Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, December 18
Manhattan, Kan.
6:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
10-2,0-0Big 12
68
vs
56
Oregon
6-4,0-0Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Oregon
16
17
11
12
56
Kansas St.
19
19
16
14
68
K-State Goes Wire-to-Wire to Down Oregon
Dec 18, 2021 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State built a first quarter lead and held back a late Oregon charge to capture a wire-to-wire win, 68-56, on Saturday night in front of a raucous Bramlage Coliseum crowd. Kansas State is off to its best start through 12 games since the 2016-17 season (10-2).
"I thought we made a lot of big plays when they made a run at us and I think that was probably the key for the game," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie about the win. "We were able to keep them at arm's length. I thought our team fought hard. I thought we made a lot of the right plays in the right moments to keep them away from us, and then we just kind of persevered through the game."
K-State (10-2) opened the game with 14-6 advantage with 4:48 to play in the frame, as the Wildcats knocked down two 3-pointers and Ayoka Lee tallied six points.
Lee finished the night with her eighth double-double of the season on a game-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 12 rebounds, four blocks and a steal. Lee was energized from the atmosphere in Bramlage on Saturday night.
"If we could have that atmosphere every game, that would be great. It was great. I was excited to see what it would be like, because I knew they were promoting it a lot and a lot of people were coming, so it was great. I loved it."
Keeping K-State in front in the opening quarter was sophomore guard Jada Moore. Moore tallied K-State's final five points of the first quarter to provide the Wildcats a 19-16 edge.
Oregon (6-4) closed to within two, 21-19, with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter. The Wildcats buried 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, as Serena Sundell and Emilee Ebert knocked down their chances to force a timeout by the Ducks with the Wildcats leading 27-19 with 7:17 remaining.
Ebert completed the night with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including a career-high three 3-pointers. Mittie felt Ebert was the key to Saturday's effort.
"I thought she was huge. I thought she knocked the threes down early, but I thought middle of the zone she was making good reads in there. I don't think we got it there as much as I wanted to, but when we got it there good things were happening."
The Ducks would cut the K-State lead to three points twice, but a pair of field goals from Lee put the Wildcats in front by seven, 35-28, with 2:52 remaining. Brylee Glenn then scored K-State's last three points of the half to give the Wildcats a 38-33 lead at the half.
Glenn finished her night by tying her career-high with 15 points and also added three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
The Wildcats shot 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from beyond the arc in the opening half, as Ebert buried three.
In the third quarter, Oregon cut the K-State lead to two, 38-36, on a 3-pointer from Maddie Scherr to begin the frame. The Wildcats responded with a 7-0 run to go in front by nine, 45-36, with 6:20 remaining after a layup from Ebert.
K-State would build a 10-point edge, 52-42, as Rebekah Dallinger knocked down a three and Laura Macke added a mid-range jumper. Ebert would bring the crowd to its feet at the end of the third quarter, as she beat the buzzer with a short jumper to give K-State a 54-44 lead.
The Wildcats would force an early fourth quarter Oregon timeout, as Lee made a short jumper and Brylee Glenn finished with a runner in the lane to give K-State a 58-46 lead with 7:55 to play.
The Ducks would close to within six, 62-56, on a Endyia Rogers layup with 48 seconds remaining. Four free throws from Sundell and Ebert were followed by a steal and layup from Brylee Glenn to ice the game.
Defensively, K-State held Oregon to 26.3 percent (5-of-19) shooting in the fourth quarter.
For the night, K-State held Oregon to its lowest point total of the season and lock up the Ducks to a tune of 33.3 percent (21-of-63) from the floor including 7-of-25 (.280) from 3-point range.
The Wildcats ended the night shooting 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field including an 8-of-21 (.381) effort from beyond the arc. K-State also converted at the free throw line, shooting 80.0 percent (12-of-15) including 4-of-4 in the final minute.
K-State ends its non-conference schedule on Wednesday, December 22, as the Wildcats host UIC at 1 p.m. Tickets for Wednesday's game can be purchased at kstatesports.com/tickets, calling (800) 221-CATS or in person at the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.
Wednesday's game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The game will also 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…
"I thought we made a lot of big plays when they made a run at us and I think that was probably the key for the game. We were able to keep them at arm's length. I thought our team fought hard. I thought we made a lot of the right plays in the right moments to keep them away from us, and then we just kind of persevered through the game."
On playing a team with size…
"Well I would say this, with our schedules you wonder if you're going to reap the rewards of playing No. 1 and No. 2, and I think we are. We handled South Dakota State in terms of a tough road situation. We faced a lot of size at South Carolina, faced a lot of size at NC State, not quite as much as Oregon but similar. So I think we've found where we can be successful, and where we need to cover up our flaws, and I think our team has responded to that well."
