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K-State Women’s Basketball showed why they are a top 10 team in their win on Thursday, Nov. 14. Defeating a solid Creighton team 86-68 after another great performance from Ayoka Lee.
The Wildcats continue with their winning ways after a week’s break from action. K-State dominated the box score, winning in almost every category. K-State had more assists, blocks, points in the paint, and out-rebounded the Bluejays. The Bluejays just stood no chance against All-American Ayoka Lee, as she scored 28 in her 16 minutes of play.
Wildcat Warm-Up
Opponent Matchup
Creighton began the season ranked in the pre-season AP Poll. After dropping their season opener to South Dakota State, before an 8-point win against Drake. Creighton’s offense has kept them in both of their previous games, and led by the nation’s leading scorer Lauren Jensen, at 27.5 points per game. The Bluejays are on a four-game stretch against teams who made the NCAA tournament last year.
Tip-Off to Buzzer
Quarter Breakdowns
First Quarter-
K-State started red-hot offensively and defensively, similar to the previous two games. Lee and Jaelyn Glenn led the way in the first quarter. Lee scored eight, followed by two threes from Glenn. Sundell had three assists in the first quarter to help K-State to a 12-5 scoring run to end the quarter up 22-9.
Second Quarter-
The Wildcats stretched their lead to just under 20 after an early 7-0 run. K-State scored 16 of their 17 from the paint in the second. Lee finished off the second scoring nine more bringing her half-total to 17. K-State’s defense held Creighton to a first-half shooting percentage of 31 percent. Despite only shooting 31 percent the Bluejays cut the lead to 16 points at half, 39-23.
Third Quarter-
The Bluejays came out shooting and drew back down 13 before a 6-0 run that forced a Creighton timeout just three minutes in the half. Both teams' scoring numbers jumped in the third, Creighton scoring 23 in the quarter alone. K-State was led by Serena Sundell with 10 of the Wildcats 29 in the quarter. The Wildcat’s lead stretched to 22, 68-46, thanks to a 73.3 shooting percentage.
Fourth Quarter-
After only playing one minute in the third Lee made her presence felt in the fourth scoring 11 more to finish off the night with 28. Creighton won the final quarter knocking down four three balls, but it was too little too late, and the Wildcats went on to win 86-68.
Courtside Conclusions
K-State had an all-around solid game from both sides of the ball. Shooting a season-best 53 percent and having a season-high in assists. Dominating the Bluejays in the paint, 54-28. Lee’s big game was the first of the season and a refreshing watch. Despite her little playing time, she put up big scoring numbers. Head coach Jeff Mittie shared his thoughts on the game in the post-game press conference.
“A total team effort,” Mittie said. “You look up, and we shoot 53% from the field. We do a lot of really good things. It's a quality team. I mean, I have a lot of respect for Creighton.”
Jeff Mittie now has his Wildcats to a 3-0 start, and scoring over 80 points a game is a good feat.
“So we've got pretty good balance and pretty good depth in our scoring,” Mittie said. “And I think for us, it's just about making the right play. If we can keep that mentality of 'we over me' and make the right play, everybody's going to have success. And to put up 86 points is a really good deal, a really good number for us.”
K-State Leaders
K-State’s 86 points came from all over the scorebook. Lee’s 28 points is an easy find, trailing her was Sundell and Poindexter with 12. Sundell was a few plays short of a triple double with seven boards and eight assists. Glenn led the team in minutes and hit the two big first quarter threes. Taryn Sides played solid minutes with 8 points and 5 rebounds.
Future Focus
A Look Ahead at the K-State Schedule
K-State continues its early season-long home stand with another game on Monday against Little Rock. K-State plays another home game on Wednesday against Milwaukee University. Both games should be more tune-up games for the Wildcats before they travel to the Ball Dawgs classic later in the month. The game on Monday against Little Rock and on Wednesday against Milwaukee will be live here on Wildcat 91.9.
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