<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ef182d91-694f-48ab-9b95-d9269469eb4b?elinkdata=15771">Byron McNair</a> understands the sizable task he and his Kansas Wesleyan teammates will face when they play Dickinson State on Saturday in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series.

"We're the sleeper," said McNair, the Coyotes' sophomore quarterback. "It's David and Goliath, and David took down the giant. Any team that we face is going to be the giant to us."

McNair speaks from experience, considering the personal challenges he has overcome this season. Shoulder and clavicle injuries, coupled with a midseason coaching change, have steeled his resolve and mental toughness, which will be sorely tested in the 2 p.m. game in Dickinson, North Dakota.

Wesleyan is 7-4 and seeded 19th, while DSU is 9-1 and the No. 14 seed. The Blue Hawks won the North Star Athletic Association title with an 8-0 record and have won seven in a row. Their defense allows just under 70 yards rushing per game, which is the strength of the KWU offense.

"Like I tell my team all the time, they put their pads on just like you do," he said. "We're all human, we all bleed, cry and sweat. When it comes to out on the field, who has the bigger heart?"

Heart is something McNair has plenty of, as he has demonstrated this season. Playing rival Bethany in the second game of the season, he was hurt on the opening drive - the first step of a painful journey.

"I dropped my shoulder and (the defender) made me fumble," he said. "I was like, 'OK, my shoulder feels a little iffy,' but me being the person I am, I pushed through the rest of the game and went to go get it checked out that Monday. They said it was just a minor sprain in my AC joint."

Things got much worse a week later against Southwestern.

"I got it landed on again and was like, 'Something's a little off, so let me go ahead walk off this field,'" he said. "When I got to the sideline, I wanted to go back in. (The trainer) had me throw a little bit, and I told myself, 'Nah, me going out there would be a liability rather than the asset,' and I didn't want to do that for my team.'"

"I sat down and some tears came out, and I'm a man who usually doesn't cry," he said.

Inspiration arrived in the form of defensive teammate <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/00555541-60db-4612-bbc5-4939dc33fc5f?elinkdata=15771">Jordan Diggins</a>.

"He said, 'We need you, you're that person for it, we can't have you over here crying like this,'" he said. "As soon as he said that, I wiped my face, got up immediately and knew that my guys needed me. No matter what I was going through, I knew I had to be there for my guys."

McNair went back in and was on the field the following week against Friends when he suffered the clavicle injury. Combined, they were more than he could overcome, and he missed the Coyotes' games against Bethel and McPherson, which preceded the bye week.

"It was trouble sleeping, trouble putting on and taking off shirts," he said. "It was hard to move around, eat, shower, all your daily, easy things. Everything was bad because both shoulder mobilities were off. We had faced adversity already, so I knew what it took - just keep pushing."

McNair returned for the Avila game, with co-coaches <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/56f62517-e2c4-43d0-9c0b-3b936793cb8c?elinkdata=15771">Chris Snyder</a> and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/48064ae6-c55c-41c5-801e-d759b2a05a39?elinkdata=15771">David Leonard</a>, the first after the break, and shared duties with senior <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b8a8a995-4417-40de-becf-5c91e790dee6?elinkdata=15771">Richard Lara</a> as his health improved. He assumed the full-time role last Saturday against Sterling in the regular-season finale.

"When we played Avila, there was one time I could have gone out of bounds, and I purposely stayed in and got tackled to see how it felt," he said. "Once I felt that weight on me, it was, 'OK, this doesn't hurt,' and I knew I was good."

KWU has won all five of its games since the bye. McNair has completed 51.4 percent of his passes for 760 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in nine games.

"We didn't break down as a team when so many of us could have broken down and given up," he said. "We stayed consistent, showed up for each other every single day, and we pushed forward. I just love the guys for that and appreciate them."

McNair has a special appreciation for Lara.

"There's no selfishness or animosity or anything like that," he said. "Every single day, we're helping each other, picking each other up. Quarterback is the most important position, so if they see us being compatible and working together when it's a one-man job, then everybody is following us."

"Byron's greatest attributes don't necessarily come from his arm, in my opinion," Leonard said. "He's a natural leader, and he's not afraid of failure. He's going to put himself out there, regardless of if it puts him in a situation to fail or succeed."

