Tuesday, February 10
Manhattan, Kan.
6:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
14-12,7-6Big 12
70
vs
61
Oklahoma State
19-7,8-5Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
Oklahoma St.
9
9
27
16
61
Kansas St.
18
11
23
18
70
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
Photo by: Will Huster Photography
K-State Fends Off Oklahoma State
Feb 10, 2026 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State led for over 39 minutes and held off a furious second half Oklahoma State rally to secure a 70-61 win on Tuesday night at Bramlage Coliseum. The win marks K-State's first consecutive home wins since the beginning of November.
K-State (14-12, 7-6 Big 12) was led by junior forward Nastja Claessens with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Senior Tess Heal added 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and five rebounds.
The freshmen combination of Gina Garcia, Aniya Foy and Brandie Harrod contributed to the attack. Garcia tallied nine points, a career-high tying nine assists and three steals. Foy came off the bench to pull in a career-high eight rebounds, while Harrod added nine points and six rebounds.
Oklahoma State (19-7, 8-5) was led by Amari Whiting and Micah Gray with 16 points each. Whiting carded nine rebounds and five steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Wildcats won the opening quarter, 18-9, by holding the Cowgirls to 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from the field.
- K-State would hold Oklahoma State to 18.2 percent (2-of-11) shooting from the field in the second frame and not allow a made field goal by the Cowgirls for the final 9:12 of the quarter. The Wildcats kept Oklahoma State scoreless for the final 3:47 of the stanza to build a 29-18 lead.
- The 18 first half points were the second-fewest points K-State has allowed in a first half this season, trailing the nine points K-State allowed to Omaha on Nov. 3, 2025.
- Oklahoma State would capture a high-scoring third quarter, 27-23, as they shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13). K-State shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the floor in the frame on its way to its 23 points. The Wildcats would enter the final quarter with a 52-45 advantage.
- Combined with two free throws at the end of the third quarter, Oklahoma State used a 9-0 run to tie the game at 52 with 8:02 remaining in the fourth quarter.
- Following a K-State timeout with 8:02 to play, the Wildcats used a 9-2 run over a five and a half minute stretch to hold a 61-54 lead and force a Cowgirls timeout with 2:36 remaining following a Claessens layup.
- A Gray layup brought the Cowgirls to within five, 61-56, with 2:22 remaining. Claessens answered with a layup. The Wildcats got a defensive stop and Heal responded by burying a corner three-pointer with 1:29 to push the K-State lead to 10, 66-56. K-State salted the game away with free throws.
- K-State shot 75.0 percent (6-of-8) from the field in the fourth quarter. For the night, the Wildcats registered a 49.0 percent (25-of-51) effort from the floor, including 50.0 percent (4-of-8) from beyond the arc.
QUICK FACTS
- K-State leads the series, 44-38. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 16-13 in his career against Oklahoma State. The Wildcats are 25-11 in games played in Manhattan.
- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 685-390 (.638), including a mark of 232-155 (.599).
- In its 30th season of play in the Big 12, K-State owns a record of 252-253 (.499) in Big 12 action.
- K-State is 420-163 (.720) in its 38th-season inside Bramlage Coliseum, including a 150-55 (.732) record under Mittie.
- The Wildcats are 240-204 (.541) in games played in the month of February. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 43-45 (.489) in games during the second month.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod, Tess Heal, and Taryn Sides and forward Nastja Claessens. This was the third time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 25th career start for Sides. This was the 24th career start for Garcia. Heal made her 13th start this season and her 87th career start. Claessens made her 22nd career start. This was the Harrod's 22nd career start.
- The Wildcats held a 29-18 lead at halftime on Tuesday. Under Mittie, K-State is 184-22 (.893) when leading at halftime, including an 8-1 mark this season.
- This was the 15th time (10-5) this season K-State has scored 70 or more points in a game. Since the 2014-15 season, K-State is 141-25 (.849) when scoring 70 or more points in a game.
