Kansas State University Athletics
Wednesday, January 19
Manhattan, Kan.
6:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
14-4,4-2Big 12
69
vs
61
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Kansas
11-4,2-3Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
Kansas
14
11
11
25
61
Kansas St.
18
8
19
24
69
K-State Builds Big Second Half Lead; Fends Off Late KU Charge
Jan 19, 2022 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State constructed a 16-point lead with just under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Kansas rallied to tie the game with three minutes left before the Wildcats sealed the Dillons Sunflower Showdown win, 69-61, in Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday night.
With the win, K-State has won 15 of the last 17 meetings in the series and over the last 45 meetings, the Wildcats own a record of 37-8.
"I am proud of our group for regrouping because a lot of times you don't do that," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie about the late fourth quarter action. "I think Yokie (Ayoka Lee) really carried us in that stretch and hit two big turnaround shots, tough turnaround shots against a really good defender. And I think we were able to take a deep breath and relax a little bit and finish it off."
With a 26-25 lead at halftime, K-State (14-4, 4-2 Big 12) would use a 12-2 run over a three-minute span to build a 42-31 lead with 3:40 remaining in the third quarter. Ayoka Lee started the run with a layup and was followed by a corner 3-pointer by Serena Sundell. Lee recorded another layup before Laura Macke and Jaelyn Glenn added fastbreak layups to force a Kansas timeout.
Lee ended the night with her 12th double-double of the season and the 41st of her career with game-high honors of 25 points and 15 rebounds. With her 23 points on Wednesday night, Lee surpassed the 400-point mark for the season. She is the sixth player and just the second center in school history to score 400 or more points in three or more consecutive seasons.
Lee's 15 rebounds were a season-high by a Wildcat and marked the sixth time in her career in which she hauled in 15 or more rebounds.
With under two minutes to play in the third quarter, Kansas (11-4, 2-3) would use a quick five points from Holly Kersgieter to pull within six, 42-36, with 1:42 left. K-State's Brylee Glenn answered with her only 3-pointer of the night with 1:17 to play in the third to give the Wildcats a 45-36 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats bolted out with a 9-2 run to open the fourth quarter and increase its lead to 16, 54-38, with 5:57 left. Sundell finished a contested layup and was followed by a Rebekah Dallinger layup. Brylee Glenn capped the run with a pair of free throws.
Kansas would answer with a 19-3 run over a three-minute span to tie the game at 57 all with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth. Kersgieter scored eight of the 19 points for the Jayhawks, including the game-tying three-pointer with 2:50 left to knot the game at 57.
The Wildcats fended off the Jayhawks by finding Lee on two straight possessions. Lee knocked down a pair of hook shots to stake K-State to a 61-59 lead with two minutes left. After two defensive stops by K-State, Sundell and Emilee Ebert made four free throws to pull in front, 65-59.
Sundell and Jaelyn Glenn each tallied double figures in scoring in their first Sunflower Showdown with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Sundell added seven assists, three rebounds and a steal. This was Sundell's sixth game this season with 10 or more points and five or more assists. Jaelyn Glenn carded four rebounds, two assists and two steals on her final line.
Coming off the bench and adding a diverse stat line was Macke. The senior from Baileyville, Kansas, recorded nine points, tied her career-high with nine rebounds, set a career-high with five assists and tied her career-high with three steals in 25 minutes of action. Mittie was happy for the way Macke competed on Wednesday night.
"I thought she played awesome. It was fun to watch a Kansas young lady and this one means a lot to her. You could tell early because she was making great passes to (Ayoka) Lee. The most timely passes we were having early came from Laura. I felt she had a good rhythm, a good timeliness to her, really looked like she was flying around defensively. So, I really wanted to get her on the floor as much as we could."
Macke wanted to give her best effort in her final home game against the in-state rival.
"It definitely means a lot to me, and I wanted to come out and bring my best energy. Whether I was playing good or bad, I was going to make sure I was working my hardest out there to win that game."
Kansas State ended the night shooting 38.3 percent (23-of-60) from the field. The Wildcats tallied a 42-38 edge on the boards. Kansas shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field and set the Bramlage Coliseum opponent record for blocks in a game with 12.
K-State completes its two-game home stand this week on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., as the Wildcats host (14/19) Oklahoma. Tickets for Sunday'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.
Sunday's game will air on ESPNU. 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, K-STATE HEAD COACH
Opening Statement...
