Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, November 28
Cancun, Mexico
10 a.m.
Kansas State University
5-4,0-0Big 12
73
vs
85
(12/10) North Carolina
7-1,0-0ACC
1
2
3
4
F
Kansas St.
15
17
19
22
73
North Carolina
22
28
20
15
85
K-State Unable to Rally Against (12/10) North Carolina
Nov 28, 2025 | Women's Basketball
CANCUN, Mexico – K-State's attempt at second half rally against (12/10) North Carolina on Friday fell shy, as the Tar Heels used a hot shooting first half to hold back the Wildcats, 85-73, in the Mayan Division of the 2025 Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya.
K-State (5-4) saw four players reach double figures on Friday, led by sophomore guard Izela Arenas with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting including 2-of-3 from long range.
Sophomore forward Jenessa Cotton registered her first career double-double with 13 points on 6-of-9 and 10 rebounds.
Junior forward Nastja Claessens tallied 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, while junior guard Taryn Sides added 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting including 2-of-2 from long distance, two assists and three steals.
North Carolina (7-1) also had four players in double figures including a pair of bench players in Nyla Brooks and Nyla Harris with 14 points each to pace a bench effort of 35 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Wildcats rolled over its hot shooting from 3-point range from Thursday's win over Columbia into the first quarter on Friday, shooting 75.0 percent (3-of-4) to stake themselves to a 15-12 lead with 3:22 remaining in the opening quarter.
- North Carolina ended the first stanza with a 10-0 run to build a 22-15 lead at the end of the quarter. The Tar Heels shot 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the field in the first quarter including 6-of-7 to end the frame.
- Sides knocked down her first 3-point attempt of the day to bring the Wildcats to within five, 25-20, with 8:01 to play in the second quarter.
- North Carolina would build an 18-point lead at halftime, 50-32. The Tar Heels shot 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the field in the second quarter and outscored the Wildcats, 28-17, in the frame.
- The 50 first half points allowed by the Wildcats were the most surrendered in an opening half since at least the 2017-18 season.
- K-State shot 52.0 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the first half, but were hampered by 10 turnovers including seven in the second quarter.
- In the third quarter, the Wildcats closed to within 15, 55-40, early in the third quarter but the Tar Heels would answer each K-State score and keep the margin at 19, 70-51, entering the fourth quarter.
- A Sides three-pointer, a Cotton free throw and a Claessens backdoor layup brought the Wildcats to within 13, 70-57, with 8:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
- A 9-1 run by North Carolina jumped the lead back to 21, 79-58, with five minutes remaining in the final frame.
- K-State would step on the accelerator in its comeback bid, outscoring the Tar Heels in the final five minutes, 17-6, to narrow the game to its final margin.
- The Wildcats shot a season-high for a quarter at 77.8 percent (7-of-9) from the field in the fourth to win the frame, 22-15.
- For the game, K-State shot 56.3 percent (27-of-48) from the field including 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from 3-point range. The Wildcats were hindered by a 50.0 percent (12-of-24) effort from the foul line.
QUICK FACTS
- North Carolina leads the series with K-State, 2-1. This was the third game in the series played at a neutral site. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 1-2 in his career against North Carolina. The Wildcats are 10-16 against members of the ACC.
- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 677-382 (.639), including a mark of 223-147 (.603).
- The Wildcats are 3-9 all-time in games played in Mexico, including a 2-9 mark in games played in Cancun. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 6-7 in his career in games played in Mexico, including a 3-3 mark at the helm of the Wildcats.
- The Wildcats are 171-59 (.743) in games played in the month of November. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 57-16 (.781) in games during the 11th month. K-State has now ended the month of November with a winning record in 15 consecutive seasons and 46 times in its 58 seasons.
- K-State is 95-249 (.276) against teams ranked in the Associated Press (AP) poll. Under Mittie, the Wildcats are 23-72 (.242) against AP ranked foes.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod, Taryn Sides and forwards Jenessa Cotton and Nastja Claessens. This was the second time this lineup has started together this season. This was the ninth career start for Harrod. This was the eighth career start for Sides. This was the seventh career start for Garcia. Claessens made her fifth career start.
- Since the 2014-15 season, K-State is 135-24 (.843) when scoring 70 or more points in a game.
- Since the 2011-12 season, the Wildcats are 204-90 (.694) when three or more players score in double figures in the same game. K-State is 4-3 this season when three or more players score 10 or more points in a game.
- Since the start of the quarter system in 2015-16, K-State is 164-68 (.707) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game. K-State has 16 quarters this season with 20 or more points scored.
- Since the 2014-15 season, the Wildcats are 58-7 (.892) when shooting 50.0 percent or better in a game. The Wildcats shot 50.0 percent or better in all four quarters on Friday and have shot 50.0 percent or better in seven of its eight quarters in the Cancun Challenge. K-State has 15 quarters this season with an effort of 50.0 percent or better which includes a season-high of 77.8 percent in the fourth quarter on Friday.
- K-State scored 26 points from its bench. The Wildcats have received 20 or more points from its bench in eight games this season.
PLAYER NOTES
- Claessens achieved double figures in scoring for the fourth time this season and third straight game.