"He's mature beyond his years, we saw that from day one," Snyder said. "He walked into the camp last year, and everybody was like, 'This kid's going to be it for us.' It took him a couple weeks, but he got a shot and ran with it. It's just that maturity as a freshman and the competitiveness, that's why you feel like you have a chance on every snap.

"He's played only maybe 10 games in his career because of injuries and starting halfway during last year. You can't really gauge a quarterback on those few games."

Teamwork is a must Saturday, according to McNair.

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ef182d91-694f-48ab-9b95-d9269469eb4b?elinkdata=15771">Byron McNair</a> understands the sizable task he and his Kansas Wesleyan teammates will face when they play Dickinson State on Saturday in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series."We're the sleeper," said McNair, the Coyotes' sophomore quarterback. "It's David and Goliath, and David took down the giant. Any team that we face is going to be the giant to us."McNair speaks from experience, considering the personal challenges he has overcome this season. Shoulder and clavicle injuries, coupled with a midseason coaching change, have steeled his resolve and mental toughness, which will be sorely tested in the 2 p.m. game in Dickinson, North Dakota.Wesleyan is 7-4 and seeded 19th, while DSU is 9-1 and the No. 14 seed. The Blue Hawks won the North Star Athletic Association title with an 8-0 record and have won seven in a row. Their defense allows just under 70 yards rushing per game, which is the strength of the KWU offense.Don't expect McNair to flinch, though."Like I tell my team all the time, they put their pads on just like you do," he said. "We're all human, we all bleed, cry and sweat. When it comes to out on the field, who has the bigger heart?"Heart is something McNair has plenty of, as he has demonstrated this season. Playing rival Bethany in the second game of the season, he was hurt on the opening drive - the first step of a painful journey."I dropped my shoulder and (the defender) made me fumble," he said. "I was like, 'OK, my shoulder feels a little iffy,' but me being the person I am, I pushed through the rest of the game and went to go get it checked out that Monday. They said it was just a minor sprain in my AC joint."Things got much worse a week later against Southwestern."I got it landed on again and was like, 'Something's a little off, so let me go ahead walk off this field,'" he said. "When I got to the sideline, I wanted to go back in. (The trainer) had me throw a little bit, and I told myself, 'Nah, me going out there would be a liability rather than the asset,' and I didn't want to do that for my team.'"He knew the injury could be serious."I sat down and some tears came out, and I'm a man who usually doesn't cry," he said.Inspiration arrived in the form of defensive teammate <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/00555541-60db-4612-bbc5-4939dc33fc5f?elinkdata=15771">Jordan Diggins</a>."He said, 'We need you, you're that person for it, we can't have you over here crying like this,'" he said. "As soon as he said that, I wiped my face, got up immediately and knew that my guys needed me. No matter what I was going through, I knew I had to be there for my guys."McNair went back in and was on the field the following week against Friends when he suffered the clavicle injury. Combined, they were more than he could overcome, and he missed the Coyotes' games against Bethel and McPherson, which preceded the bye week.Rehab was an arduous task."It was trouble sleeping, trouble putting on and taking off shirts," he said. "It was hard to move around, eat, shower, all your daily, easy things. Everything was bad because both shoulder mobilities were off. We had faced adversity already, so I knew what it took - just keep pushing."The bye was much-needed.McNair returned for the Avila game, with co-coaches <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/56f62517-e2c4-43d0-9c0b-3b936793cb8c?elinkdata=15771">Chris Snyder</a> and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/48064ae6-c55c-41c5-801e-d759b2a05a39?elinkdata=15771">David Leonard</a>, the first after the break, and shared duties with senior <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b8a8a995-4417-40de-becf-5c91e790dee6?elinkdata=15771">Richard Lara</a> as his health improved. He assumed the full-time role last Saturday against Sterling in the regular-season finale."When we played Avila, there was one time I could have gone out of bounds, and I purposely stayed in and got tackled to see how it felt," he said. "Once I felt that weight on me, it was, 'OK, this doesn't hurt,' and I knew I was good."KWU has won all five of its games since the bye. McNair has completed 51.4 percent of his passes for 760 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in nine games."We didn't break down as a team when so many of us could have broken down and given up," he said. "We stayed consistent, showed up for each other every single day, and we pushed forward. I just love the guys for that and appreciate them."McNair has a special appreciation for Lara."There's no selfishness or animosity or anything like that," he said. "Every single day, we're helping each other, picking each other up. Quarterback is the most important position, so if they see us being compatible and working together when it's a one-man job, then everybody is following us."McNair has impressed the coaches."Byron's greatest attributes don't necessarily come from his arm, in my opinion," Leonard said. "He's a natural leader, and he's not afraid of failure. He's going to put himself out there, regardless of if it puts him in a situation to fail or succeed.""He's mature beyond his years, we saw that from day one," Snyder said. "He walked into the camp last year, and everybody was like, 'This kid's going to be it for us.' It took him a couple weeks, but he got a shot and ran with it. It's just that maturity as a freshman and the competitiveness, that's why you feel like you have a chance on every snap."He's played only maybe 10 games in his career because of injuries and starting halfway during last year. You can't really gauge a quarterback on those few games."Teamwork is a must Saturday, according to McNair.