"This game is always an interesting one in that you don't know how you're going to get to the finish line. I think a lot of rivalry games, you just don't know how you're going to get to the finish line. You don't know how the game is going to come out. It's so competitive. It's so many toughness type plays, so many physical bodies on the floor, bodies in the paint. It's just kinda an ugly grind-it-out. Can you find enough offense? Can you find enough plays to win it? I thought we really played well until about the 5:50 mark. The three particular plays where they made big time plays, (Taianna) Jackson made two big time blocks. First one started on Brylee (Glenn) which was a crowded drive, Lo (Laura Macke) got it on the break and she makes a big block then Brylee (Glenn) takes the quick three on the right and that one kind of got KU going. There wasn't much time that came off the clock, but we got to learn to kind of balance that stretch because you don't want to get passive but you also got to make smart, aggressive plays and that's just us as a team. Proud of our group for regrouping because a lot of times you don't do that. I think Yokie (Ayoka Lee) really carried us in that stretch and hit two big turnaround shots, tough turnaround shots against a really good defender. And I think we were able to take a deep breath and relax a little bit and finish it off."
On what allowed the team to overcome KU's press in the fourth...
"Well, I think there were a couple of things. I think when they made their big run back, we made some mistakes on our out of bounds plays. They got six points on out of bounds plays action that they kind of ran and that's probably a little bit on us. I didn't want us to overthink too much, so we did not go over those out of bounds plays. We have guarded those out of bounds plays before. Of course after they hit the second three I'm like darn it, why didn't we go over those out of bounds plays? I didn't want to overload us mentally coming into this game. I'll be honest, I wanted us to relax and compete. I did not think we did that in Lubbock very well. I just wanted us to get back and guard people. And for 35 minutes we did it very well. And then probably the last two and a half minutes, we did it very well so I don't know when they made the run. We obviously had some self-inflicted problems with the turnovers, things that we've got to handle better. We regrouped and Yoki (Ayoka Lee) had the big plays."
On Laura Macke's performance...
"I thought she played awesome. It was fun to watch a Kansas young lady and this one means a lot to her. You could tell early because she was making great passes to (Ayoka) Lee. The most timely passes we were having early came from Laura. I felt she had a good rhythm, a good timeliness to her, really looked like she was flying around defensively. So, I really wanted to get her on the floor as much as we could."
On the noise from the student section...
"That's the best student section we've ever had. That was so awesome, and I appreciate everybody that had a hand in getting the students here. I appreciate the students showing up. And I appreciate them staying, because I've been in a lot of those where the students come for the first half and then bail in the second half. They got their shirts or whatever. They stuck around and they were a big part of us continuing to have the energy after giving back the lead. When you're walking out there, there's a pride with stepping up and finishing the plays. For them to get to play in front of their fellow students and have that kind of student crowd, I've gotta believe it was pretty special for them."
On the student turnout...
"Staff came in and asked if I had seen the student section. I said 'No, I'm never out there.' We don't have closed circuit tv in here, but they said it was the biggest crowd they'd ever seen so when I walked out, I wondered how many we had here? I thought 300 or 400 probably. To see three or four sections filled with students, it just raises the whole energy level up. It was a great crowd, and I'm glad we were able to finish it off."
On Holly Kersgieter in the second half...
"I thought we made some mistakes on the out of bounds plays that got her going. A player like that, all she needs is to see the ball go through the hoop one time and then you're in trouble. We had done a good job on her all night. I thought it really started with (Zakiyah) Franklin because we were trying to shrink the floor with Franklin and making her stay on the right side. I think that kept Kersgieter out of a lot of actions. Franklin got loose a little bit late, but I thought we did a solid job on her all night. But Kersgieter got going on those out of bounds plays, and she's a heck of a player."
AYOKA LEE, JUNIOR CENTER
On facing Taianna Jackson down low...
"Yeah, that was definitely an adjustment that I had to make. At the beginning, I think our guards did a good job of continuing to trust me and get it inside. But yes, it was an adjustment."
On the crowd...
"That's the biggest student section we've ever had. Running out for warm ups and seeing that, it just brought a different level of energy for us."
LAURA MACKE, SENIOR FORWARD
On the crowd...
"It was really nice for the students to be there. It brings a different energy to Bramlage."
On her last home Sunflower Showdown...
"It definitely means a lot to me, and I wanted to come out and bring my best energy. Whether I was playing good or bad, I was going to make sure I was working my hardest out there to win that game."
BRANDON SCHNEIDER, KANSAS HEAD COACH
On the biggest change made in the fourth quarter…
"Well I think we were in a situation where we had to press and we created some miscues and were able to convert them into points. Just did a better job executing when we weren't in those situations. I thought our defense the majority of the night was good enough to put ourselves in a position to be successful. But I wasn't pleased at all with our offensive execution."
On if the loss stings more because of the rivalry…
"I would say yes. But I think this league race is going to be crazy. I think any team in the league is capable of losing two in a row. K-State just did it and then came back and took advantage of a terrific crowd and opportunity to win at home. I don't think Baylor is going to run through the league like they have in the past. If you lose a couple in a row how do you respond? That's the situation that we're in going back home on Saturday."
On preparing for Texas Tech this Saturday…
"We'll get to work tonight on the bus and obviously tomorrow start to install a game plan with our players."