On Emily Ebert's performance…
"Yeah I thought she was huge. I thought she knocked the threes down early, but I thought middle of the zone she was making good reads in there. I don't think we got it there as much as I wanted to, but when we got it there good things were happening."
On Serena Sundell's performance…
"Well I did not think Serena had a great look, but this was a challenging game. This was a game where both teams were committed to try to disrupt any rhythm. So they were switching defenses, they're switching things. We're trying to do the same thing. (Ayoka) Lee's foul trouble forced us to play more zone than we went in the game intending to. But I thought Serena, the bottom line for a point guard is, is your team successful? She's doing that very well, and she did have to play. She doesn't look over or ask to come out. I'd ignore her anyways, so maybe she's learned that already in her young career, but she fought hard through fatigue tonight, and I think we were victorious because of it."
AYOKA LEE, JUNIOR CENTER
On if the games against South Carolina & NC State prepared her for Oregon's size...
"I thought we prepared very well. Our scout, we knew what to do. We needed to go into them, and we knew what moves would work. I just think we prepared very well, and I do think it wasn't anything we hadn't seen before."
On the atmosphere...
"Yeah, if we could have that atmosphere every game, that would be great. It was great. I was excited to see what it would be like, because I knew they were promoting it a lot and a lot of people were coming, so it was great. I loved it."
On celebrating the win...
"Yeah, I think it was a great win. We went there a couple of years ago. They were ranked back then and had a different team, but as a veteran, in my mind, now they're playing in our place. Now we have our home crowd behind us, so it was really fun and it meant a little bit more to get that one."
EMILEE EBERT, JUNIOR GUARD
On the win...
"You watched it. We played great as a team. Everything seemed to be going our way, and we took it and ran. We had a lot of fun playing with each other, and the crowd helped a lot with that as well."
On her offensive performance...
"It was good. I felt really in rhythm. That doesn't happen without my teammates. I can't do that alone. I give credit to them. I was open, and they found that. We just took that and used it to our advantage."
On gaining confidence throughout the game...
"I think we started the game out like that. This is definitely a game that we wanted pretty bad, and we knew we could get it. I think we all came in confident and feeling pretty good about it. We started out strong, and it just kept rolling."
"I thought we made a lot of big plays when they made a run at us and I think that was probably the key for the game," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie about the win. "We were able to keep them at arm's length. I thought our team fought hard. I thought we made a lot of the right plays in the right moments to keep them away from us, and then we just kind of persevered through the game."
K-State (10-2) opened the game with 14-6 advantage with 4:48 to play in the frame, as the Wildcats knocked down two 3-pointers and Ayoka Lee tallied six points.
Lee finished the night with her eighth double-double of the season on a game-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 12 rebounds, four blocks and a steal. Lee was energized from the atmosphere in Bramlage on Saturday night.
"If we could have that atmosphere every game, that would be great. It was great. I was excited to see what it would be like, because I knew they were promoting it a lot and a lot of people were coming, so it was great. I loved it."
Keeping K-State in front in the opening quarter was sophomore guard Jada Moore. Moore tallied K-State's final five points of the first quarter to provide the Wildcats a 19-16 edge.
Oregon (6-4) closed to within two, 21-19, with 8:19 remaining in the second quarter. The Wildcats buried 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, as Serena Sundell and Emilee Ebert knocked down their chances to force a timeout by the Ducks with the Wildcats leading 27-19 with 7:17 remaining.
Ebert completed the night with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including a career-high three 3-pointers. Mittie felt Ebert was the key to Saturday's effort.
"I thought she was huge. I thought she knocked the threes down early, but I thought middle of the zone she was making good reads in there. I don't think we got it there as much as I wanted to, but when we got it there good things were happening."
The Ducks would cut the K-State lead to three points twice, but a pair of field goals from Lee put the Wildcats in front by seven, 35-28, with 2:52 remaining. Brylee Glenn then scored K-State's last three points of the half to give the Wildcats a 38-33 lead at the half.
Glenn finished her night by tying her career-high with 15 points and also added three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
The Wildcats shot 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from beyond the arc in the opening half, as Ebert buried three.
In the third quarter, Oregon cut the K-State lead to two, 38-36, on a 3-pointer from Maddie Scherr to begin the frame. The Wildcats responded with a 7-0 run to go in front by nine, 45-36, with 6:20 remaining after a layup from Ebert.
K-State would build a 10-point edge, 52-42, as Rebekah Dallinger knocked down a three and Laura Macke added a mid-range jumper. Ebert would bring the crowd to its feet at the end of the third quarter, as she beat the buzzer with a short jumper to give K-State a 54-44 lead.
The Wildcats would force an early fourth quarter Oregon timeout, as Lee made a short jumper and Brylee Glenn finished with a runner in the lane to give K-State a 58-46 lead with 7:55 to play.
