(11/12) K-State Hosts Houston Wednesday Night

GAME #15
Houston (9-3, 0-1 Big 12) at (11/12) K-State (13-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Wednesday, January 3, 2024 | 6:30 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum (11,010) | Manhattan, Kan.

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

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagship: Sunny 102.5 & 1350 KMAN
Online: kstatesports.com
Play-by-Play: Matt Walters
Analyst: Kristin Waller

Game also available on SiriusXM Channels 202 or 211 and the SiriusXM app

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com

SERIES HISTORY vs. Houston
2-0
• K-State leads the series, 2-0.
• The last meeting between the two schools came on Dec. 4, 2022, in Manhattan, a 73-59 K-State win.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 11-6 in his career against Houston.

MANHATTAN, Kansas - (11/12) K-State (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) hosts one of the newest members of the Big 12, Houston (9-3, 0-1), for a 6:30 p.m., tip on Wednesday night. Wednesday's game is Kids' Day.

• The Wildcats have started 13-1 for the first time since the 2008-09 season. With a win, K-State would achieve the fifth 14-1 or better start to a season in school history.
• Wednesday's game can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, as Brian Smoller (play-by-play), Missy Heidrick (analyst) and Sophie Smith (sideline) will have the call.

Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women's basketball
1. K-State Among Top Defenses in Nation
• K-State leads the Big 12 and ranks ninth in the nation in scoring defense (51.4 ppg). The Wildcats lead the league and are third in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.316). K-State has held 12 foes to under 60 points in a game this season.
2. Third Quarter, Best Quarter
• The Wildcats have scored 314 points in third quarters this season (22.4 ppg). The Wildcats have 10 games this season with 20 or more points in the third frame.
3. Lee Making Run at 2K/1K Club
• Senior center Ayoka Lee needs 62 points to become the third active NCAA Division I WBB player with 2,000 or more career points and 1,000 or more career rebounds. She would be the only active Big 12 player in the 2K/1K club.
4. Lee Joins Rare Big 12 Club
• Lee is the third player in Big 12 history with 1,500 or more career points, 1,000 or more career rebounds and 250 or more career blocked shots.
5. Sundell Nears 1K
• Junior guard Serena Sundell needs 21 points to become the 45th player in school history to score 1,000 or more career points in her K-State career. She would be the first Wildcat with 1,000 or more points, 400 or more assists and 50 or more blocks.

Number to Know
36

• K-State is 36-7 (.837) over the last three seasons in games played in Bramlage Coliseum.
• This is the highest home winning percentage over a three-season span in the Jeff Mittie era and the highest since the 2002-03 to 2004-05 seasons tallied a 43-3 (.935) home record.
• The 36 combined wins are tied for the fourth-most in a three-season span during the Mittie era.

Last Time Out
(11/16) K-State 66, at Cincinnati 41 (Dec. 30, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio)
• K-State outscored Cincinnati, 40-10, over the second and third quarters to cruise to its seventh straight win. The win ended a nine-game road losing streak in Big 12 action for the Cats.
• The Wildcats held the Bearcats to 20.0 percent shooting, including a 6.3 percent (1-of-16) effort in the second quarter.
• K-State was led by Gabby Gregory with a game-high 17 points, including outscoring the Bearcats in the second quarter, 12-3. Zyanna Walker came off the bench to add 11 points.

At a Glance: Houston
• Houston (9-3, 0-1 Big 12) saw its first action in the Big 12 on Saturday, dropping a 79-71 decision against Texas Tech. The Cougars are second in the Big 12 for steals per game (13.75) and third for turnover margin (+8.33).
• On the sideline, Houston is led by 10th-year head coach Ronald Hughey. The 2006 graduate of Limestone College owns a career record of 130-157 (.453) during his time with the Cougars.
• The Cougars are led on the floor by senior guard Laila Blair and graduate transfer guard N'Yah Boyd.
• Blair, a 5-8 guard from Houston, is averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game and 2.6 steals per game. She is second on the team for assists with 2.7 per game and second on the team with 15 three-point field goals made. Against Texas Tech, Blair tallied 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
• Boyd, a 5-6 guard from Mesquite, Texas, is averaging 11.2 points and a team-high 3.7 assists. She is second on the squad for steals (2.1). Against Texas Tech, Boyd notched 12 points, five assists and three steals.

Wildcats Off to Fast Start
• Kansas State has opened the season with a 13-1 overall record.
• This is the best start for K-State in the Jeff Mittie era through the first 14 games and the best start for the Cats since 2008-09.
• In program history, K-State has opened a season 13-1 or better five times.

1st Month the 1st to 250 Wins
• January was the first month in the history of K-State women's basketball to surpass the 250-win plateau and the Wildcats own an overall record in the month of 252-192 (.568) in the first month of the year.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 32-40 (.444) in January with the Wildcats.
• K-State has registered a .500 or better record in January 33 times in the history of the program.

