‘She Had That Look in Her Eye’
Feb 06, 2025 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The left hand swept across an unfurrowed brow now and again as thoughts danced and words drenched in humility escaped the mouth of Serena Sundell, less than an hour after the Kansas State star authored a shining senior storybook performance that enraptured a crazed crowd that witnessed her dominance in a 59-50 win against No. 9 TCU to capture sole possession of first place in the Big 12 Conference.
Sundell, so successful in peeling past and around and over defenders as she took over the game in the second half — she scored 23 of her 27 points in the final two quarters — couldn't quite juke the platitudes that came her way as she sat in the postgame interview room at Bramlage Coliseum.
Indeed, the performance of the All-America candidate was worthy of applause from those who know ball along with gushing admirers stopping in to watch a pair of top-15 teams play to a live house that breathed and rocked in the Flint Hills.
"Credit my teammates for keeping me in the game mentally," she said. "It was just one of those games where you had to stay the course."
The 6-foot-2 Sundell, who on Monday was named one of 10 point guards selected to the 2024-25 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award — an award that recognizes the top point guard in women's college basketball — scored 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting with six rebounds, four assists and one block in a team-high 38 minutes. She admitted that she was a little bit nervous at the start of this showdown against the Horned Frogs — she shot 2-for-8 in the first half, missing a few bunnies that normally roll into the hoop. Both K-State and TCU entered the game 21-2 overall and 9-1 in the Big 12.
"I was a little nervous," she said. "I think this is one of the games you have circled on the calendar. You saw it weeks ago that this was going to be a big game. I was a little bit nervous, obviously, missing some easy shots in that first half. Credit to my teammates. We got into the locker room, and they said, 'Serena, you have time. You're open. Those are easy shots.' So, I was good in the second half."
And how. With K-State trailing 25-19 at halftime, she went to work in the third quarter, scoring 15 points, and seemingly scored each basket in various ways. She entered the night leading the nation with 166 assists, yet this night found her at times playing the post, something K-State head coach Jeff Mittie believed she could do since her sophomore year, yet a tool that she hadn't so prevalently revealed again, again and again, until now, with All-American center Ayoka Lee still recovering from a foot surgery.
Sundell hit a 3-pointer. She scored a fastbreak layup. She hit a turnaround jumpshot. She hit a layup. And another layup. And she went to work with one of her best moves of the night coming when she encountered TCU guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu baseline, spun, hit a 15-foot fadeaway, drew the foul, and fell toward the K-State bench, where she was mobbed by celebrating teammates. Her 3-point play made it 41-36 with 62 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
"She lived at the rim," TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. "She's a unique basketball player. They kind of use her as a one-through-four. They use her as a point guard. Today in the second half, they used her as a center. She absolutely destroyed us in the post. She just shot layups and layups and layups. That's what makes her unique is she's a 6-2 versatile playmaker, and today she did it around the rim. She had 23 in the second half. She had a heck of a game. She really did.
"We didn't have an answer for that one."
Here's what Mittie saw: "She had that look in her eye that she wanted the ball."
Sundell wouldn't let K-State lose.
"Serena just does it all for our team," said senior guard Jaeyln Glenn, who had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added four rebounds and four steals. "We just tried to give her the ball every chance we got while she's hot and making great moves."
The great moves weren't limited to her scoring touch. Several times, TCU had to decide whether to double-team Sundell inside, which in turn would risk leaving open a perimeter scorer. Sundell burnt the Horned Frogs two key times in such a situation. First, she found Gisela Sanchez for a 3-pointer to give K-State a 48-46 lead with 6:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Then she fired a pass to Temira Poindexter for a 3-pointer and a 55-50 lead with 3:39 left to go.
"It is really fun to score in the post. I will not lie," Sundell said. "But it's also a lot of fun to pass out and have them shoot wide-open 3s and knock them down. That's just a tough spot for a defense to be in."
After the assist to Poindexter, Sundell scored the final four points of the game.
"I thought we did a decent job on her in the first half, and she weathered our storm and didn't go away from what she's good at," TCU graduate point guard Hailey Van Lith said. "When she's 6-2 and we have a guard guarding her, it's tough, and she made shots. And she also can pass, so you can't blitz her too often. She had a great game."
Yes, it was a great game in a line of notable performances. Prior to tipoff, Mittie presented her with a commemorative basketball for scoring her 1,500th career point — just one in a line of honors that she has earned in her career. She is the only player in school history with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 50 blocks. She is 10th on the all-time scoring list with 1,592 points. She is second all-time with 719 assists.
After last week's home game against Iowa State, Bill Fennelly said, "I'm a huge Serena fan. I could be the president of her fan club. If I was voting tonight, I think she's the player of the year in our league."
She swept her hand across her brow when asked about being considered one of the best players in the country. She concluded, "Credit to the people around me for helping me have this career I've had so far."
The best news? Her career isn't over.
"She's just a winner," Mittie said.
There are still seven games left in the Big 12 schedule. More games left to win.
And today, K-State sits alone in first place.