- K-State owns a record of 122-31 (.797) when holding an opponent to single digits in any quarter in a game, including an 8-2 record this season. The Wildcats held Oklahoma State to nine points in the first and second quarters on Tuesday. These were the 12th and 13th quarters this season holding an opponent to single digits in a quarter.
- Since the start of the quarter-system in women's college basketball in the 2015-16 season, K-State is 172-72 (.705) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game, including a 12-7 mark this season. The Wildcats have 34 quarters this season with 20 or more points scored.
- This season, K-State owns 37 quarters with an effort of 50.0 percent or better shooting from the field, including the third (62.5) and fourth (75.0) quarters on Tuesday.
- K-State carded a 42-34 advantage in points off in the paint. The Wildcats have had the edge in the paint in 14 games and have tallied 30 or more points in the paint in 14 games.
PLAYER NOTES
- Heal reached double figures for the 87th time in her career, including her 13th time this season. Heal's collegiate career point total now stands at 1,705 points. She is one of 11 active NCAA Division I players with 1,700 or more career points, 400 or more career rebounds and 300 or more career assists.
- Heal hauled in five rebounds on Tuesday. This was her 38th career game, including her ninth this season with five or more rebounds.
- Claessens reached double figures in scoring for the 14th time this season.
- Claessens collected two steals. This marked her eighth game this season with two or more steals.
- Garcia handed tied her career-high with nine assists on Tuesday. This was her 13th game this season with five or more assists. She is the first K-State freshman to hand out nine or more assists in a game since Sides on Dec. 18, 2023. Garcia has dished out 124 assists this season, which is seventh in program history by a freshman.
- Sides dished out two assists. She remains in 18th on the K-State career assists list with 290 assists.
- Sides pocketed two steals on Tuesday. This was her 25th career game, including her 13th this season, with two or more steals.
- Brandie Harrod pulled in six rebounds, including four offensive boards. This was her 16th career game with five or more rebounds. She ranks third in program history for offensive rebounds in a freshman season with 63.
- Aniya Foy registered a career-high eight rebounds on Tuesday. This was her third career game with five or more rebounds.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Jeff Mittie
On handling defensive efforts…
"I thought certainly early, we handled [Oklahoma State] really well, but we sustained it. They had one run, but you know, they're going to make the run, and the run came differently. They really pounded us off the dribble in that stretch and got inside against us, but really proud of our team. I thought we had a lot of really good efforts. I thought Brandie Harrod was fantastic defensively. I thought [Nastja] Claessens was great. Jordan Speiser off the bench–I thought that was her best defensive half. Aniya Foy made a big difference tonight. We had some foul trouble. So, you know, you've got [Taryn] Sides and Nastja on the bench. So we had to have some players come in the game and really play well and they did."
On improvement over consecutive wins…
"I think they've improved over the last couple of weeks. It was a good road victory at Arizona State. We had a tough one at Arizona, but let's give Arizona credit. They played really well that night, and we did not answer it very well. We came off the road and I thought we had good practices, I thought we had good preparation, and we've played well over the last couple of games but I've been really pleased with our defense. Our defense has been much better. I think we're playing tougher and I think we're playing more physically than we were. Offensively tonight, I thought we played with pretty good poise."
On their response to Oklahoma State's 12-2 run in the second half…
"We had a variety of players step up. We had good execution coming out of the timeout with the back door play. The staff did a great job with that. They saw that availability and thought that would be a good action. I think that relaxed everybody. But you saw Gina Garcia play well in that stretch off of the ball screen action. She got to the rim. I just thought we had a lot of players step up in that stretch. Tess [Heal] gets a big three from the corner. It wasn't just one player doing something. Gina Garcia had a great drop off pass to [Nastja] Claessens in that stretch. Nastja had a great drive in that stretch. So I think we have more options than we did a month ago, and our execution was pretty good."
