K-State Hosts West Virginia on Senior Night

GAME #29
West Virginia (13-13, 6-10 Big 12) at (rv/-) Kansas State (18-10, 8-8 Big 12)
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 | 6:30 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kan.

PROMOTIONS & TICKETS
• Senior Night - K-State will honor its four seniors - Cymone Goodrich, Laura Macke, Rachel Ranke and Savannah Simmons - in a postgame ceremony

• Wednesday Wildcat 4-Packs: Each Wednesday home game get four general admission tickets and four $10 concession vouchers for just $38!

Tickets
Tickets available by calling (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets

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

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: 597-342/30th season | At K-State: 143-107/8th season

West Virginia: Mike Carey (Salem '80)
Overall: 733-339/34th season | At West Virginia: 445-237/21st season

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (based on previous game)
(rv/-) Kansas State (18-10, 8-8 Big 12)
G: #3 Jaelyn Glenn | G: #4 Serena Sundell | G: #5 Brylee Glenn | G: #24 Emilee Ebert | C: #50 Ayoka Lee

West Virginia (13-13, 6-10 Big 12)
G: #00 Jayla Hemingway | G: #11 JJ Quinerly | F: #12 Esmery Martinez | F: #14 Kari Niblack | G: #30 Madisen Smith

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: West Virginia leads, 15-7
In Manhattan: 3-6
Last Meeting: Jan. 8, 2022; K-State won 71-61 (Morgantown)
Head Coach Jeff Mittie vs. West Virginia: 7-17

MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State will conclude its 2021-22 home schedule on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats host West Virginia at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night's game is Senior Night, K-State will honor its four seniors - Cymone Goodrich, Laura Macke, Rachel Ranke and Savannah Simmons - in a postgame ceremony.

• Wednesday's game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, as Brian Smoller (play-by-play), Missy Heidrick (analyst) and Katherine Benhardt (sideline) will have the call.
• K-State's nine-win improvement from the 2020-21 season is the largest win improvement in the Jeff Mittie era and the third-largest win increase from one season to the next in program history.
• The Wildcats have been led this season by junior Ayoka Lee and freshman Serena Sundell. Lee, a 2022 All-America and National Player of the Year candidate, is the only player in the nation with 625 or more points, 275 or more rebounds and 80 or more blocks this season. Lee has established new career season-highs in points (635), field goals made and attempted (261-of-465), free throws made and attempted (113-of-146), assists (18) and steals (36).
• Sundell, a candidate for Big 12 Freshman of the Year, is second on the team in scoring (10.2 ppg). She is second in the Big 12 in total assists (155) and assists per game (5.5). A four-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week honoree, Sundell is the only freshman in the nation with 150 or more assists and 40 or more 3-point field goals made.

Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women's basketball
1. Lee Named Semifinalist for Naismith DPOY
• Ayoka Lee has been named a semifinalist for the 2022 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Award. Lee owns 89 blocks and a career-high 36 steals this season. Lee ranks third in the nation in blocks and fourth in blocks per game.
2. High Efficiency Dishes
• The Wildcats have 486 assists (17.4 apg) and an assisted shot rate of 69.8 percent this season. According to HerHoopStats.com, K-State ranks second in the nation in assisted shot rate and are the highest ranked Power 5 member in the category.
3. Rejection
• K-State has tallied 155 blocks (5.5 bpg) this season and lead the Big 12 and rank seventh in the nation for total blocks. K-State's 155 blocks are the fifth-most in the Jeff Mittie era.
4. Lee First Player to Reach 625/275/80
• Ayoka Lee, a candidate for every National Player of the Year honor, is the first player in program history and the only player in the nation this season to register 625 or more points, 275 or more rebounds and 80 or more blocked shots.
5. Sundell On the Dishes
• Serena Sundell is the third K-State freshman in program history and the first since Shalee Lehning in 2005-06 to surpass 150 or more assists in their freshman season.

