K-State, KU Set for 125th Dillons Sunflower Showdown

Saturday, February 13

Manhattan, Kan.

1 p.m.

Kansas State University

Kansas

Feb 11, 2021 | Women's Basketball

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GAME #18
Kansas (7-10, 3-8 Big 12) at Kansas State (5-12, 0-10 Big 12)
Saturday, February 13, 2021 | 1 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Missy Heidrick

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Online: kstatesports.com
Play-by-Play: Matt Walters
Analyst: Kristin Waller

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com

COACHES
Kansas State: Jeff Mittie (Missouri Western '89)
Overall: 575-326/29th season | At K-State: 121-91/7th season

Kansas: Brandon Schneider (Wayland Baptist '95)
Overall: 462-245/22nd season | At Kansas: 61-107/6th season

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (based on previous game)
Kansas State (5-12, 0-10 Big 12)
G: #4 Sydney Goodson | F: #12 Rachel Ranke | G: #24 Emilee Ebert | G: #43 Christianna Carr | C: #50 Ayoka Lee

Kansas (7-10, 3-8 Big 12)
F: #1 Tina Stephens | F: #11 Ioanna Chatzileonti | G: #13 Holly Kersgieter | G: #15 Zakiyah Franklin | G: #21 Brooklyn Mitchell

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads, 76-48
In Manhattan: 35-16
Last Meeting: Jan. 23, 2021; Kansas won 70-63 (Lawrence)
Head Coach Jeff Mittie vs. Kansas: 16-7

MANHATTAN, Kansas - One of the longest continuous rivalries in all of women's college basketball is set for the 125th all-time meeting between the programs on Saturday afternoon, as K-State hosts Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at 1 p.m.

• Saturday's game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, as Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Missy Heidrick (analyst) will have the call.
• The Wildcats are led by sophomore Ayoka Lee and junior Christianna Carr. The duo is responsible for 48.5 percent of K-State's scoring output this season. The pair have scored in double figures in the same game nine times this season.
• Lee, a candidate for all four of the national player of the year awards, leads K-State in scoring (18.5 ppg), field goal percentage (.596), rebounds (8.1 rpg) and blocks (1.7). She leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th in the nation in field goal percentage.
• Carr is second on the team and is 15th in the Big 12 in scoring with a career-best average of 14.2 points per game while shooting a career-best 38.1 percent from 3-point range. She is second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game 2.5.

Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women's basketball
1. Lee Among Lisa Leslie Award Top-10
• Sophomore center Ayoka Lee has been named to the top-10 of the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award, given to the nation's top center. Fan voting can be done once a day at hoophallawards.com.
2. Ranke Nearing 1K
• Rachel Ranke is closing in on a career milestone, as she needs 51 points to become the 43rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She will become the sixth player in school history with 1,000 or more career points, 300 or more career rebounds and 200 or more connections from beyond the arc.
3. Lee in Rare Club
• Ayoka Lee has been efficient in her play this season, as she leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th in the nation in field goal percentage (.596). She also ranks sixth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.822). She is the only player in the league shooting 57.5 percent or better from the field and 80.0 percent of better from the line.
4. High Efficiency Dishes
• The Wildcats have 264 assists (15.2 apg) and an assisted shot rate of 71.7 percent this season. According to HerHoopStats.com, K-State ranks fifth in the nation in assisted shot rate and are the highest ranked Power 5 member in the category.
5. Doorstep of 975
• With its next win, K-State will become the third Big 12 program and the 19th in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to win 975 or more games.

Number to Know
3
• Sophomore center Ayoka Lee has registered three double-doubles in three career games against Kansas.
• In her three games against the Jayhawks, Lee is averaging 16.0 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks.
• Lee is also a perfect 18-of-18 from the free throw line including a 10-of-10 effort in K-State's first meeting with Kansas this season on January 23.
• Lee is tied for second in school history for career double-doubles against Kansas, joining Nicole Ohlde (2000-04) and Laurie Miller (1975-79). The K-State career double-double record against Kansas is six by Breanna Lewis (2013-17).

At a Glance: Kansas
• Kansas (7-10, 3-8 Big 12) enters Saturday's Dillons Sunflower Showdown after a 69-61 loss at West Virginia on Wednesday.
• On the sideline, Kansas is led by sixth-year head coach Brandon Schneider. Schneider is 61-107 (.363) in his time in Lawrence.
• The Jayhawks feature two players in double figures this season and are led by sophomore Holly Kersgieter and senior Tina Stephens.
• Kersgeiter is averaging a team-best 16.3 points per game on a 42.4 percent effort from the field. She is second on the team in rebounding with 6.1 per contest. At West Virginia, Kersgieter registered a game-high 25 points and a team-high six rebounds and four steals.
• Stephens is averaging 11.6 points and is shooting a sterling 53.1 percent from the field while pulling in 5.8 rebounds. Against the Mountaineers, she recorded 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Last Time Out
at TCU 78, Kansas State 67 (February 10, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas)
• K-State held a halftime lead for the 11th time this season with the help of a 72.7 percent shooting performance in the second quarter.
• TCU responded with a 28-point third quarter to down the Wildcats.
• K-State has now lost 10 straight for the first time since the 1991-92 season when the Wildcats lost a school-record 11 consecutive games.
• Ayoka Lee led K-State with 26 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Rachel Ranke added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Emilee Ebert added 10 points and five rebounds.

