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No. 14 Kansas State (24-3, 12-2 Big 12) handled their foe from Central Flordia to hold onto the top seed in the Big 12 and undefeated inside Bramlage Coliseum. The UCF Knights stood no chance as the Wildcats put up two 30-point quarters to throw themselves into a blowout win. Deadeye Taryn Sides had a monster day off the bench with 21 points. An all-out offensive attack led the Wildcats to a 97-67 win.
K-State came out red-hot, only to cool off but not for long. Despite a slow middle of the first half K-State only came up short of the century mark by three. Two blowout wins in a row after getting a wake-up call in a stunning loss in Stillwater just over a week ago. This matchup looked like a K-State non-conference game when the Wildcats would blow teams out and never look back. Sides off the bench gave K-State life throughout the whole game.
Wildcat Warm-Up
Opponent Matchup
UCF (9-15, 2-12) has been skidding in conference play. The Knights had to come to Manhattan and face one of the Big 12 tall tasks of the Wildcats. Despite the struggling season, the Knights are led by Kaitlin Peterson. Peterson, a senior, is second in the Big 12 in scoring at 21.4 points per game.
Tip-Off to Buzzer
Quarter Breakdowns
First Quarter-
The Wildcats came out red-hot, making their first 10 shots and built up a 28-4 lead seven minutes in. UCF finally got the lid to come off the bucket and went on a 12-1 run. The Knights battled back to a 16-point defect at the end of one, 32-16.
Second Quarter-
UCF fought the lead down to 10 before an 18-5 K-State run. K-State hit the 50-point mark in the quarter. K-State knocked down seven three-pointers and shot just under 60 percent in the first half. With 16 first-half assists on 19 made shots, K-State led 50-29 at the half.
Third Quarter-
K-State did not cool down during halftime, coming out shooting nearly 70 percent and extending their lead even more. Sides went three for three from deep and picked up a free throw to have 10 in the quarter. Temira Poindexter also helped with two three-balls, to extend the Wildcat lead to 81-44.
Fourth Quarter-
K-State seemed to coast out the final frame after leading by almost 40. Scoring only 17 in the final quarter, seven of which from Zyanna Walker. The Wildcats’ dominate game came to an end shooting just under 60 percent from the field and 70 percent from three to win 97-67.
Courtside Conclusions
Back-to-back dominant games were a must-have after a crushing Oklahoma State loss. K-State did not have a player play over 30 minutes which was ideal with a quick turnaround to play West Virginia on Monday. Head coach Jeff Mittie explained the much-needed rest.
“With the short turnaround I came into the game saying, let's get some rest early and with the score,” Mittie said. “I just tried to keep everybody fresh and keep everybody engaged as much as possible.”
Sides found her stride early and often, dropping 21 and had six assists. Mittie praised her efforts in the post-game presser and talked about her deadly sidestep three.
“One thing I notice is her footwork, she's always shot-ready,” Mittie said. “As a defender, you've got to get there quickly… That's when we started working on the sidestep three. If they do rush, they'll leave their feet, and that's when she needs to make the right read. She's put in the work, and she's done a great job with it.”
Another big nugget from Mittie was a timetable for All-American Ayoka Lee’s return.
“We still think the KU game,” Mitte said. “There’s been nothing that would indicate anything different than that, but as you progress you hope that you do it the right way so there are no setbacks.”
Future Focus
A Look Ahead at the K-State Schedule
The Wildcats have a quick turnaround to a mid-afternoon bout against ranked foe West Virginia on the road. The Mountaineers are ranked 18th in the nation and a big road test for the Wildcats. After the ranked battle the Wildcats will return home to face KU on Saturday the 22nd. Moving on the last stretch of the regular season the Wildcats are still looking for some big wins. Every home basketball game is aired live here on Wildcat 91.9.
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