With the win, K-State has won 15 of the last 17 meetings in the series and over the last 45 meetings, the Wildcats own a record of 37-8.
"I am proud of our group for regrouping because a lot of times you don't do that," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie about the late fourth quarter action. "I think Yokie (Ayoka Lee) really carried us in that stretch and hit two big turnaround shots, tough turnaround shots against a really good defender. And I think we were able to take a deep breath and relax a little bit and finish it off."
With a 26-25 lead at halftime, K-State (14-4, 4-2 Big 12) would use a 12-2 run over a three-minute span to build a 42-31 lead with 3:40 remaining in the third quarter. Ayoka Lee started the run with a layup and was followed by a corner 3-pointer by Serena Sundell. Lee recorded another layup before Laura Macke and Jaelyn Glenn added fastbreak layups to force a Kansas timeout.
Lee ended the night with her 12th double-double of the season and the 41st of her career with game-high honors of 25 points and 15 rebounds. With her 23 points on Wednesday night, Lee surpassed the 400-point mark for the season. She is the sixth player and just the second center in school history to score 400 or more points in three or more consecutive seasons.
Lee's 15 rebounds were a season-high by a Wildcat and marked the sixth time in her career in which she hauled in 15 or more rebounds.
With under two minutes to play in the third quarter, Kansas (11-4, 2-3) would use a quick five points from Holly Kersgieter to pull within six, 42-36, with 1:42 left. K-State's Brylee Glenn answered with her only 3-pointer of the night with 1:17 to play in the third to give the Wildcats a 45-36 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats bolted out with a 9-2 run to open the fourth quarter and increase its lead to 16, 54-38, with 5:57 left. Sundell finished a contested layup and was followed by a Rebekah Dallinger layup. Brylee Glenn capped the run with a pair of free throws.
Kansas would answer with a 19-3 run over a three-minute span to tie the game at 57 all with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth. Kersgieter scored eight of the 19 points for the Jayhawks, including the game-tying three-pointer with 2:50 left to knot the game at 57.
The Wildcats fended off the Jayhawks by finding Lee on two straight possessions. Lee knocked down a pair of hook shots to stake K-State to a 61-59 lead with two minutes left. After two defensive stops by K-State, Sundell and Emilee Ebert made four free throws to pull in front, 65-59.
Sundell and Jaelyn Glenn each tallied double figures in scoring in their first Sunflower Showdown with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Sundell added seven assists, three rebounds and a steal. This was Sundell's sixth game this season with 10 or more points and five or more assists. Jaelyn Glenn carded four rebounds, two assists and two steals on her final line.
Coming off the bench and adding a diverse stat line was Macke. The senior from Baileyville, Kansas, recorded nine points, tied her career-high with nine rebounds, set a career-high with five assists and tied her career-high with three steals in 25 minutes of action. Mittie was happy for the way Macke competed on Wednesday night.
"I thought she played awesome. It was fun to watch a Kansas young lady and this one means a lot to her. You could tell early because she was making great passes to (Ayoka) Lee. The most timely passes we were having early came from Laura. I felt she had a good rhythm, a good timeliness to her, really looked like she was flying around defensively. So, I really wanted to get her on the floor as much as we could."
Macke wanted to give her best effort in her final home game against the in-state rival.
"It definitely means a lot to me, and I wanted to come out and bring my best energy. Whether I was playing good or bad, I was going to make sure I was working my hardest out there to win that game."
Kansas State ended the night shooting 38.3 percent (23-of-60) from the field. The Wildcats tallied a 42-38 edge on the boards. Kansas shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field and set the Bramlage Coliseum opponent record for blocks in a game with 12.
K-State completes its two-game home stand this week on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., as the Wildcats host (14/19) Oklahoma. Tickets for Sunday'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.
Sunday's game will air on ESPNU. 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, K-STATE HEAD COACH
Opening Statement...
"This game is always an interesting one in that you don't know how you're going to get to the finish line. I think a lot of rivalry games, you just don't know how you're going to get to the finish line. You don't know how the game is going to come out. It's so competitive. It's so many toughness type plays, so many physical bodies on the floor, bodies in the paint. It's just kinda an ugly grind-it-out. Can you find enough offense? Can you find enough plays to win it? I thought we really played well until about the 5:50 mark. The three particular plays where they made big time plays, (Taianna) Jackson made two big time blocks. First one started on Brylee (Glenn) which was a crowded drive, Lo (Laura Macke) got it on the break and she makes a big block then Brylee (Glenn) takes the quick three on the right and that one kind of got KU going. There wasn't much time that came off the clock, but we got to learn to kind of balance that stretch because you don't want to get passive but you also got to make smart, aggressive plays and that's just us as a team. Proud of our group for regrouping because a lot of times you don't do that. I think Yokie (Ayoka Lee) really carried us in that stretch and hit two big turnaround shots, tough turnaround shots against a really good defender. And I think we were able to take a deep breath and relax a little bit and finish it off."