20-Pt Quarters For the Wildcats
• Since the inception of the quarter system in the 2015-16 season, K-State owns an overall record of 75-42 (.641) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game.
• Since the 2015-16 season, K-State has registered 180 quarters with 20 or more points with a high of 43 in the 2017-18 season. This season, K-State has 12 quarters with 20 or more points scored.
• The Wildcats have scored 20 or more points in two or more quarters in a game three times this season.

Cats Cash in at the Charity Stripe
• Kansas State has continued to earn trips to the free throw line, which is a trend during head coach Jeff Mittie's time at K-State.
• K-State has opened the season with a 194-of-270 (.719) effort from the line. The Wildcats are getting 18.6 percent of its points from the foul line this season. K-State's free throw percentage is its highest since the 2018-19 season.
• In Big 12 action, K-State ranks second in the Big 12 for free throw percentage at .788 (115-of-146).
• The Wildcats recorded a season-high 20 made free throws against Omaha on December 12.
• K-State was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line at West Virginia on January 20.
• During the 2019-20 season, the Wildcats were 366-of-532 (.688) from the foul line and averaged 18.3 trips to the charity stripe, including five games with 25 or more attempts. The Wildcats produced 18.3 percent of its points from the free throw line.

Wildcats Solid From the Arc
• Kansas State has opened the season from beyond the arc with 111 connections on 358 attempts (.310). K-State is receiving 32.0 percent of its overall point total from beyond the arc this season.
• The Wildcats rank third in the Big 12 for 3-point field goals made per game (6.5). According to HerHoopStats.com, K-State ranks 83rd in the nation for percent of points from 3-point range.
• K-State's percent of points from three this season (32.0) would be the highest in the Jeff Mittie era. Since Mittie took over in 2014-15, K-State has finished above 30.0 percent just once, in 2015-16 (31.7).
• The Wildcats made a season-high nine 3-pointers at Iowa State on December 18, against Oklahoma on January 31 and at Texas Tech on February 3.
• Under Mittie, the Wildcats have made five or more 3-pointers in a game 149 times in 212 total games including 21 games with 10 or more connections from deep (19-2).
• In the seven seasons under Mittie, K-State has buried 1,249 three-pointers which is 5.89 per game.

Ranke with Range
• Guard Rachel Ranke continues to be a threat for the Wildcats from beyond the three-point line.
• For her career, Ranke has made 206 three-point field goals and ranks seventh on the K-State career 3-point field goals made list. She ranks sixth in program history for career 3-point field goals attempted with 641.
• She has 55 career games with two or more connections from 3-point range, including 17 career games with four or more 3-point field goals made.
• Ranke holds the school record for 3-point field goals made by a player 6'0" or taller in school history.
• This season, Ranke is 31-of-98 (.316) from 3-point range and ranks sixth in the Big 12 for 3-point field goals per game at 1.6.

Lee Efficient from the Field
• Ayoka Lee continues to put the ball in the hoop at a high rate and is among the top-five on the K-State career field goal percentage list.
• In her career, Lee has a field goal percentage of .578 (286-of-495) and ranks third in program history for career field goal percentage.
• This season, Lee is shooting a career-high .596 (102-of-171) from the field and leads the Big 12 and 11th in the nation for field goal percentage. Among centers, Lee ranks fourth in the nation in field goal percentage and leads all sophomore centers.
• Lee is the only player in the Big 12 to shoot 57.5 percent or better from the field and 80.0 percent or better from the foul line.
• Lee has 30 career games with a field goal percentage of .500 or better. She has made 10 or more field goals in a game eight times in her career.
• Against Oklahoma, Lee was 15-of-23 (.652) from the floor. This was her 30th career game with five or more made field goals.
• With her 15 made field goals against Oklahoma, Lee tied the school record for field goals made in a conference game and tied for the fourth-most field goals made in a game in program history. It was the most field goals made since Brittany Chambers made 15 against Texas Southern on March 21, 2013.
• The 23 field goals attempted set a new career-high. Her 16 attempts in the second half tied the school record for field goals in a half and were the most in a half since Kendra Wecker attempted 16 at Baylor on February 8, 2003.