cause 30-second shot clock violations. It's havoc. It's chaotic. For the Wildcats, it's perfect.
And in the middle is 6-foot-6 Lee, who ranks third in the nation in averaging 24.7 points per game, and whose wingspan would make some Cessnas jealous.
"I think a big thing was being smart," Lee said of her 8 blocks. "I wasn't playing defense looking for those blocks."
The bench yells, "D-UP!...D-UP!...D-UP!...D-UP!" as a rallying cry for their defensive-minded teammates battling on the court.
So far, like against North Dakota State, the Wildcats have responded with a brand of defense that could mightily fuel their efforts in the Big 12 Conference season.
Ayoka Lee scored 22 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and added 8 blocks for her sixth-straight double-double, Brylee Glenn scored 15 points, and Kansas State continued its stretch of suffocating defense in a 78-57 win over North Dakota State on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State held North Dakota State to just 34% (20 of 58) shooting from the floor, including 1 of 9 on 3-pointers, marking the seventh opponent to shoot worse than 36% this season against the Wildcats, 7-1, who frustrated another foe at home.
"They had a couple shooters who were coming in extremely hot," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. "We put a big emphasis on that."
K-State led 20-19 in the first quarter before the Wildcats rolled. They led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter — mostly due in part to their stellar defensive effort.
"The team was really good with the scout and really locked in defensively," Mittie said. "The defensive end is where I felt like we got the game going and it picked us up."
Lee, the All-America candidate, ranks near the top in the nation in points, rebounds and blocks, and Serena Sundell earned Big 12 Freshman Player of the Week on Monday after her breakout performances, but a portion of the spotlight so far this season deserves to go to the Wildcats' tenacious teamwide defensive effort.
"All of us come out and have that collective effort," Lee said. "I know my teammates are going to lock up. That's something we can build momentum from and play off of. Playing defense like that has been really fun and it's been fun to be on the floor with them."
K-State held North Dakota State to 2 of 14 shooting and forced 6 turnovers in the first quarter. The Bison didn't reach double-digit scoring until midway through the second quarter. They missed 10 shots in a row. K-State allowed them to shoot just 10 of 30 and forced 9 turnovers to take a 33-21 lead at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, North Dakota State had as many turnovers (11) as made field goals (11). Entering the fourth quarter, the Bison had more turnovers (17) than made field goals (14).
K-State has allowed opponents to shoot just 15 of 106 (14.1%) on 3-pointers at Bramlage, including just 1 of 21 on 3-pointers in the last two contests.
"We just come together on defense," Glenn said. "It doesn't matter if we're scoring well on offense, or sometimes when we're not scoring well, we put a big emphasis on defense. When they were making their runs and got to within one, we knew we just needed one stop. Then one stop turned into two and then three, and we put a big emphasis on that. Throughout our time in practice, Coach Mittie puts a big emphasis on it. We do a really good job on trying to do that. I think that's why we've been so successful defensively is because we are getting those stops and we are committed.
"That makes the offense come easier, too."
The Wildcats entered the game allowing just 48.9 points per game, which ranked 13th nationally, and 30.5% shooting from the floor, which ranked ninth. The Wildcats also allowed just 20.2% on 3-pointers, which ranked 15th nationally. They also forced 17.2 turnovers per game, which ranked 12th. They also averaged 6.7 blocks per game, which ranked 11th.
K-State held its each of its first four opponents to fewer than 49 points for the first time since 1972-73. The Wildcats held UT Martin to 30 points, the fewest in the Mittie era and fewest in 10 years. The Wildcats are 38-0 when holding opponents under 50 points. North Dakota State, 2-4, scored its 50th point with 3:14 left in the game.
"All of our players have committed to the defensive end of the floor," Mittie said. "We have some flaws that we must cover up. Tonight they were as good as they've been in terms of the scout. They've been pretty good. I've been pleased for our preparation for most of our games. I think this team has a chance to be a good defensive team. This team outrebounded us and that's a problem and we must correct that. We gave them too many extra chances and we fouled them more than we should have."
K-State does a tremendous job switching between zone and man-to-man defense and keeping offensive players and the ball in front of them on the court. There are hands in the opponents' faces. There are hands in the passing lanes. There are few second-shot attempts. There are fewer second-shot points. It has served the Wildcats well.
K-State players go around screens, they put a hand in the face, they break up passes, they cause 30-second shot clock violations. It's havoc. It's chaotic. For the Wildcats, it's perfect.
And in the middle is 6-foot-6 Lee, who ranks third in the nation in averaging 24.7 points per game, and whose wingspan would make some Cessnas jealous.
"I think a big thing was being smart," Lee said of her 8 blocks. "I wasn't playing defense looking for those blocks."
The bench yells, "D-UP!...D-UP!...D-UP!...D-UP!" as a rallying cry for their defensive-minded teammates battling on the court.
So far, like against North Dakota State, the Wildcats have responded with a brand of defense that could mightily fuel their efforts in the Big 12 Conference season.
Players Mentioned
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