On what allowed the team to overcome KU's press in the fourth...
"Well, I think there were a couple of things. I think when they made their big run back, we made some mistakes on our out of bounds plays. They got six points on out of bounds plays action that they kind of ran and that's probably a little bit on us. I didn't want us to overthink too much, so we did not go over those out of bounds plays. We have guarded those out of bounds plays before. Of course after they hit the second three I'm like darn it, why didn't we go over those out of bounds plays? I didn't want to overload us mentally coming into this game. I'll be honest, I wanted us to relax and compete. I did not think we did that in Lubbock very well. I just wanted us to get back and guard people. And for 35 minutes we did it very well. And then probably the last two and a half minutes, we did it very well so I don't know when they made the run. We obviously had some self-inflicted problems with the turnovers, things that we've got to handle better. We regrouped and Yoki (Ayoka Lee) had the big plays."
On Laura Macke's performance...
"I thought she played awesome. It was fun to watch a Kansas young lady and this one means a lot to her. You could tell early because she was making great passes to (Ayoka) Lee. The most timely passes we were having early came from Laura. I felt she had a good rhythm, a good timeliness to her, really looked like she was flying around defensively. So, I really wanted to get her on the floor as much as we could."
On the noise from the student section...
"That's the best student section we've ever had. That was so awesome, and I appreciate everybody that had a hand in getting the students here. I appreciate the students showing up. And I appreciate them staying, because I've been in a lot of those where the students come for the first half and then bail in the second half. They got their shirts or whatever. They stuck around and they were a big part of us continuing to have the energy after giving back the lead. When you're walking out there, there's a pride with stepping up and finishing the plays. For them to get to play in front of their fellow students and have that kind of student crowd, I've gotta believe it was pretty special for them."
On the student turnout...
"Staff came in and asked if I had seen the student section. I said 'No, I'm never out there.' We don't have closed circuit tv in here, but they said it was the biggest crowd they'd ever seen so when I walked out, I wondered how many we had here? I thought 300 or 400 probably. To see three or four sections filled with students, it just raises the whole energy level up. It was a great crowd, and I'm glad we were able to finish it off."
On Holly Kersgieter in the second half...
"I thought we made some mistakes on the out of bounds plays that got her going. A player like that, all she needs is to see the ball go through the hoop one time and then you're in trouble. We had done a good job on her all night. I thought it really started with (Zakiyah) Franklin because we were trying to shrink the floor with Franklin and making her stay on the right side. I think that kept Kersgieter out of a lot of actions. Franklin got loose a little bit late, but I thought we did a solid job on her all night. But Kersgieter got going on those out of bounds plays, and she's a heck of a player."
AYOKA LEE, JUNIOR CENTER
On facing Taianna Jackson down low...
"Yeah, that was definitely an adjustment that I had to make. At the beginning, I think our guards did a good job of continuing to trust me and get it inside. But yes, it was an adjustment."
On the crowd...
"That's the biggest student section we've ever had. Running out for warm ups and seeing that, it just brought a different level of energy for us."
LAURA MACKE, SENIOR FORWARD
On the crowd...
"It was really nice for the students to be there. It brings a different energy to Bramlage."
On her last home Sunflower Showdown...
"It definitely means a lot to me, and I wanted to come out and bring my best energy. Whether I was playing good or bad, I was going to make sure I was working my hardest out there to win that game."
BRANDON SCHNEIDER, KANSAS HEAD COACH
On the biggest change made in the fourth quarter…
"Well I think we were in a situation where we had to press and we created some miscues and were able to convert them into points. Just did a better job executing when we weren't in those situations. I thought our defense the majority of the night was good enough to put ourselves in a position to be successful. But I wasn't pleased at all with our offensive execution."
On if the loss stings more because of the rivalry…
"I would say yes. But I think this league race is going to be crazy. I think any team in the league is capable of losing two in a row. K-State just did it and then came back and took advantage of a terrific crowd and opportunity to win at home. I don't think Baylor is going to run through the league like they have in the past. If you lose a couple in a row how do you respond? That's the situation that we're in going back home on Saturday."
On preparing for Texas Tech this Saturday…
"We'll get to work tonight on the bus and obviously tomorrow start to install a game plan with our players."
CATS WIN!!#KStateWBB pic.twitter.com/EGLQh30LQ6
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) January 20, 2022
💜🌻 Purple State 🌻💜#KStateWBB x Sunflower Showdown pic.twitter.com/XOSkmwgsro
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) January 20, 2022
Team Stats
KU
KState
FG%
.356
.383
3FG%
.333
.308
FT%
.706
.864
RB
38
42
TO
21
18
STL
12
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
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