Number to Know
89

• Junior Ayoka Lee has registered 89 blocked shots this season.
• Lee is the only player in program history with two or more seasons of 85 or more blocks shots.
• She needs three blocks to surpass her career-high of 91 from the 2019-20 season and nine blocks to set the single-season school record which is held by Breanna Lewis at 97 blocks in the 2014-15 season.

At a Glance: West Virginia
• West Virginia (12-13, 5-10 Big 12) has won two straight games following a 60-56 win over Oklahoma State on Sunday.
• On the sideline, West Virginia is led by 21st-year head coach Mike Carey. In his time with the Mountaineers, Carey has achieved a record of 445-237 (.652) and captured a share of the 2014 Big 12 regular season title and the 2017 Big 12 tournament crown.
• On the floor, West Virginia has two players averaging double figures in scoring and are paced by junior KK Deans and junior Esmery Martinez. Deans has missed the last eight games due to a knee injury and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
• Martinez, a forward from the Dominican Republic, is averaging 10.8 points and leads the team with 8.3 rebounds. Against the Cowgirls, Martinez registered 12 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two assists.

Last Time Out
at (20/19) Oklahoma 72, K-State 69 (Feb. 26, 2022; Norman, Okla.)
• K-State tied the game with 22 seconds remaining on a 3-pointer from Laura Macke. With its final possession, Oklahoma made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to seal the win and split the season series.
• The Wildcats have now lost six straight road games after opening Big 12 action with back-to-back road wins.
• Freshman Serena Sundell tallied a game-high 24 points and seven assists. Macke carded a career-high 17 points, while Ayoka Lee notched her 17th double-double of the season with 13 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks and four steals.

Marching Toward the Finish Line
• During the third month of the year but the final month of the basketball season, K-State owns a 133-97 (.578) record in March.
• K-State head coach Jeff Mittie is 16-13 (.552) in the month of March during his time in Manhattan.

Filling Up the Purple Palace
• The Wildcats rank 23rd in the nation and fourth in the Big 12 for total attendance (55,215) this season. K-State is 26th in the nation and fourth in average attendance (3,451 average; 16 home games).
• K-State has played in front of four home crowds larger than 5,000 fans this season - Dec. 18 against Oregon (5,209), Jan. 29 against TCU (5,157), Feb. 5 against Texas Tech (5,588) and Feb. 20 against Oklahoma State (5,868).
• When the crowd is 7,500 or more in Bramlage Coliseum, K-State is 43-12 (.782) including a record of 18-5 when the crowd is 10,000 or more.
• The Wildcats moved into Bramlage Coliseum prior to the start of the 1988-89 season and have seen 1,906,440 fans pass through the doors. K-State reached the 1,500,000 mark for women's basketball attendance on Feb. 21, 2015.

Cats Send Back Shots Under Mittie
• Under head coach Jeff Mittie, Kansas State has sent back 1,205 shots for 4.82 per game in the 249 games. K-State has 120 or more blocks in each of Mittie's eight seasons, the longest streak of 120 or more blocks in program history.
• The 1,205 blocks in the eight seasons are the most in any eight-season span in program history.
• This season, K-State has 155 blocks (5.5 bpg) and ranks seventh in the nation and leads the Big 12 in total blocks. The Wildcats are second in the Big 12 and rank ninth in the nation in blocks per game.
• K-State's 155 blocks this season rank eighth in program history for a single-season and fifth in the Mittie era.
• K-State has a blocked shot differential of +50 this season (155-105). Since blocks became official in 1982-83, K-State has 20 seasons with a positive blocked shot differential including a school record +73 (163-90) in the 2005-06 season.
• Against North Carolina A&T, the Wildcats recorded a season-high 11 blocks. The 11 blocks are the sixth-most in a game in school history. The Wildcats have blocked 10 or more shots in a game 12 times (11-1) since Mittie's first season in 2014-15.

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 139-68 (.671) including an 11-1 mark this season.
• The Wildcats have had a season-high four players in double figures three times.

