(11/12) K-State Treks to UCF for Saturday Afternoon Tip

GAME #16
(11/12) K-State (14-1, 2-0 Big 12) at UCF (9-3, 0-2 Big 12)
Saturday, January 6, 2024 | 1 p.m. (CT) | Addition Financial Arena (10,000) | Orlando, Fla.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Scott Adams
Analyst: BJ Taylor

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagship: Sunny 102.5 & 1350 KMAN
Online: kstatesports.com
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Randy Peterson

Game also available on SiriusXM Channels 111 or 201 and the SiriusXM app

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com

SERIES HISTORY vs. UCF
0-0
• K-State and UCF will meet for the first time.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 1-0 in his career against UCF.

MANHATTAN, Kansas - K-State (14-1, 2-0 Big 12) visits one of the newest members of the Big 12, UCF (9-3, 0-2), for a 1 p.m. (CT), tip on Saturday afternoon.

• The Wildcats have started 14-1 for the first time since the 2008-09 season. With a win, K-State would achieve the fourth 15-1 start to a season in school history.
• Saturday's game can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, as Scott Adams (play-by-play) and BJ Taylor (analyst) 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 fifth in the nation in scoring defense (50.5 ppg). The Wildcats lead the league and are third in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.314). K-State has held 13 foes to under 60 points in a game this season.
2. Third Quarter, Best Quarter
• The Wildcats have scored 336 points in third quarters this season (22.4 ppg). The Wildcats have 11 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 35 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. Sundell Nears 1K
• Junior guard Serena Sundell needs eight 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.
5. We're Going Streaking!
• K-State has won eight straight games and with a win at UCF, the Wildcats would equal the longest winning streak in the Jeff Mittie era (9; 11/11/16 to 12/11/16).

Number to Know
26
• This season, K-State has shot 50.0 percent or better in 26 quarters.
• Of the 60 quarters played this season, the Wildcats have registered a field goal of 50.0 percent or better in 43.3 percent of those quarters. This would surpass the highest percentage of 34.3 in 2016-17.
• Since the quarter system began in NCAA Division I women's basketball in 2015-16, K-State's top mark for quarters with a field goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better is 47 in the 2016-17 season.

Last Time Out
at (11/12) K-State 72, Houston 38 (Jan. 3, 2024; Manhattan, Kan.)
• In its first home Big 12 game of the season, K-State outscored Houston, 43-14, in the second half to secure its eighth straight win. The win improved K-State's home court winning streak to 10 games.
• The Wildcats held the Cougars to 28.8 percent shooting for the night, including 19.2 percent in the second half.
• K-State was led by Ayoka Lee with 27 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Serena Sundell added 13 points, three assists and three steals while Zyanna Walker came off the bench to add 12 points, four rebounds and a career-high four steals.

At a Glance: UCF
• UCF (9-3, 0-2 Big 12) saw its first home action in the Big 12 on Wednesday, a 68-61 defeat to Oklahoma State. The Knights are a sound defensive team, surrendering 56.0 points per game to its opponents and have allowed 70 or more points in a game just once this season.
• On the sideline, UCF is led by second-year head coach Sytia Messer. The 2000 graduate of Arkansas owns a career record of 77-59 (.566) including a 23-18 (.561) mark in two seasons during her time with the Knights.
• The Knights are led on the floor by junior guard Kaitlin Peterson and grad student Mya Burns.
• Peterson, a product of Eufaula, Alabama, is averaging a team-high and career-best 19.3 points per game and 1.8 steals per game. She also paces UCF in three-point field goals made (31). Against Oklahoma State, Peterson tallied 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.
• Burns, a guard from North Augusta, South Carolina, is averaging 10.7 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Wildcats Off to Fast Start
• Kansas State has opened the season with a 14-1 overall record.
• This is the best start for K-State in the Jeff Mittie era through the first 15 games and the best start for the Cats since 2008-09.
• In program history, K-State has opened a season 14-1 five times.