The Ducks would close to within six, 62-56, on a Endyia Rogers layup with 48 seconds remaining. Four free throws from Sundell and Ebert were followed by a steal and layup from Brylee Glenn to ice the game.
Defensively, K-State held Oregon to 26.3 percent (5-of-19) shooting in the fourth quarter.
For the night, K-State held Oregon to its lowest point total of the season and lock up the Ducks to a tune of 33.3 percent (21-of-63) from the floor including 7-of-25 (.280) from 3-point range.
The Wildcats ended the night shooting 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field including an 8-of-21 (.381) effort from beyond the arc. K-State also converted at the free throw line, shooting 80.0 percent (12-of-15) including 4-of-4 in the final minute.
K-State ends its non-conference schedule on Wednesday, December 22, as the Wildcats host UIC at 1 p.m. Tickets for Wednesday's game can be purchased at kstatesports.com/tickets, calling (800) 221-CATS or in person at the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.
Wednesday's game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The game will also 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…
"I thought we made a lot of big plays when they made a run at us and I think that was probably the key for the game. We were able to keep them at arm's length. I thought our team fought hard. I thought we made a lot of the right plays in the right moments to keep them away from us, and then we just kind of persevered through the game."
On playing a team with size…
"Well I would say this, with our schedules you wonder if you're going to reap the rewards of playing No. 1 and No. 2, and I think we are. We handled South Dakota State in terms of a tough road situation. We faced a lot of size at South Carolina, faced a lot of size at NC State, not quite as much as Oregon but similar. So I think we've found where we can be successful, and where we need to cover up our flaws, and I think our team has responded to that well."
On Emily Ebert's performance…
"Yeah I thought she was huge. I thought she knocked the threes down early, but I thought middle of the zone she was making good reads in there. I don't think we got it there as much as I wanted to, but when we got it there good things were happening."
On Serena Sundell's performance…
"Well I did not think Serena had a great look, but this was a challenging game. This was a game where both teams were committed to try to disrupt any rhythm. So they were switching defenses, they're switching things. We're trying to do the same thing. (Ayoka) Lee's foul trouble forced us to play more zone than we went in the game intending to. But I thought Serena, the bottom line for a point guard is, is your team successful? She's doing that very well, and she did have to play. She doesn't look over or ask to come out. I'd ignore her anyways, so maybe she's learned that already in her young career, but she fought hard through fatigue tonight, and I think we were victorious because of it."
AYOKA LEE, JUNIOR CENTER
On if the games against South Carolina & NC State prepared her for Oregon's size...
"I thought we prepared very well. Our scout, we knew what to do. We needed to go into them, and we knew what moves would work. I just think we prepared very well, and I do think it wasn't anything we hadn't seen before."
On the atmosphere...
"Yeah, if we could have that atmosphere every game, that would be great. It was great. I was excited to see what it would be like, because I knew they were promoting it a lot and a lot of people were coming, so it was great. I loved it."
On celebrating the win...
"Yeah, I think it was a great win. We went there a couple of years ago. They were ranked back then and had a different team, but as a veteran, in my mind, now they're playing in our place. Now we have our home crowd behind us, so it was really fun and it meant a little bit more to get that one."
EMILEE EBERT, JUNIOR GUARD
On the win...
"You watched it. We played great as a team. Everything seemed to be going our way, and we took it and ran. We had a lot of fun playing with each other, and the crowd helped a lot with that as well."
On her offensive performance...
"It was good. I felt really in rhythm. That doesn't happen without my teammates. I can't do that alone. I give credit to them. I was open, and they found that. We just took that and used it to our advantage."
On gaining confidence throughout the game...
"I think we started the game out like that. This is definitely a game that we wanted pretty bad, and we knew we could get it. I think we all came in confident and feeling pretty good about it. We started out strong, and it just kept rolling."
CATS WIN!!!#KStateWBB pic.twitter.com/SCYTEyQwbK
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) December 19, 2021
Coach loved it 😂#KStateWBB x #BeKStateGr8 pic.twitter.com/JRtUBTlpQh
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) December 19, 2021
🦆 hunt#KStateWBB x #BeKStateGr8 pic.twitter.com/cBEl2RibMN
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) December 19, 2021
Smiles all around 😸#KStateWBB pic.twitter.com/8EefuzmF0b
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) December 19, 2021
"The crowd gave us a lot of energy tonight."
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) December 19, 2021
🗣 @JeffMittie#KStateWBB x #BeKStateGr8 pic.twitter.com/laMbJPNYHi
The exclamation point ❗️#KStateWBB x @bryleeglenn12 pic.twitter.com/Rs4UGfTLql
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) December 19, 2021
Team Stats
Oregon
KState
FG%
.333
.421
3FG%
.280
.381
FT%
.583
.800
RB
41
38
TO
14
14
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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