On Brandie Harrod's health status…
"I don't know, I heard she was cramping. She got banged up the whole game. She hurt her hip at one point. The official thought she got hit in the chest, but then our staff told me it was cramping, so it might be her whole body. She played her butt off tonight. We have tomorrow off, so hopefully she'll recover–she's tough. The kid plays hard on the floor all the time. I don't think it's anything too serious. Her hip would be the one I'd guess that's new. So I'll just have to get with the trainer."
On the team's development over the course of the season…
"Well, it certainly hasn't been a straight line of improvement. It's been hills and valleys–two steps forward and two steps back at times, maybe we've gotten over the hump. It feels different. Feels more connected, it feels tougher, and it feels deeper than one or two players playing well. This is a good win for us against a quality team. It's the two best defensive efforts we've put together back to back, so I'm pleased about that. Offensively, I've said a couple different ways, I think more balance is giving us more options right now."
On Oklahoma State coming out more physically in the second half…
"I thought Oklahoma State certainly had the momentum in that stretch. They were the more aggressive team. We were on our heels offensively and then defensively as well. I thought we regrouped out of the timeout. I thought we made some really tough plays in the next three to four minutes, from the seven-minute mark down to the four-minute mark. I thought we made tough plays in that stretch, so I loved the response."
On how they can build a postseason resume over the next couple of weeks…
"Well, there's opportunities. We face some really good teams here down the stretch. We've got Iowa State twice, so I hadn't looked that far ahead, but I know we've got some good, quality teams down the stretch. That wouldn't be our focus area. Honestly, we haven't really talked about it, we're just trying to get better, compete better, play together better, and have good practices. In this league and in this year, the Big 12 has a lot of parity, has a lot of balance, and there's going to be some opportunities here in the next two weeks to do exactly what you said, have some big wins."
On Aniya Foy's performance…
"I appreciate that question, because Aniya [Foy] was a key in this one. When you've got Taryn [Sides], and you've got [Nastja] Claessens sitting on the bench with five to go in the second [quarter] and we actually extend the lead–that's hard to do, and she's out there having to guard some really talented players that are three to four years older than her that have a lot more experience. I thought she played extremely hard, eight rebounds flying around that way. I thought she had a big impact on the game. Even in the second half, when Nastja picks up that third [foul], she's a key player that we needed to go to. Also, because they went super small, they were trying to really spread the floor out there. We were able to match their lineup better, all because of how well she played. I don't know that Aniya could have impacted the game a month ago without scoring. In the last couple of games, she's impacted it in other ways, and that is individual growth because that wouldn't have been something that she could have done a month ago."
Oklahoma State Head Coach Jacie Hoyt
Opening Statement…
"Yeah, not a great first half for us at all. I didn't think we came out as hungry or as focused as we needed to be to win in a tough environment like this. I think that Kansas State is a really good team, and I think that they have been inconsistent, but when they're good, they're really good, and we got the good version of them tonight, and I thought that our team had a lot of fight in that second half, but I think kind of the story for us is we're still trying to put it together for 40 minutes, and we just simply did not do that tonight."
On the biggest defensive impediment…
"Impediment. I think they're really long and they're hard to score against, just in general, because of their length. I think Harrod gives them a great look. She's able to switch things and stuff like that. But I also think we were not very good in that first half of moving the ball, we were just really stagnant. And I think anyone could have guarded us because of our lack of ball movement, but they have great length and do a good job with that."
On Nastja Claessens….
"I feel like she's just really poised. She has a maturity to her that is unique, obviously, as a ball player. She's super versatile. She's long, she can shoot, she can go inside and post, she's smart, but I think overall, just her poise and composure is something that their young team probably needs a lot of, and I think she's really good with that."
On K-State's shooting ability…
"Yeah, just an emphasis on it, they're a great three-point shooting team, they can get really hot. I think we normally are too. I don't want to say they live and die by it, or we live and die by it, but it's really important to both of us, and so that was just a big emphasis for us to try and defend the three-point line the best we could in the third quarter."