Wildcats on the Road
• K-State has a 289-321 (.474) record in road games during the program's 56-year history.
• Since the 2000-01 season, K-State owns a 129-142 (.476) mark in road contests.
• In his career in games played on the road, head coach Jeff Mittie is 165-201 (.451) including a 40-64 (.385) mark during his time at K-State.
• With its win at Little Rock on Nov. 11, 2023, K-State snapped an 11-game road losing streak. This was tied for the longest road losing streak in program history.
• With its win at then second-ranked Iowa on Nov. 16, 2023, K-State secured its highest ranked road win in program history and ended a 14-game road losing streak against ranked opponents.
• In the 2022-23 season, the Wildcats suffered a 10-game road losing streak and went winless in true road games.
• When including its loss at North Carolina State to conclude the 2021-22 season, K-State owns an active road losing streak off 11 straight games. The 11 straight road losses tied the school record.

Wildcats' Defense Forges Identity
• K-State has continued to be a force on the defensive end during head coach Jeff Mittie's 10 seasons on the bench.
• In the 2023-24 season, K-State is holding opponents to 50.53 points per game and a field goal percentage of .314. The Wildcats lead the Big 12 and rank fifth in the nation for scoring defense, leads the Big 12 and is third in the nation for field goal percentage defense and leads the Big 12 and is third nationally for 3-point field goal percentage defense (.217).
• In the season-opener, K-State held Presbyterian to 35 points. This marked the fewest points allowed by the Wildcats since holding UT Martin to 30 points on November 12, 2021.
• During the last 21 seasons, K-State is 135-3 (.978) when holding an opponent to 49 points or less including a 54-0 mark in the Mittie era. During Mittie's tenure K-State has held 18 opponents to 40 or fewer points.
• The Wildcats held Iowa on Nov. 16 to 58 points, 34 points below its 2023-24 season average and their fewest points since 2019.

Block It & Pocket
• When combining blocks and steal totals in a single game, K-State is 32-1 over the last 16 seasons when achieving a combination of 20+ steals and blocks in the same game.
• K-State is 23-1 under head coach Jeff Mittie when achieving a combination of 20+ steals and blocks in the same game. This season, K-State has achieved this feat four times (vs. Presbyterian; vs. McNeese State; vs. Oral Roberts; vs. Houston).
• The Wildcats recorded a combination totalling 29 (18 steals/11 blocks) against Presbyterian on November 6, 2023. This was the highest total in the Mittie era.

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 166-81 (.672) including a 9-1 record this season.
• The Wildcats had a season-high four players reach double figures five times in a game.
• This season, the duo of Ayoka Lee and Gabby Gregory have scored in double figures in the same game four times including a combined 40 points against Oral Roberts on Dec. 18.
• The tandem of Jaelyn Glenn and Serena Sundell have scored in double figures in the same game 22 times since teaming up in Manhattan at the start of the 2021-22 season.
• In 2022-23, the Wildcats had a tandem of players combine for 50 or more points in a game three times. Since 1986-87, K-State has recorded 37 times in which a pair of teammates scored 50 or more points in a game, including five times in the same game.

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 125-58 (.683) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game.
• This season, K-State has 27 quarters with 20 or more points scored.
• The Wildcats scored a season-high 36 points in the third quarter against Missouri on Dec. 9. The 36 points tied the school record for points in any quarter (36, at Omaha, 12/8/21) and set the school record for points in a third quarter.
• Since the 2015-16 season, K-State has registered 294 quarters with 20 or more points with a high of 50 in the 2022-23 season.
• K-State registered five straight quarters of 20 points or more in the final two quarters against Presbyterian followed by the first three quarters at Little Rock.

