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No. 20 Kansas State (26-6, 13-5 Big 12) used a productive fourth quarter to defeat the 13-seed UCF in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City. K-State, who entered the tournament as a five-seed, tipped off the second round of the Big 12 Tournament with the 11 a.m. tip. K-State needed a get-right game after dropping three of the last four of the regular season. The Wildcats have a long road ahead if they want to win the tournament, but they completed the first step in their 80-65 win over the Knights.
UCF remained within arm's distance on the score sheet for most of the game until the final quarter. The Wildcats jumped on an early run and did not let UCF back in it. K-State saw another great performance from senior Senera Sundell who scored 21, 19 of which in the second half. The Big 12 First Team Honoree also led the Wildcats in assists with 4. K-State also saw three other scorers reach double figures, Kennedy Taylor (10), Jaelyn Glenn (11), and Temeria Poindexter (13).
Wildcat Warm-Up
Opponent Matchup
The UCF Knights (12-18, 4-14 Big 12) came off a lackluster run in conference play, only winning four matchups and finishing well under .500. Despite the struggles during the season, UCF pulled off the first-round win over BYU. UCF is led by Kaitlin Peterson, who averages just under 21.5 points a game. The senior guard had 35 in the first round of the tournament in UCF’s 81-69 win over BYU.
Tip-Off to Buzzer
Quarter Breakdowns
First Quarter-
Unlike the previous meeting where K-State was up 20 in the first quarter, UCF was able to hang with the top 20 squads. The Knights forced four Wildcat turnovers in the first quarter, but lacked offensive production, only shooting 23.5 percent. K-State used the UCF woes to their advantage 18-11 after one.
Second Quarter-
The Wildcat’s shooting continued to be good in the second, shooting 50 percent and knocking down two three-pointers. UCF continued to hang with K-State by not turning the ball over in the quick-paced first half. K-State took an 11-point lead into the half as Zyanna Walker hit a buzzer-beater layup to move the score to 41-30.
Third Quarter-
K-State saw a little bit of a UCF push in the third, but the Knights could not close the gap any more than three possessions. Sundell started her second-half take over scoring seven and having two assists in the quarter. Emely Rodriguez had eight points for UCF in the third to trim the lead to nine, 57-48.
Fourth Quarter-
The Wildcats would jump on an 11-4 run in the fourth quarter to put some cushion onto their lead. K-State shot a whopping 75 percent in the final quarter and finally saw some ball movement as the team picked up six assists. Sundell dropped her final 12 points, shooting 5-6 in the final frame, to lead K-State to the 80-65 win.
Courtside Conclusions
The Wildcats played a UCF team who was playing their hearts out in possibly the Knights's last game of the season. K-State seemed to be rushing possessions throughout the first half before finding somewhat of a stride in the fourth quarter. Still without Ayoka Lee, the Wildcats continue to find ways to win basketball games. Head Coach Jeff Mittie shared his thoughts on K-State’s opening game of the tournament.
“I thought for us it was good to have a grinding game where things were tough to come by,” Mittie said. “We had to raise and make some plays. I think for us also it was good for us to see a variety of players rise to the occasion and play well, particularly in the fourth, you know that’s what it takes this time of year.”
Mittie was asked about whether or not K-State should be one of the top 16 teams and host. After joking around about how the Wildcats are 100% a team, Mittie got serious.
“We are just going to enjoy playing in the tournament here and you never know what's going to shake out,” Mittie said. “Honestly we are a challenge for the committee, we need to do everything to make it easy on them.”
Sundell was asked about the difference in her first and second-half scoring.
“I am not exactly sure,” Sundell said. “I just know to credit my teammates, credit Coach Mittie kind of getting on me and saying you need to get into your teammates and let the rest work itself out.”
Future Focus
A Look Ahead at the K-State Schedule
K-State advanced to the next round to face a tough West Virginia opponent. Ranked no. 16 West Virginia dominated the Wildcats in their one meeting in Morgantown in February. The Mountaineers, the four-seed in the tournament, are led by J.J. Quinerly. K-State could not handle a tough West Virginia team, having 21 turnovers and shooting below 40 percent. K-State will have to play better than they did against UCF and in their previous matchups against the Mountaineers. The game tips off tomorrow at 11 a.m., this game and the rest of K-State’s Big 12 Tournament run will be aired live here on Wildcat 91.9.
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