On why they switched to a zone defense…
"We just couldn't stop them. And man, needed to make a change. And our kids did a really good job with that. They had Sides in foul trouble. So she was a shooter that was on the bench, and just felt like that was the best move. And our kids did really well with that"
On Amari Whiting's play…
"Yeah, I think Amari's, just, she plays with so much heart, especially on the defensive end. And she really showed that. Though she was really aggressive in transition, which was great. But really, just overall, her aggressiveness on both ends of the floor"
On their ability to bounce back compared to other seasons…
"I think it's the same. We haven't lost two in a row. And that always can be a little bit because of scheduling too. Some of it could just be luck, but this is a team that you know is hungry. They want to win. They have really high expectations for themselves, so I think that it's just a result of a group of players that want to win as much as possible."
FROM THE FLOOR
K-State Junior Forward Nastja Claessens
On holding Oklahoma State to their lowest point total of the season…
"I think they're one of the top three-point shooters in the league, and they make a lot of threes, so Coach Mittie made it really clear that we have to be there to contest their threes, and I think we did a really great job in the first half. I don't know if they made a three in the second half, I have to look, but I think we did really well against their threes. At the end, they made some but I think that was the most important part, also getting back in and transition defense was crucial in this game, and I think we did a really good job in that."
On getting points down low…
"I think it's just reading the defense, to be honest, reading how they play. Sometimes they helped a lot on Gina, which made me have the open pass and the open look. And yeah, I think just reading an offense was the key to this game."
On Gina Garcia…
"I think she is an amazing player. She reads so well. She's such a good point guard. She really reads the defensive plays for the team, but then also can make the right looks for herself at the right moment. I really don't have anything bad to say about her. I love playing with her. I really do."
K-State Senior Guard Tess Heal
On the late run in the 4th quarter…
"Yeah, I was gonna say it's just the growth. I think, had we been in that situation earlier, like we did a couple games earlier in the season, we might not have won this one. So just the team's resilience and their toughness and their ability to fight back in a tough situation, they make a run, we make a run. I was so proud of the effort from every single person who came on. I thought (Aniya) Foy was really, really good. Played some really valuable minutes. Gina (Garcia) was excellent getting on the rim. Nastja (Claessens), as always. We had great contributions from a variety of players, and I'm really proud of the fight today."
On winning back-to-back at home…
"Yeah, it's amazing. Stringing wins together is what you would want to do, especially this late in the season. We have six or seven games left, so obviously we need to rack up as many wins as we can. And it's so nice. We have such great crowds who come out to every single game, so to be able to reward them with wins is amazing, and it's a testament to the effort and the strength of this team and just the resilience we keep working every single day in and out, and I think it's starting to show, and you're getting some really good glimpses of how good this team can be."
On the team's lack of three-point shots…
"I think they were playing aggressively. They were out on our shooters. We have excellent shooters, so they were out on our shooters. They were trying to get up, blow up hand offs tonight in the passing lane, so I don't think we got many open looks, but I think the ones we did were the right ones. And because their pressure was so extended, we were able to get to the rim and get to the free throw line. And I think that kept us in this game. 16 of 20 80% not bad, but 25 of 51 from the field, damn near 50% that's really good. So I think that was just the read of the game"
On being back on the court…
"Life has its ups and downs, and I think you just have to learn from every experience that you have, even the negative ones. And I was grateful to just be a part of the team and observe from the sideline. I was able to take away some things leadership wise and how I can better contribute when I was back. It was a learning experience, and I take it on the chin, but there's no place I'd rather be than on the court next to these girls. So it's so nice to be back out playing, stringing some wins together. I'm really excited for the net reverse of the season and what the postseason looks like. And, yeah, I'm just really happy to be back."
UP NEXT
K-State embarks on a two-game road trip starting on Sunday at 1 p.m., as the Wildcats visit Iowa State.
The game will air on ESPN2 and can be heard online at kstatesports.com, on the K-State Sports app and the flagship stations of K-State women's basketball in Manhattan, Sunny 102.5 and 1350 KMAN.