Wildcats With 375+ Wins in Bramlage
• K-State is 387-154 (.715) all-time inside Bramlage Coliseum, which is in its 36th season of existence.
• This season, the Wildcats are 7-0 in Bramlage. When including its two wins in the 2023 WNIT at the end of the 2022-23 season, K-State is currently on a nine-game home court winning streak.
• Over the last three seasons, K-State is 36-7 (.837) in home contests.
• The Wildcats carded a 15-4 record at home in the 2022-23 season and tied the longest home-court winning streak in the Jeff Mittie era to open the season with nine wins.
• This was the 32nd time in program history that the Wildcats reached double figures in home victories. It marked the 24th season K-State has won 10 or more games in Bramlage.
• In his career in games played in his home venue, Mittie is 391-111 (.779) including an 117-46 (.718) record at K-State.
• Kansas State has protected Bramlage Coliseum with determination against non-conference foes with a record of 228-29 (.887) with an active 28-game winning streak against non-con opponents. Mittie is 74-8 (.902) in non-conference games in Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State Holds Foes to Single-Digits
• Entering the ninth season of the quarter system in women's college basketball, K-State's defense has limited its opponents point production for 10 minute durations.
• Kansas State is 87-28 (.757) when holding an opponent to single digits in any quarter in a game.
• This season, K-State has held its opponents to 15 quarters with single digits. The Wildcats are 9-0 this season when holding an opponent to single digits in any quarter of a game.
• K-State held Presbyterian and Little Rock to three quarters in each game with single digit scoring.
• The Wildcats held Cincinnati to a season-low three points in the second quarter on a 6.3 percent (1-of-16) from the field.
• The Wildcats recorded 20 single-digit defensive quarters in the 2022-23 season. K-State was 9-5 in games last season in which they held a foe to single digits in any quarter.
• Against Clemson on Nov. 24, 2022, K-State limited the Tigers to nine second half points with four in the third quarter and five in the fourth including a 2-of-18 effort from the field in the second half.
• The nine points were the fewest in a half for a K-State opponent since Feb. 20, 2022, when the Wildcats held Oklahoma State to six points in the first half including a school record for fewest points in a second quarter with two.

Cats Send Back Shots Under Mittie
• During the Jeff Mittie era, K-State has dealt out rejection to its opponents and has maintained a high rate in the 2023-24 season.
• This season, K-State has registered 83 blocked shots (5.9 bpg) and are second in the Big 12 and ninth in the nation for blocks per game. Of the 13 active players on the roster, 11 have recorded at least one blocked shot.
• The Wildcats have three games with 10 or more blocks, with 12 against McNeese State on Dec. 6, 11 blocks against Presbyterian on Nov. 6 and 10 against Oral Roberts on Dec. 18. The 12 blocks against McNeese State are tied for the third-most for a single-game in program history.
• Of the 33 missed shots by the Blue Hose, 33 percent were due to a Wildcat blocked shot.
• Under Mittie, K-State has blocked 10 or more shots in a game 15 times, including a school record of 14 at Tulsa on Nov. 13, 2015. K-State is 14-1 during the Mittie era when blocking 10 or more shots.
• During the Mittie era, Kansas State has sent back 1,432 shots for 4.70 per game in the 305 games. K-State has blocked 120 or more shots in each of Mittie's previous nine seasons, the longest streak of 120 or more blocks in program history.
• The 1,432 blocks in the 10 seasons are the most in any 10-season span in program history.
• During the 2022-23 season, K-State had 132 blocked shots (3.67 bpg) including a season-high eight blocks against Utah Tech on Nov. 20, against Kansas City on Dec. 7 and against Texas Tech on March 9. The Wildcats ranked fourth in the Big 12 in blocks per game.
• K-State had a blocked shot differential of +23 last season (132-109). Since blocks became official in 1982-83, K-State has 21 seasons with a positive blocked shot differential including a school record +73 (163-90) in the 2005-06 season.

Sharing is Caring
• K-State continues to be an unselfish squad at the start of the 2023-24 season.
• The Wildcats have 294 assists (21.0 apg) and own an assist to turnover ratio of 1.6. K-State has tallied an assist percentage of 69.3. The Wildcats are second in the Big 12 for assists per game and third for assist percentage.
• K-State handed out 23 or more assists in six straight games from Dec. 1 to Dec. 30. In the last seven games, K-State has handed out 24.9 assists per game with an assist percentage of 74.4.
• Against McNeese State, K-State dished out 29 assists on 40 made field goals. The 29 assists were the most since handing out 30 against Incarnate Word on Dec. 3, 2019.
• Over the last 16 years, the Wildcats are 88-7 (.926) when handing out 20 or more assists.
• In the 2022-23 season, the Wildcats handed out 516 assists (14.3 apg) and recorded an assist on 61.4 percent of made field goals.
• K-State ranked sixth in the league in assists per game and assist to turnover ratio (0.96). According to HerHoopStats.com, K-State ranked 43rd in the nation and third in the Big 12 in assisted shot rate.
• Since assists became an officially tracked stat in 1981-82, K-State has registered an assisted shot rate of 60.0 percent or higher at the end of a season 23 times in its history.

We Are An Ag School
• Fans and media may notice a stuffed four-legged friend on the K-State bench this season.
• During the summer, the K-State coaching staff encouraged the team to get gaps which are three consecutive stops on defense and to do this seven times in a game.
• Before the season, head coach Jeff Mittie asked Serena Sundell, Gabby Gregory and Ayoka Lee to make this their own and to embrace the three straight defensive stops. Enter Gap Goat.
• Gap Goat, who can be followed on Instagram (@GapGoat7), is hoisted aloft when the Wildcats register three consecutive defensive stops. Gap Goat lives at the Ice Basketball Training Center and comes to Bramlage and on road trips to get gaps.
• Gap Goat's apparel includes a K-State jersey and gold chains with one chain featuring a goal number seven pendant.
• Gregory chose a goat because it is her favorite animal.

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Players Mentioned

Gabby Gregory

Ayoka Lee

Serena Sundell

Zyanna Walker

Kansas State University Athletics