The left hand swept across an unfurrowed brow now and again as thoughts danced and words drenched in humility escaped the mouth of Serena Sundell, less than an hour after the Kansas State star authored a shining senior storybook performance that enraptured a crazed crowd that witnessed her dominance in a 59-50 win against No. 9 TCU to capture sole possession of first place in the Big 12 Conference.
Sundell, so successful in peeling past and around and over defenders as she took over the game in the second half — she scored 23 of her 27 points in the final two quarters — couldn't quite juke the platitudes that came her way as she sat in the postgame interview room at Bramlage Coliseum.
Indeed, the performance of the All-America candidate was worthy of applause from those who know ball along with gushing admirers stopping in to watch a pair of top-15 teams play to a live house that breathed and rocked in the Flint Hills.
"Credit my teammates for keeping me in the game mentally," she said. "It was just one of those games where you had to stay the course."
The 6-foot-2 Sundell, who on Monday was named one of 10 point guards selected to the 2024-25 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award — an award that recognizes the top point guard in women's college basketball — scored 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting with six rebounds, four assists and one block in a team-high 38 minutes. She admitted that she was a little bit nervous at the start of this showdown against the Horned Frogs — she shot 2-for-8 in the first half, missing a few bunnies that normally roll into the hoop. Both K-State and TCU entered the game 21-2 overall and 9-1 in the Big 12.
"I was a little nervous," she said. "I think this is one of the games you have circled on the calendar. You saw it weeks ago that this was going to be a big game. I was a little bit nervous, obviously, missing some easy shots in that first half. Credit to my teammates. We got into the locker room, and they said, 'Serena, you have time. You're open. Those are easy shots.' So, I was good in the second half."
And how. With K-State trailing 25-19 at halftime, she went to work in the third quarter, scoring 15 points, and seemingly scored each basket in various ways. She entered the night leading the nation with 166 assists, yet this night found her at times playing the post, something K-State head coach Jeff Mittie believed she could do since her sophomore year, yet a tool that she hadn't so prevalently revealed again, again and again, until now, with All-American center Ayoka Lee still recovering from a foot surgery.
Sundell hit a 3-pointer. She scored a fastbreak layup. She hit a turnaround jumpshot. She hit a layup. And another layup. And she went to work with one of her best moves of the night coming when she encountered TCU guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu baseline, spun, hit a 15-foot fadeaway, drew the foul, and fell toward the K-State bench, where she was mobbed by celebrating teammates. Her 3-point play made it 41-36 with 62 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
"She lived at the rim," TCU head coach Mark Campbell said. "She's a unique basketball player. They kind of use her as a one-through-four. They use her as a point guard. Today in the second half, they used her as a center. She absolutely destroyed us in the post. She just shot layups and layups and layups. That's what makes her unique is she's a 6-2 versatile playmaker, and today she did it around the rim. She had 23 in the second half. She had a heck of a game. She really did.
"We didn't have an answer for that one."
Here's what Mittie saw: "She had that look in her eye that she wanted the ball."
Sundell wouldn't let K-State lose.
"Serena just does it all for our team," said senior guard Jaeyln Glenn, who had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added four rebounds and four steals. "We just tried to give her the ball every chance we got while she's hot and making great moves."
The great moves weren't limited to her scoring touch. Several times, TCU had to decide whether to double-team Sundell inside, which in turn would risk leaving open a perimeter scorer. Sundell burnt the Horned Frogs two key times in such a situation. First, she found Gisela Sanchez for a 3-pointer to give K-State a 48-46 lead with 6:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Then she fired a pass to Temira Poindexter for a 3-pointer and a 55-50 lead with 3:39 left to go.
"It is really fun to score in the post. I will not lie," Sundell said. "But it's also a lot of fun to pass out and have them shoot wide-open 3s and knock them down. That's just a tough spot for a defense to be in."
After the assist to Poindexter, Sundell scored the final four points of the game.
"I thought we did a decent job on her in the first half, and she weathered our storm and didn't go away from what she's good at," TCU graduate point guard Hailey Van Lith said. "When she's 6-2 and we have a guard guarding her, it's tough, and she made shots. And she also can pass, so you can't blitz her too often. She had a great game."
Yes, it was a great game in a line of notable performances. Prior to tipoff, Mittie presented her with a commemorative basketball for scoring her 1,500th career point — just one in a line of honors that she has earned in her career. She is the only player in school history with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 50 blocks. She is 10th on the all-time scoring list with 1,592 points. She is second all-time with 719 assists.
After last week's home game against Iowa State, Bill Fennelly said, "I'm a huge Serena fan. I could be the president of her fan club. If I was voting tonight, I think she's the player of the year in our league."
She swept her hand across her brow when asked about being considered one of the best players in the country. She concluded, "Credit to the people around me for helping me have this career I've had so far."
The best news? Her career isn't over.
"She's just a winner," Mittie said.
There are still seven games left in the Big 12 schedule. More games left to win.
And today, K-State sits alone in first place.
Players Mentioned
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