K-State (14-12, 7-6 Big 12) was led by junior forward Nastja Claessens with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Senior Tess Heal added 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and five rebounds.
The freshmen combination of Gina Garcia, Aniya Foy and Brandie Harrod contributed to the attack. Garcia tallied nine points, a career-high tying nine assists and three steals. Foy came off the bench to pull in a career-high eight rebounds, while Harrod added nine points and six rebounds.
Oklahoma State (19-7, 8-5) was led by Amari Whiting and Micah Gray with 16 points each. Whiting carded nine rebounds and five steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Wildcats won the opening quarter, 18-9, by holding the Cowgirls to 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from the field.
- K-State would hold Oklahoma State to 18.2 percent (2-of-11) shooting from the field in the second frame and not allow a made field goal by the Cowgirls for the final 9:12 of the quarter. The Wildcats kept Oklahoma State scoreless for the final 3:47 of the stanza to build a 29-18 lead.
- The 18 first half points were the second-fewest points K-State has allowed in a first half this season, trailing the nine points K-State allowed to Omaha on Nov. 3, 2025.
- Oklahoma State would capture a high-scoring third quarter, 27-23, as they shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13). K-State shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the floor in the frame on its way to its 23 points. The Wildcats would enter the final quarter with a 52-45 advantage.
- Combined with two free throws at the end of the third quarter, Oklahoma State used a 9-0 run to tie the game at 52 with 8:02 remaining in the fourth quarter.
- Following a K-State timeout with 8:02 to play, the Wildcats used a 9-2 run over a five and a half minute stretch to hold a 61-54 lead and force a Cowgirls timeout with 2:36 remaining following a Claessens layup.
- A Gray layup brought the Cowgirls to within five, 61-56, with 2:22 remaining. Claessens answered with a layup. The Wildcats got a defensive stop and Heal responded by burying a corner three-pointer with 1:29 to push the K-State lead to 10, 66-56. K-State salted the game away with free throws.
- K-State shot 75.0 percent (6-of-8) from the field in the fourth quarter. For the night, the Wildcats registered a 49.0 percent (25-of-51) effort from the floor, including 50.0 percent (4-of-8) from beyond the arc.
QUICK FACTS
- K-State leads the series, 44-38. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 16-13 in his career against Oklahoma State. The Wildcats are 25-11 in games played in Manhattan.
- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 685-390 (.638), including a mark of 232-155 (.599).
- In its 30th season of play in the Big 12, K-State owns a record of 252-253 (.499) in Big 12 action.
- K-State is 420-163 (.720) in its 38th-season inside Bramlage Coliseum, including a 150-55 (.732) record under Mittie.
- The Wildcats are 240-204 (.541) in games played in the month of February. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 43-45 (.489) in games during the second month.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod, Tess Heal, and Taryn Sides and forward Nastja Claessens. This was the third time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 25th career start for Sides. This was the 24th career start for Garcia. Heal made her 13th start this season and her 87th career start. Claessens made her 22nd career start. This was the Harrod's 22nd career start.
- The Wildcats held a 29-18 lead at halftime on Tuesday. Under Mittie, K-State is 184-22 (.893) when leading at halftime, including an 8-1 mark this season.
- This was the 15th time (10-5) this season K-State has scored 70 or more points in a game. Since the 2014-15 season, K-State is 141-25 (.849) when scoring 70 or more points in a game.
- K-State owns a record of 122-31 (.797) when holding an opponent to single digits in any quarter in a game, including an 8-2 record this season. The Wildcats held Oklahoma State to nine points in the first and second quarters on Tuesday. These were the 12th and 13th quarters this season holding an opponent to single digits in a quarter.
- Since the start of the quarter-system in women's college basketball in the 2015-16 season, K-State is 172-72 (.705) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game, including a 12-7 mark this season. The Wildcats have 34 quarters this season with 20 or more points scored.
- This season, K-State owns 37 quarters with an effort of 50.0 percent or better shooting from the field, including the third (62.5) and fourth (75.0) quarters on Tuesday.