Sundell Sets the Table
• Freshman guard Serena Sundell has established herself at the point for K-State with her distribution skills.
• The product of Maryville, Missouri, has handed out 155 assists (5.5 apg) and owns a 2.12 assist to turnover ratio. Sundell is the only player in the nation averaging five or more assists and an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0 of higher.
• She has 16 games with five or more assists this season including a career-high 11. Sundell is responsible for 31.9 percent of K-State's assists this season.
• Sundell, a four-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week recipient, is second in the Big 12 and 17th in the nation for total assists. She also is second in the Big 12 and 19th in the nation for assists per game.
• Among the nation's freshmen, Sundell is second in total assists and second in assists per game.
• Sundell is the sixth freshman in program history with 100 or more assists in their debut season and her total ranks third among K-State freshmen.
• Against Iowa State on Jan. 11, Sundell tallied a career-high 11 assists. This was the 15th time a K-State player handed out 11 assists in a game and was the most assists by a Wildcat since Kayla Goth tied the school record with 13 against West Virginia on March 9, 2019.
• At South Dakota State on Dec. 11, Sundell dished 10 assists with just one turnover.
• Sundell handed out nine assists with one turnover against Central Arkansas in the season-opener on Nov. 9. Her nine assists set the school record for assists in a K-State debut.

Macke Career Day At Oklahoma
• Senior forward Laura Macke registered a banner day at Oklahoma on February 26.
• Macke registered a career-high 17 points on a career-best 7-of-14 shooting. This was her first career game with 15 or more points. She also dished out four assists, pulled in two rebounds and pocketed two steals.
• The senior from Baileyville, Kansas, tied the game at 69 with a 3-pointer with 22 seconds to play.
• For the season, Macke is averaging 4.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Macke has established new career season-highs in free throws made (29), assists (44) and steals (24). She needs two points to reach a new season-high in scoring.

Lee a Double-Double Machine
• Ayoka Lee continues to be a double-double machine in her K-State career.
• Lee has pocketed 17 double-doubles in the 2021-22 season, which ranks tied for second in school history for double-doubles in a season. Earlier this season, Lee tied her own school record for consecutive double-doubles (six). She is 11th in the nation and is second in the Big 12 this season for double-doubles.
• Lee is the second player in program history with three or more seasons with 10 or more double-doubles (Kendra Wecker, 2001-05; 4).
• Of the 17 double-doubles this season, six efforts have reached 30 or more points and 10 or more rebounds.
• At South Dakota State on Dec. 11, Lee tallied 38 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. This was her 12th career game with a double-double and five or more blocks, improving on her own school record.
• According to HerHoopStats.com, Lee is the third player since 2009-10 to register a final stat line of at least 38 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks (Elena Delle Donne, 2012; Brittney Griner, 2013).
• Lee's career double-double total stands at 46, which ranks second in school history for career double-doubles. She ranks eighth in the nation among active NCAA Division I women's basketball players and is tied for sixth in the Big 12 career record book.
• She is the fastest player in program history to 46 career double-doubles. Lee has nine career double-doubles with 30 or more points and 10 or more rebounds, which stands as the most such games in program history.
• Lee is averaging 0.56 double-doubles per game in her career, which is the highest rate in school history. Among active NCAA Division I Power 5 Conference players, Lee ranks second in career double-doubles per game.
• In her redshirt freshman season of 2019-20, the center from Byron, Minnesota, set the school record for double-doubles in a season with 19 and ranked tied for 8th in Big 12 history for double-doubles in a single season.
• Lee achieved a rare single-game milestone, as she became the first player in program history with 20 or more points and 20 or more rebounds in the same game, achieving the feat against Oklahoma on January 25, 2020 (23 points, 20 rebounds).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Emilee Ebert

Brylee Glenn

Jaelyn Glenn

Cymone Goodrich

Ayoka Lee

Laura Macke

Rachel Ranke

Savannah Simmons

Serena Sundell

Kansas State University Athletics