KANSAS CITY, Missouri – (16/16) K-State locked down West Virginia for the final three minutes of the fourth quarter to collect a 65-62 win in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship at T-Mobile Center.
With Saturday’s win, K-State has now advanced at least one round of the Big 12 Championship for the 20th time. The Wildcats have reached the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2019 and the 10th time in the history of the Big 12.
K-State (25-6) has secured 25 wins this season, the most in the Jeff Mittie era and most by the Wildcats since the 2008-09 season (25). This is the 10th 25-win or better season in program history.
The Wildcats featured three players in double figures on Saturday and were led by senior center and All-America candidate Ayoka Lee with 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. With her 11 rebounds, Lee broke the school record for career rebounds with 1,088 and passing Kendra Wecker (1,087; 2001-05).
With her double-double, Lee collected her 58th career double-double and her third career double-double in a Big 12 Championship game. She tied the school record with Breanna Lewis (2013-17) and Nicky Ramage (1996-00) for double-doubles in a Big 12 Championship career.
Lee also set the school record for blocks in a Big 12 Championship career, collecting her 16th and passing Lewis (15).
Junior guard and All-American candidate Serena Sundell carded 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and eight assists. Her eight assists tied for the seventh-most in a single-game in a K-State Big 12 Championship game.
Senior guard Gabby Gregory notched 11 points, including a 3-of-4 effort from long range, five rebounds and four assists.
West Virginia (24-7) was paced by the duo of JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison with 27 and 16 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
– With 4:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, Eliza Maupin connected on a layup to give K-State a 61-56 lead.
– The Mountaineers tied the game at 61 with 3:10 to play, as Harrison scored five straight points. The Wildcats responded with a layup from Lee with 2:45 to play and a Sundell baseline jumper with 59 seconds remaining.
– Defensively, K-State held West Virginia without a made field goal for the final 3:09 of game action, including two 3-point attempts in the final eight seconds to seal the win.
– K-State broke out in the second quarter on Saturday. The Wildcats entered the frame trailing by six, 23-17, but outscored West Virginia, 17-8, by shooting 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from the field in the second quarter. The Wildcats ended the second frame by making five straight shots.
– The Wildcats found Lee for seven of her 16 first half points in the second stanza. K-State would capture its first lead of the night on a Lee layup to cap an 11-2 run midway through the second quarter.
– K-State extended its lead to 10, 44-34, with 5:42 remaining in the third quarter on a Gabby Gregory 3-pointer.
– The Mountaineers would hold the Wildcats scoreless for the final 3:29 of the third stanza, as West Virginia pulled within one, 49-48, at the end of the third with an 8-0 run.
– For the night, K-State shot a season-high by shooting 57.4 percent (27-of-47) from the floor including 4-of-11 (.364) from long range. The 57.4 percent performance was the fourth-highest in the Mittie era and highest by the Wildcats since Feb. 15, 2023, against Baylor.
– The Wildcats held the Mountaineers to 38.9 percent (21-of-54) from the field.
QUICK FACTS
– West Virginia leads the series, 9-18, while K-State won both meetings this season. The Wildcats are 2-2 against the Mountaineers in neutral site matchups. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 9-21 in his career against West Virginia.
– The Wildcats are 23-26 in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship. K-State has advanced at least one round in 20 of the 27 championships. The Wildcats own a 14-14 record in Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship games played in Kansas City.
– Head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 643-368 (.636) in 32 seasons as a head coach and is 189-133 (.587) during his 10-seasons at K-State.
– K-State owns a record of 247-93 (.726) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 14-10 (.583) all-time when ranked 16th in the nation.
TEAM NOTES
– K-State’s starting five consisted of guards: Jaelyn Glenn, Serena Sundell, Brylee Glenn, Gabby Gregory and center Ayoka Lee. This was the 24th time this starting five has been used this season. This was the 111th career start for Lee, the 109th collegiate career start and the 63rd start at K-State for Gregory, the 100th career start for Sundell, the 96th career start for Jaelyn Glenn and the 90th career start for Brylee Glenn.
– The Wildcats held a 34-31 lead at halftime on Saturday. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 149-18 (.892) when leading at halftime, including a 20-1 record this season.
– K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in a quarter three times on Saturday. This season, the Wildcats have 44 quarters with a field goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better.
– Saturday marked the 23rd time (19-4) this season K-State has seen three or more players reach double figures in a game.
– The Wildcats made four three-point field goals on Saturday afternoon. K-State has made 203 three-pointers this season. The Wildcats have made 200 or more 3-pointers in consecutive seasons for the first time under Mittie.
– K-State held a 42-20 advantage in points in the paint on Saturday. This was the 24th time this season K-State has scored 30 or more points in the paint. This was the 25th time this season K-State has outscored its foe in the lane.
PLAYER NOTES
– Lee tallied the 58th double-double of her career. This was her third career double-double in the Big 12 Championship, tying the school record for double-doubles in a Big 12 Championship career.
– Lee recorded her 102nd career game with 10 or more points. Lee has scored in every game of her career (111 games). Lee’s career total stands at 2,138 and ranks fourth in school history. Lee needs 19 points to pass Brittany Chambers (2009-13; 2,156) for third on the K-State career scoring list.
– Lee hauled in 11 rebounds on Saturday. Lee’s career total for rebounds stands at 1,088, passing Kendra Wecker (2001-05; 1,087) for the school record for career rebounds. This was Lee’s 58th career game with 10 or more rebounds and 102nd career game with five or more rebounds.
– Lee improved her career blocked shot total to 303, improving her school record for career blocked shots. This was Lee’s 82nd career game with two or more blocked shots. Lee ranks tied for fifth all-time in Big 12 history for career blocked shots.
– Sundell notched her 68th career game with 10 or more points, including her 23rd this season. Sundell owns 1,224 career points and remains 26th on the K-State career scoring list.
– Sundell’s eight assists on Saturday improved her career total to 528. This was Sundell’s 62nd career game with five or more assists.
– Gregory registered her 83rd career game, her 42nd at K-State and her 13th this season with 10 or more points.
– Gregory made three 3-pointers on Saturday, which is the 68th time in her career with two or more connections from long range.
– Glenn recorded her 44th career game with five or more rebounds, including her 16th this season.
UP NEXT
K-State now preps for the semifinals of the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship in Kansas City. The Wildcats will face the two-seed Texas on Monday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Monday’s game can be seen on ESPN2 and can be heard on the K-State Sports Network including the flagship stations Sunny 102.5 FM and 1350 KMAN, online at kstatesports.com, or on the K-State Sports app.