- K-State carded a 42-34 advantage in points off in the paint. The Wildcats have had the edge in the paint in 14 games and have tallied 30 or more points in the paint in 14 games.
PLAYER NOTES
- Heal reached double figures for the 87th time in her career, including her 13th time this season. Heal's collegiate career point total now stands at 1,705 points. She is one of 11 active NCAA Division I players with 1,700 or more career points, 400 or more career rebounds and 300 or more career assists.
- Heal hauled in five rebounds on Tuesday. This was her 38th career game, including her ninth this season with five or more rebounds.
- Claessens reached double figures in scoring for the 14th time this season.
- Claessens collected two steals. This marked her eighth game this season with two or more steals.
- Garcia handed tied her career-high with nine assists on Tuesday. This was her 13th game this season with five or more assists. She is the first K-State freshman to hand out nine or more assists in a game since Sides on Dec. 18, 2023. Garcia has dished out 124 assists this season, which is seventh in program history by a freshman.
- Sides dished out two assists. She remains in 18th on the K-State career assists list with 290 assists.
- Sides pocketed two steals on Tuesday. This was her 25th career game, including her 13th this season, with two or more steals.
- Brandie Harrod pulled in six rebounds, including four offensive boards. This was her 16th career game with five or more rebounds. She ranks third in program history for offensive rebounds in a freshman season with 63.
- Aniya Foy registered a career-high eight rebounds on Tuesday. This was her third career game with five or more rebounds.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Jeff Mittie
On handling defensive efforts…
"I thought certainly early, we handled [Oklahoma State] really well, but we sustained it. They had one run, but you know, they're going to make the run, and the run came differently. They really pounded us off the dribble in that stretch and got inside against us, but really proud of our team. I thought we had a lot of really good efforts. I thought Brandie Harrod was fantastic defensively. I thought [Nastja] Claessens was great. Jordan Speiser off the bench–I thought that was her best defensive half. Aniya Foy made a big difference tonight. We had some foul trouble. So, you know, you've got [Taryn] Sides and Nastja on the bench. So we had to have some players come in the game and really play well and they did."
On improvement over consecutive wins…
"I think they've improved over the last couple of weeks. It was a good road victory at Arizona State. We had a tough one at Arizona, but let's give Arizona credit. They played really well that night, and we did not answer it very well. We came off the road and I thought we had good practices, I thought we had good preparation, and we've played well over the last couple of games but I've been really pleased with our defense. Our defense has been much better. I think we're playing tougher and I think we're playing more physically than we were. Offensively tonight, I thought we played with pretty good poise."
On their response to Oklahoma State's 12-2 run in the second half…
"We had a variety of players step up. We had good execution coming out of the timeout with the back door play. The staff did a great job with that. They saw that availability and thought that would be a good action. I think that relaxed everybody. But you saw Gina Garcia play well in that stretch off of the ball screen action. She got to the rim. I just thought we had a lot of players step up in that stretch. Tess [Heal] gets a big three from the corner. It wasn't just one player doing something. Gina Garcia had a great drop off pass to [Nastja] Claessens in that stretch. Nastja had a great drive in that stretch. So I think we have more options than we did a month ago, and our execution was pretty good."
On Brandie Harrod's health status…
"I don't know, I heard she was cramping. She got banged up the whole game. She hurt her hip at one point. The official thought she got hit in the chest, but then our staff told me it was cramping, so it might be her whole body. She played her butt off tonight. We have tomorrow off, so hopefully she'll recover–she's tough. The kid plays hard on the floor all the time. I don't think it's anything too serious. Her hip would be the one I'd guess that's new. So I'll just have to get with the trainer."
On the team's development over the course of the season…
"Well, it certainly hasn't been a straight line of improvement. It's been hills and valleys–two steps forward and two steps back at times, maybe we've gotten over the hump. It feels different. Feels more connected, it feels tougher, and it feels deeper than one or two players playing well. This is a good win for us against a quality team. It's the two best defensive efforts we've put together back to back, so I'm pleased about that. Offensively, I've said a couple different ways, I think more balance is giving us more options right now."