KWU FB FEATURE: Resilient McNair ready for Dickinson State challenge

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB

Q: What did you see from Spencer Shrader that made you want to sign him?

TOUB: “Every year we rate all the kickers coming out. A lot like (Harrison) Butker, he (Spencer Shrader) was our number one guy coming out, we had him number one on our list. He was a guy obviously we targeted, we looked at and we liked him early and then he was on the practice squad, so we took a shot and got him. We’re happy we got him. He’s got a strong leg. We haven’t seen a lot of him but in practice, he’s looked really good.”

Q: On kickers seeming to have more powerful legs nowadays.

TOUB: “I mean the guys are so much – we’ve had this conversation before. I mean the guys are – they’re powerful. The leg strength is really off the charts so it’s not unusual – I mean the guys have to be able to kick a 50-yarder now to be considered an NFL kicker. Then, it comes down to accuracy after that, obviously consistently with the pressure and weather and wind. All those things come into play.”

Q: Do you agree that every yard matters?

TOUB: “Very much so. The last two games – I mean for us, winning field position, that’s the number one thing that we try to do. The last two games, we haven’t won the field position battle. That’s something that you know obviously we’re striving to get on the right track.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, a little uncharted waters for this year, (we’re) a little disappointed in last week. Listen, we’ve put it all to bed and flushed it away and now onto another good football team. They don’t get any easier and I know what their (the Carolina Panthers) record says, but (the) quarterback’s (Panthers QB Bryce Young) playing really good and (the) running back’s (Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard) a good player. I think these young guys on the outside are getting a lot of confidence so that’s what we’re getting prepared for. With that, I’ll open it up (to questions).”

Q:&nbsp;Are you satisfied with what you’re getting from your pass rush?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Look, the numbers say that you wouldn’t be. Now, I don’t measure everything on sacks, you know that. That particular quarterback (Bills QB Josh Allen) and a bunch of these quarterbacks we’ve played, we’ve had to play a certain way and sometimes you’re not getting four and five guys turned loose. I think you guys (the media) know what I’m saying, and it makes it hard. This guy makes one guy miss and we’re off point (and) he can – like he did on that fourth down play. We’re hoping to crank it up and get the so-called numbers where we want them or at least get the hits, the pressures, getting the quarterback off his spot, those are the things that we need to get better at.”

Q:&nbsp;What have you seen from the recent success of the Carolina Panthers?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Listen, they’re playing confident. Listen, they can be a scary bunch when you have a bunch of young guys that have a lot of confidence – they’re coming off a bye week, I’m sure (Head Coach) Andy’s (Reid) talked about all of that. We’re in tune to it, our eyes are open, (and) nobody’s overlooking this particular unit that we’re going against. All we handle is the defense, right? I think this quarterback (Panthers QB Bryce Young) feels really good about what he’s doing. I think they’re doing really good things with him. If we don’t go out there and play our best football, that won’t be good. Any team in this league can make you look bad.”