- Arenas registered her fourth game this season and the ninth of her career with 10 or more points.
- Arenas made two 3-pointers on Friday. This was her eighth career game and her third this season with two or more connections from beyond the arc.
- Jenessa Cotton hauled in 10 rebounds on Friday. This was her first career game with 10 or more rebounds. This was her fourth game this season with five or more rebounds.
- Sides reached double figures for the 23rd time in her career and the fifth time this season.
- Sides buried two 3-pointers on Friday. This was her sixth game this season and the 36th of her career with two or more connections from 3-point range.
- Jordan Speiser knocked down two 3-pointers on Friday. This was her fourth career game with two or more connections from long range.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Jeff Mittie
On the facing a ranked opponent for the first time this season...
"I thought we battled all day long. I think that early, they really hit some shots. And I don't think it was as much about us as it was about them. They just really hit a lot of shots. Now, I thought our group battled, and I thought we were doing enough good things that if we kind of got them slowed down a little bit, we could get back in the game, and that's the way it turned out in the second half."
On the offensive rhythm today...
"I saw a lot of good passes today. I saw a lot of unselfish play, and we hadn't been seeing that. Shot decision has been a problem for us, and we saw people the last two days turn down shots to get somebody a better shot. So I do think those things are becoming contagious. I think just like bad shots get contagious, good ball movement gets contagious. So hopefully we're getting the message, and certainly from a staff perspective, we're seeing a lot better basketball than we were a week or two ago."
On the Jenessa Cotton's double-double today...
"We've said all along, Jenessa just needs to get minutes. You know, she is coming off the injury from last season. A year ago, played in like the first six games with Duke, but then had the back injury, and then had to sit out all summer, so she just needs to get on the floor and get minutes. I think her conditioning has improved. Her urgency has improved. She's a talented player, and you're starting to see some of that. Her effort is getting better, but it's not so much effort. I think she's seeing things so much better than she was, just because of more minutes in the game."
On Izela Arenas' second straight game in double figures…
"I think same thing as Jenessa. I think same thing in that she's getting comfortable with the calls that were giving her. I think she's making better shot decisions. She's playing with a better pace. Yeah, all of the above. And she's another one. We've said all along that, we've got a relatively young group that needs to have minutes on the floor, not just individually, but together. And you know, we're going to get to the end of this tournament, and we're going to have as many games as anybody in the country. We need more practices, but we're going to have as much game experience as anybody in the country."
UP NEXT
K-State completes action in the Cancun Challenge on Saturday morning, as the Wildcats will face South Dakota State at 10 a.m. (CT).
The game will be streamed live on FloCollege (subscription required) and can be heard online at kstatesports.com, on the K-State Sports app and the flagship station of K-State women's basketball in Manhattan, Sunny 102.5.
K-State (5-4) saw four players reach double figures on Friday, led by sophomore guard Izela Arenas with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting including 2-of-3 from long range.
Sophomore forward Jenessa Cotton registered her first career double-double with 13 points on 6-of-9 and 10 rebounds.
Junior forward Nastja Claessens tallied 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, while junior guard Taryn Sides added 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting including 2-of-2 from long distance, two assists and three steals.
North Carolina (7-1) also had four players in double figures including a pair of bench players in Nyla Brooks and Nyla Harris with 14 points each to pace a bench effort of 35 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Wildcats rolled over its hot shooting from 3-point range from Thursday's win over Columbia into the first quarter on Friday, shooting 75.0 percent (3-of-4) to stake themselves to a 15-12 lead with 3:22 remaining in the opening quarter.
- North Carolina ended the first stanza with a 10-0 run to build a 22-15 lead at the end of the quarter. The Tar Heels shot 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the field in the first quarter including 6-of-7 to end the frame.
- Sides knocked down her first 3-point attempt of the day to bring the Wildcats to within five, 25-20, with 8:01 to play in the second quarter.
- North Carolina would build an 18-point lead at halftime, 50-32. The Tar Heels shot 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the field in the second quarter and outscored the Wildcats, 28-17, in the frame.
- The 50 first half points allowed by the Wildcats were the most surrendered in an opening half since at least the 2017-18 season.
- K-State shot 52.0 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the first half, but were hampered by 10 turnovers including seven in the second quarter.
- In the third quarter, the Wildcats closed to within 15, 55-40, early in the third quarter but the Tar Heels would answer each K-State score and keep the margin at 19, 70-51, entering the fourth quarter.
- A Sides three-pointer, a Cotton free throw and a Claessens backdoor layup brought the Wildcats to within 13, 70-57, with 8:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
- A 9-1 run by North Carolina jumped the lead back to 21, 79-58, with five minutes remaining in the final frame.
- K-State would step on the accelerator in its comeback bid, outscoring the Tar Heels in the final five minutes, 17-6, to narrow the game to its final margin.
- The Wildcats shot a season-high for a quarter at 77.8 percent (7-of-9) from the field in the fourth to win the frame, 22-15.
- For the game, K-State shot 56.3 percent (27-of-48) from the field including 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from 3-point range. The Wildcats were hindered by a 50.0 percent (12-of-24) effort from the foul line.