On Oklahoma State coming out more physically in the second half…
"I thought Oklahoma State certainly had the momentum in that stretch. They were the more aggressive team. We were on our heels offensively and then defensively as well. I thought we regrouped out of the timeout. I thought we made some really tough plays in the next three to four minutes, from the seven-minute mark down to the four-minute mark. I thought we made tough plays in that stretch, so I loved the response."
On how they can build a postseason resume over the next couple of weeks…
"Well, there's opportunities. We face some really good teams here down the stretch. We've got Iowa State twice, so I hadn't looked that far ahead, but I know we've got some good, quality teams down the stretch. That wouldn't be our focus area. Honestly, we haven't really talked about it, we're just trying to get better, compete better, play together better, and have good practices. In this league and in this year, the Big 12 has a lot of parity, has a lot of balance, and there's going to be some opportunities here in the next two weeks to do exactly what you said, have some big wins."
On Aniya Foy's performance…
"I appreciate that question, because Aniya [Foy] was a key in this one. When you've got Taryn [Sides], and you've got [Nastja] Claessens sitting on the bench with five to go in the second [quarter] and we actually extend the lead–that's hard to do, and she's out there having to guard some really talented players that are three to four years older than her that have a lot more experience. I thought she played extremely hard, eight rebounds flying around that way. I thought she had a big impact on the game. Even in the second half, when Nastja picks up that third [foul], she's a key player that we needed to go to. Also, because they went super small, they were trying to really spread the floor out there. We were able to match their lineup better, all because of how well she played. I don't know that Aniya could have impacted the game a month ago without scoring. In the last couple of games, she's impacted it in other ways, and that is individual growth because that wouldn't have been something that she could have done a month ago."
Oklahoma State Head Coach Jacie Hoyt
Opening Statement…
"Yeah, not a great first half for us at all. I didn't think we came out as hungry or as focused as we needed to be to win in a tough environment like this. I think that Kansas State is a really good team, and I think that they have been inconsistent, but when they're good, they're really good, and we got the good version of them tonight, and I thought that our team had a lot of fight in that second half, but I think kind of the story for us is we're still trying to put it together for 40 minutes, and we just simply did not do that tonight."
On the biggest defensive impediment…
"Impediment. I think they're really long and they're hard to score against, just in general, because of their length. I think Harrod gives them a great look. She's able to switch things and stuff like that. But I also think we were not very good in that first half of moving the ball, we were just really stagnant. And I think anyone could have guarded us because of our lack of ball movement, but they have great length and do a good job with that."
On Nastja Claessens….
"I feel like she's just really poised. She has a maturity to her that is unique, obviously, as a ball player. She's super versatile. She's long, she can shoot, she can go inside and post, she's smart, but I think overall, just her poise and composure is something that their young team probably needs a lot of, and I think she's really good with that."
On K-State's shooting ability…
"Yeah, just an emphasis on it, they're a great three-point shooting team, they can get really hot. I think we normally are too. I don't want to say they live and die by it, or we live and die by it, but it's really important to both of us, and so that was just a big emphasis for us to try and defend the three-point line the best we could in the third quarter."
On why they switched to a zone defense…
"We just couldn't stop them. And man, needed to make a change. And our kids did a really good job with that. They had Sides in foul trouble. So she was a shooter that was on the bench, and just felt like that was the best move. And our kids did really well with that"
On Amari Whiting's play…
"Yeah, I think Amari's, just, she plays with so much heart, especially on the defensive end. And she really showed that. Though she was really aggressive in transition, which was great. But really, just overall, her aggressiveness on both ends of the floor"
On their ability to bounce back compared to other seasons…
"I think it's the same. We haven't lost two in a row. And that always can be a little bit because of scheduling too. Some of it could just be luck, but this is a team that you know is hungry. They want to win. They have really high expectations for themselves, so I think that it's just a result of a group of players that want to win as much as possible."