Sundell Nears 1K Mark
• In addition to her distribution skills, guard Serena Sundell adds a scoring punch to the K-State lineup.
• During her career, Sundell has scored 992 points (11.8 ppg) and needs eight points to become the 45th player in school history to score 1,000 points in her career. She has tallied double figures in 52 career games.
• This season, Sundell is averaging 9.1 points on a career-high .524 field goal percentage. She registered a personal season-high 21 points against Western Kentucky on Nov. 24 and has scored in double figures in seven games.
• During the 2022-23 season, Sundell was second on the team and 12th in the Big 12 in scoring with 13.9 points per game on a career-best .489 field goal percentage. In Big 12 games, she averaged 15.11 points and ranked eighth in the league.
• Sundell recorded a personal career-high 501 points last season. She was the seventh player in program history to score 500 or more points in their sophomore season. Her total ranked tied for sixth for a sophomore season at K-State.
• In the 2022-23 season, the product of Maryville, Missouri, scored in double figures in 26 games including eight games with 20 or more points, which ranked tied for sixth in the Big 12 last season.
• At Oklahoma on March 1, Sundell carded a career-high 33 points on 11-of-17 shooting. She joined Gabby Gregory as the only Wildcats last season with 30 or more points in a game.
• Sundell earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career by leading the Big 12 in scoring (22.5) during the week of games on Feb. 20-26.
• Against Kansas on Feb. 22, Sundell registered the most unique stat line in the nation. According to Stats Perform, Sundell was the only player last season, one of four since 1999-00 and the only player in the Big 12 since 1999-00 to record 24 points on 80 percent shooting and also registering seven assists, five rebounds, four steals and one block.
• At Texas Tech on Feb. 5, Sundell scored 27 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and a career-best 16-of-18 effort from the foul line.
• Against Iowa on Nov. 17, Sundell registered 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting including 5-of-7 from the foul line.

Gregory Giveth
• Guard Gabby Gregory is known for her scoring ability, but has been a distributor of the rock during her time at K-State.
• In her K-State career, Gregory has handed out 131 assists (2.6 apg).
• This season, Gregory has handed out 60 assists (4.0 apg) and ranks eighth in the Big 12 for assists per game. She owns an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.07 which is ninth in the Big 12.
• In her career, she has dished out five or more assists eight times with five of those games coming this season. Against Houston on Jan. 3, Gregory handed out a career-high nine assists.
• During her first season with the Wildcats, Gregory dished out a career-high 71 assists.

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 .593 (792-of-1335) and ranks tied for second in program history for career field goal percentage. Among active NCAA career leaders for field goal percentage, Lee ranks 12th. Her career field goal percentage ranks fifth in Big 12 history.
• Lee is the fifth player in program history with 700 or more field goals made in a career and the first since Brittany Chambers (2009-13). Lee ranks third in school history for career field goals made. With eight made field goals, Lee would become the third player in school history with 800 or more made field goals.
• Lee owns 72 career games with a field goal percentage of .500 or better. She has made 10 or more field goals in a game 27 times in her career - a school record.
• This season, Lee is shooting a career-high .679 (127-of-187) from the field and leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth in the nation for field goal percentage. She has made five or more field goals in 14 games this season including a high of 15 against North Florida on Dec. 16.
• In the 2021-22 season, Lee shot .563 (296-of-526) from the field. Lee ranked 20th in the nation and led the Big 12 in field goal percentage. She was second in the nation in total field goals made (296) and ranked 17th for field goals attempted (526).
• Lee set a new school record for field goals made in a single season. She ranked fifth in school history for field goals attempted in a season. Her 526 field goals attempted were the most by a Wildcat since Brittany Chambers in the 2012-13 season.
• Against Oklahoma on Jan. 23, Lee set the Big 12 and K-State records for field goals made with 23. Of the 23 made field goals, 22 came inside the paint and needed only three total dribbles.
• According to HerHoopStats.com, Lee was the first player since at least the 2009-10 season to record a field goal percentage of 75.0 percent or better on 26 or more field goal attempts.
• Against Iowa State on Jan. 11, Lee made 18 field goals which was fourth in school history and tied for the fifth-most made field goals in Big 12 history in a single game.
• Lee has attempted a career-high 30 field goals twice. This was the fourth-most field goals attempted in a game in school history.

(11/12) K-State Treks to UCF for Saturday Afternoon Tip

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jaelyn Glenn

Gabby Gregory

Ayoka Lee

Serena Sundell

Zyanna Walker

Kansas State University Athletics