Continuing to Raise the Standard
Feb 24, 2025 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Serena Sundell and No. 12 Kansas State took care of business against Kansas 90-60 to sweep the Dillons Sunflower Showdown in front of a sellout crowd on Senior Day in Manhattan.
Now the Wildcats will try for at least one more victory this season at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State, 25-4 overall and 13-3, faces No. 19 Baylor, 24-5 and 14-2, at 6:00 p.m. Monday in a crucial matchup as the Wildcats look to catch the Big 12-leading Bears in the league race.
"Knowing we have a big one on Monday is exciting, and we're really still hopeful to host, so we're just going to try and keep winning," Sundell said. "It's a huge game. We still have all our goals in front of us. We need to get that win."
The Wildcats-Bears matchup will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Sundell had a school-record 15 assists while five players scored in double figures as the Wildcats bounced back from a 70-57 loss at No. 17 West Virginia to give their senior class one to remember against the Jayhawks on Saturday.
"Senior night's a little different than what it's been, you're seeing that across the country," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. "Some people are doing it earlier in the year. You don't want to get too reflective. There's so much work to do, right? We have so much basketball ahead of us. But what I'll just continue to say is, I've said this numerous times, this group has been really good to coach. They have continued to raise the standard in what's expected in the locker room, on the practice floor, and the expectations for the program."
K-State's Senior Day marked the return of senior center Ayoka Lee, who had missed the last month of action while recovering from a fractured foot. The school's all-time leader in points, rebounds and blocks, Lee had six points on 3-of-4 shooting and two rebounds in less than 5 minutes against the Jayhawks, playing the first couple minutes in the first and second quarters.
"It was more sore than we liked before the game, so we knew that we weren't going to go long," Mittie said. "(Prior to tipoff) I said five to 10 minutes. So that's what we were planning on. But it was sore at halftime, hopefully (Sunday) is better, and we're making that progress."
K-State has gone 90-42 in the past four years and its 51 victories over the past two seasons are the most since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons (54). K-State has also recorded consecutive seasons with 13 or more league victories for a second time in school history and the first time since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats' 17 game home-winning streak is tied for the second-longest at Bramlage, and their 33 home wins over the past two seasons are most at Bramlage over a two-season span in history.
K-State's sellout crowd of 11,010 on Saturday marked the largest regular-season K-State women's basketball crowd since against Connecticut on December 11, 2016.
"This was a great crowd," Mittie said. "Hope we have a huge crowd on Monday. It's a big game and important game for both teams. The crowds have been phenomenal. It's fitting for this group to have a crowd like this on Senior Day."
K-State at 13-3 sits one game behind Baylor (14-2) and No. 10 TCU (14-2) in the Big 12 standings with two games remaining in the regular season. After meeting Baylor, the Wildcats travel to Iowa State for their the regular-season finale on March 2.
"We just have to come in locked in," said K-State senior forward Temira Poindexter, who had 14 points against Kansas. "We know it's not going to be easy. (Baylor) is in the top of the conference, so we know we have to come back ready. This (Kansas) game was fun and all, but we have to put it behind us and get ready for the next one."
Baylor is currently the hottest team in the Big 12 in winning eight straight games, including a 67-52 victory over Iowa State on Saturday in Waco, Texas. The Bears are 7-2 on the road and 2-2 against Top 25 opponents this season.
After facing K-State, Baylor concludes its regular season against No. 10 TCU in Waco on March 2.
"(The Big 12) has been so good," Sundell said. "I say that every year, but maybe this year more than ever. No team is at one loss or zero losses. Everyone is going to drop some games. That's just how it goes. I said it two weeks ago, (the league race) is going to come down to the very last game, and we're excited about that."
Serena Sundell and No. 12 Kansas State took care of business against Kansas 90-60 to sweep the Dillons Sunflower Showdown in front of a sellout crowd on Senior Day in Manhattan.
Now the Wildcats will try for at least one more victory this season at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State, 25-4 overall and 13-3, faces No. 19 Baylor, 24-5 and 14-2, at 6:00 p.m. Monday in a crucial matchup as the Wildcats look to catch the Big 12-leading Bears in the league race.
"Knowing we have a big one on Monday is exciting, and we're really still hopeful to host, so we're just going to try and keep winning," Sundell said. "It's a huge game. We still have all our goals in front of us. We need to get that win."
The Wildcats-Bears matchup will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Sundell had a school-record 15 assists while five players scored in double figures as the Wildcats bounced back from a 70-57 loss at No. 17 West Virginia to give their senior class one to remember against the Jayhawks on Saturday.
"Senior night's a little different than what it's been, you're seeing that across the country," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. "Some people are doing it earlier in the year. You don't want to get too reflective. There's so much work to do, right? We have so much basketball ahead of us. But what I'll just continue to say is, I've said this numerous times, this group has been really good to coach. They have continued to raise the standard in what's expected in the locker room, on the practice floor, and the expectations for the program."
K-State's Senior Day marked the return of senior center Ayoka Lee, who had missed the last month of action while recovering from a fractured foot. The school's all-time leader in points, rebounds and blocks, Lee had six points on 3-of-4 shooting and two rebounds in less than 5 minutes against the Jayhawks, playing the first couple minutes in the first and second quarters.
"It was more sore than we liked before the game, so we knew that we weren't going to go long," Mittie said. "(Prior to tipoff) I said five to 10 minutes. So that's what we were planning on. But it was sore at halftime, hopefully (Sunday) is better, and we're making that progress."
K-State has gone 90-42 in the past four years and its 51 victories over the past two seasons are the most since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons (54). K-State has also recorded consecutive seasons with 13 or more league victories for a second time in school history and the first time since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats' 17 game home-winning streak is tied for the second-longest at Bramlage, and their 33 home wins over the past two seasons are most at Bramlage over a two-season span in history.
K-State's sellout crowd of 11,010 on Saturday marked the largest regular-season K-State women's basketball crowd since against Connecticut on December 11, 2016.
"This was a great crowd," Mittie said. "Hope we have a huge crowd on Monday. It's a big game and important game for both teams. The crowds have been phenomenal. It's fitting for this group to have a crowd like this on Senior Day."
K-State at 13-3 sits one game behind Baylor (14-2) and No. 10 TCU (14-2) in the Big 12 standings with two games remaining in the regular season. After meeting Baylor, the Wildcats travel to Iowa State for their the regular-season finale on March 2.
"We just have to come in locked in," said K-State senior forward Temira Poindexter, who had 14 points against Kansas. "We know it's not going to be easy. (Baylor) is in the top of the conference, so we know we have to come back ready. This (Kansas) game was fun and all, but we have to put it behind us and get ready for the next one."
Baylor is currently the hottest team in the Big 12 in winning eight straight games, including a 67-52 victory over Iowa State on Saturday in Waco, Texas. The Bears are 7-2 on the road and 2-2 against Top 25 opponents this season.
After facing K-State, Baylor concludes its regular season against No. 10 TCU in Waco on March 2.
"(The Big 12) has been so good," Sundell said. "I say that every year, but maybe this year more than ever. No team is at one loss or zero losses. Everyone is going to drop some games. That's just how it goes. I said it two weeks ago, (the league race) is going to come down to the very last game, and we're excited about that."
Players Mentioned
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