FROM THE FLOOR
K-State Junior Forward Nastja Claessens
On holding Oklahoma State to their lowest point total of the season…
"I think they're one of the top three-point shooters in the league, and they make a lot of threes, so Coach Mittie made it really clear that we have to be there to contest their threes, and I think we did a really great job in the first half. I don't know if they made a three in the second half, I have to look, but I think we did really well against their threes. At the end, they made some but I think that was the most important part, also getting back in and transition defense was crucial in this game, and I think we did a really good job in that."
On getting points down low…
"I think it's just reading the defense, to be honest, reading how they play. Sometimes they helped a lot on Gina, which made me have the open pass and the open look. And yeah, I think just reading an offense was the key to this game."
On Gina Garcia…
"I think she is an amazing player. She reads so well. She's such a good point guard. She really reads the defensive plays for the team, but then also can make the right looks for herself at the right moment. I really don't have anything bad to say about her. I love playing with her. I really do."
K-State Senior Guard Tess Heal
On the late run in the 4th quarter…
"Yeah, I was gonna say it's just the growth. I think, had we been in that situation earlier, like we did a couple games earlier in the season, we might not have won this one. So just the team's resilience and their toughness and their ability to fight back in a tough situation, they make a run, we make a run. I was so proud of the effort from every single person who came on. I thought (Aniya) Foy was really, really good. Played some really valuable minutes. Gina (Garcia) was excellent getting on the rim. Nastja (Claessens), as always. We had great contributions from a variety of players, and I'm really proud of the fight today."
On winning back-to-back at home…
"Yeah, it's amazing. Stringing wins together is what you would want to do, especially this late in the season. We have six or seven games left, so obviously we need to rack up as many wins as we can. And it's so nice. We have such great crowds who come out to every single game, so to be able to reward them with wins is amazing, and it's a testament to the effort and the strength of this team and just the resilience we keep working every single day in and out, and I think it's starting to show, and you're getting some really good glimpses of how good this team can be."
On the team's lack of three-point shots…
"I think they were playing aggressively. They were out on our shooters. We have excellent shooters, so they were out on our shooters. They were trying to get up, blow up hand offs tonight in the passing lane, so I don't think we got many open looks, but I think the ones we did were the right ones. And because their pressure was so extended, we were able to get to the rim and get to the free throw line. And I think that kept us in this game. 16 of 20 80% not bad, but 25 of 51 from the field, damn near 50% that's really good. So I think that was just the read of the game"
On being back on the court…
"Life has its ups and downs, and I think you just have to learn from every experience that you have, even the negative ones. And I was grateful to just be a part of the team and observe from the sideline. I was able to take away some things leadership wise and how I can better contribute when I was back. It was a learning experience, and I take it on the chin, but there's no place I'd rather be than on the court next to these girls. So it's so nice to be back out playing, stringing some wins together. I'm really excited for the net reverse of the season and what the postseason looks like. And, yeah, I'm just really happy to be back."
UP NEXT
K-State embarks on a two-game road trip starting on Sunday at 1 p.m., as the Wildcats visit Iowa State.
The game will air on ESPN2 and can be heard online at kstatesports.com, on the K-State Sports app and the flagship stations of K-State women's basketball in Manhattan, Sunny 102.5 and 1350 KMAN.
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
OSU
KState
FG%
.404
.490
3FG%
.250
.500
FT%
.714
.800
RB
23
31
TO
15
17
STL
10
10
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballK-State Women's Basketball | Coach Mittie Press Conference vs Oklahoma State
Wednesday, February 11
K-State Women's Basketball | Press Conference vs Oklahoma State
Wednesday, February 11
K-State Women's Basketball | Game Highlights vs Oklahoma State
Wednesday, February 11
K-State Women's Basketball | Coach Mittie Press Conference vs BYU
Sunday, February 08