QUICK FACTS
- North Carolina leads the series with K-State, 2-1. This was the third game in the series played at a neutral site. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 1-2 in his career against North Carolina. The Wildcats are 10-16 against members of the ACC.
- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 677-382 (.639), including a mark of 223-147 (.603).
- The Wildcats are 3-9 all-time in games played in Mexico, including a 2-9 mark in games played in Cancun. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 6-7 in his career in games played in Mexico, including a 3-3 mark at the helm of the Wildcats.
- The Wildcats are 171-59 (.743) in games played in the month of November. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 57-16 (.781) in games during the 11th month. K-State has now ended the month of November with a winning record in 15 consecutive seasons and 46 times in its 58 seasons.
- K-State is 95-249 (.276) against teams ranked in the Associated Press (AP) poll. Under Mittie, the Wildcats are 23-72 (.242) against AP ranked foes.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod, Taryn Sides and forwards Jenessa Cotton and Nastja Claessens. This was the second time this lineup has started together this season. This was the ninth career start for Harrod. This was the eighth career start for Sides. This was the seventh career start for Garcia. Claessens made her fifth career start.
- Since the 2014-15 season, K-State is 135-24 (.843) when scoring 70 or more points in a game.
- Since the 2011-12 season, the Wildcats are 204-90 (.694) when three or more players score in double figures in the same game. K-State is 4-3 this season when three or more players score 10 or more points in a game.
- Since the start of the quarter system in 2015-16, K-State is 164-68 (.707) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game. K-State has 16 quarters this season with 20 or more points scored.
- Since the 2014-15 season, the Wildcats are 58-7 (.892) when shooting 50.0 percent or better in a game. The Wildcats shot 50.0 percent or better in all four quarters on Friday and have shot 50.0 percent or better in seven of its eight quarters in the Cancun Challenge. K-State has 15 quarters this season with an effort of 50.0 percent or better which includes a season-high of 77.8 percent in the fourth quarter on Friday.
- K-State scored 26 points from its bench. The Wildcats have received 20 or more points from its bench in eight games this season.
PLAYER NOTES
- Claessens achieved double figures in scoring for the fourth time this season and third straight game.
- Arenas registered her fourth game this season and the ninth of her career with 10 or more points.
- Arenas made two 3-pointers on Friday. This was her eighth career game and her third this season with two or more connections from beyond the arc.
- Jenessa Cotton hauled in 10 rebounds on Friday. This was her first career game with 10 or more rebounds. This was her fourth game this season with five or more rebounds.
- Sides reached double figures for the 23rd time in her career and the fifth time this season.
- Sides buried two 3-pointers on Friday. This was her sixth game this season and the 36th of her career with two or more connections from 3-point range.
- Jordan Speiser knocked down two 3-pointers on Friday. This was her fourth career game with two or more connections from long range.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Jeff Mittie
On the facing a ranked opponent for the first time this season...
"I thought we battled all day long. I think that early, they really hit some shots. And I don't think it was as much about us as it was about them. They just really hit a lot of shots. Now, I thought our group battled, and I thought we were doing enough good things that if we kind of got them slowed down a little bit, we could get back in the game, and that's the way it turned out in the second half."
On the offensive rhythm today...
"I saw a lot of good passes today. I saw a lot of unselfish play, and we hadn't been seeing that. Shot decision has been a problem for us, and we saw people the last two days turn down shots to get somebody a better shot. So I do think those things are becoming contagious. I think just like bad shots get contagious, good ball movement gets contagious. So hopefully we're getting the message, and certainly from a staff perspective, we're seeing a lot better basketball than we were a week or two ago."
On the Jenessa Cotton's double-double today...
"We've said all along, Jenessa just needs to get minutes. You know, she is coming off the injury from last season. A year ago, played in like the first six games with Duke, but then had the back injury, and then had to sit out all summer, so she just needs to get on the floor and get minutes. I think her conditioning has improved. Her urgency has improved. She's a talented player, and you're starting to see some of that. Her effort is getting better, but it's not so much effort. I think she's seeing things so much better than she was, just because of more minutes in the game."
On Izela Arenas' second straight game in double figures…
"I think same thing as Jenessa. I think same thing in that she's getting comfortable with the calls that were giving her. I think she's making better shot decisions. She's playing with a better pace. Yeah, all of the above. And she's another one. We've said all along that, we've got a relatively young group that needs to have minutes on the floor, not just individually, but together. And you know, we're going to get to the end of this tournament, and we're going to have as many games as anybody in the country. We need more practices, but we're going to have as much game experience as anybody in the country."
UP NEXT
K-State completes action in the Cancun Challenge on Saturday morning, as the Wildcats will face South Dakota State at 10 a.m. (CT).
The game will be streamed live on FloCollege (subscription required) and can be heard online at kstatesports.com, on the K-State Sports app and the flagship station of K-State women's basketball in Manhattan, Sunny 102.5.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Women's Basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
KState
UNC
FG%
.563
.545
3FG%
.538
.538
FT%
.500
.647
RB
27
26
TO
17
13
STL
4
10
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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