Q:&nbsp;How do you get your defense to ramp up during November and December football to prepare for a playoff push?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Well, one of the things (that) we try to do is simplify at times. I think sometimes when you simplify, you play faster. There’s been a little bit of that direction this week. We’re always going to be multiple because we believe in putting pressure on the team that we’re playing, but if everybody can just be on point and just stay in their lane, do their job – we talk about that all the time. When we play our best is when the unit chemistry is like that (meshed hands together), not anybody trying to do their own thing. We haven’t had a lot of that this year so if we can get back to that and not make those mental errors, I think we’ll be okay.”

NAGY:&nbsp;“He (Noah Gray) really has. He’s been somebody that – since I’ve got here, I’ve really taken on to what he’s done as far as the details, his practice habits, his in-game adjustments (and) his making plays when given a chance. You see what he did last week in Buffalo, he made some nice plays. He’s Mr. Consistent, I think it’s very valuable and he’s probably one of the more underrated and underappreciated guys – from outside of this building – when you look at what he does.”

Q: How do you see your running back rotation working with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt when Isiah Pacheco returns?

NAGY:&nbsp;“It’s a good problem – I don’t see it as a problem, I used that word, but for him (Isiah Pacheco) to be able to get back into the mix – I always start off with, number one, who he is a football player. What he does for our offense is great stuff. I mean, he’s growing as a young kid (and) as a young football player in this offense but then you also take his personality, his demeanor, his fire, his energy (and) you throw that into the mix with Kareem (Hunt) and the other guys, it does nothing but help you. Whenever that is, whether it’s this week or next week, you know, he just brings positivity and I’m just happy for him to be able to get back.”

Q: How do you approach building on the final touchdown drive for this week and the rest of the season?

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUBQ: What did you see from Spencer Shrader that made you want to sign him?TOUB: “Every year we rate all the kickers coming out. A lot like (Harrison) Butker, he (Spencer Shrader) was our number one guy coming out, we had him number one on our list. He was a guy obviously we targeted, we looked at and we liked him early and then he was on the practice squad, so we took a shot and got him. We’re happy we got him. He’s got a strong leg. We haven’t seen a lot of him but in practice, he’s looked really good.”Q: On kickers seeming to have more powerful legs nowadays.TOUB: “I mean the guys are so much – we’ve had this conversation before. I mean the guys are – they’re powerful. The leg strength is really off the charts so it’s not unusual – I mean the guys have to be able to kick a 50-yarder now to be considered an NFL kicker. Then, it comes down to accuracy after that, obviously consistently with the pressure and weather and wind. All those things come into play.”Q: Do you agree that every yard matters?TOUB: “Very much so. The last two games – I mean for us, winning field position, that’s the number one thing that we try to do. The last two games, we haven’t won the field position battle. That’s something that you know obviously we’re striving to get on the right track.”DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLOOPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, a little uncharted waters for this year, (we’re) a little disappointed in last week. Listen, we’ve put it all to bed and flushed it away and now onto another good football team. They don’t get any easier and I know what their (the Carolina Panthers) record says, but (the) quarterback’s (Panthers QB Bryce Young) playing really good and (the) running back’s (Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard) a good player. I think these young guys on the outside are getting a lot of confidence so that’s what we’re getting prepared for. With that, I’ll open it up (to questions).”Q:&nbsp;Are you satisfied with what you’re getting from your pass rush?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Look, the numbers say that you wouldn’t be. Now, I don’t measure everything on sacks, you know that. That particular quarterback (Bills QB Josh Allen) and a bunch of these quarterbacks we’ve played, we’ve had to play a certain way and sometimes you’re not getting four and five guys turned loose. I think you guys (the media) know what I’m saying, and it makes it hard. This guy makes one guy miss and we’re off point (and) he can – like he did on that fourth down play. We’re hoping to crank it up and get the so-called numbers where we want them or at least get the hits, the pressures, getting the quarterback off his spot, those are the things that we need to get better at.”Q:&nbsp;What have you seen from the recent success of the Carolina Panthers?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Listen, they’re playing confident. Listen, they can be a scary bunch when you have a bunch of young guys that have a lot of confidence – they’re coming off a bye week, I’m sure (Head Coach) Andy’s (Reid) talked about all of that. We’re in tune to it, our eyes are open, (and) nobody’s overlooking this particular unit that we’re going against. All we handle is the defense, right? I think this quarterback (Panthers QB Bryce Young) feels really good about what he’s doing. I think they’re doing really good things with him. If we don’t go out there and play our best football, that won’t be good. Any team in this league can make you look bad.”Q:&nbsp;How do you get your defense to ramp up during November and December football to prepare for a playoff push?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Well, one of the things (that) we try to do is simplify at times. I think sometimes when you simplify, you play faster. There’s been a little bit of that direction this week. We’re always going to be multiple because we believe in putting pressure on the team that we’re playing, but if everybody can just be on point and just stay in their lane, do their job – we talk about that all the time. When we play our best is when the unit chemistry is like that (meshed hands together), not anybody trying to do their own thing. We haven’t had a lot of that this year so if we can get back to that and not make those mental errors, I think we’ll be okay.”OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT NAGYQ: On the evolution of Noah Gray.NAGY:&nbsp;“He (Noah Gray) really has. He’s been somebody that – since I’ve got here, I’ve really taken on to what he’s done as far as the details, his practice habits, his in-game adjustments (and) his making plays when given a chance. You see what he did last week in Buffalo, he made some nice plays. He’s Mr. Consistent, I think it’s very valuable and he’s probably one of the more underrated and underappreciated guys – from outside of this building – when you look at what he does.”Q: How do you see your running back rotation working with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt when Isiah Pacheco returns?NAGY:&nbsp;“It’s a good problem – I don’t see it as a problem, I used that word, but for him (Isiah Pacheco) to be able to get back into the mix – I always start off with, number one, who he is a football player. What he does for our offense is great stuff. I mean, he’s growing as a young kid (and) as a young football player in this offense but then you also take his personality, his demeanor, his fire, his energy (and) you throw that into the mix with Kareem (Hunt) and the other guys, it does nothing but help you. Whenever that is, whether it’s this week or next week, you know, he just brings positivity and I’m just happy for him to be able to get back.”Q: How do you approach building on the final touchdown drive for this week and the rest of the season?

Chiefs Quotes: 11-21-24

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/4794ba56-87a0-4b4c-b3d3-fd37227b4a05?elinkdata=15743">Alex Littlejohn</a> was not feeling well in advance of Kansas Wesleyan's basketball game against McPherson.

Littlejohn, to nobody's surprise though, donned his uniform and played in the Kansas Conference contest Wednesday night inside Mabee Arena. His performance left the visiting Bulldogs feeling puny by game's end.

Littlejohn scored 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in leading KWU to a 72-65 victory. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/9220937b-771c-41bf-a6bf-b40efc8f3670?elinkdata=15743">Evens Appolon</a>, the Coyotes' man-mountain center who was playing on his birthday, blocked a program-record 11 shots to go along with eight points and seven rebounds.

The Coyotes ended a two-game losing streak and improved to 5-2 overall, 1-1 in the conference. McPherson fell to 2-3 and 0-2.

Littlejohn, the Coyotes' all-everything senior forward, was magnificent once more. He entered the game averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds.

"Alex was sick all day," coach <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/c03b9ab8-8190-453e-bbdc-9c349cefe949?elinkdata=15743">Anthony Monson</a> said on the postgame radio show. "He wasn't here for most of the day and we didn't know if he was actually going to play until maybe an hour before gametime. He made the big buckets when we needed them."

Littlejohn scored 10 points and KWU shot 55.6 percent from the field (20 of 36) en route to a 44-32 halftime lead.

McPherson rallied in the second half and got as close as three points on four occasions, the last 67-64 with 59 seconds left. The comeback was fueled by a 47-41 rebounding advantage that included 21 offensive rebounds and resulted in 21 second chance points.

"It's been a problem all year and we've got to find a way to fix that," Monson said. "They got 21 offensive boards tonight and we still found a way to win. We're playing with fire especially with (No. 17-ranked) Oklahoma Wesleyan coming here Saturday. That's what they do best and we've got to find a way to clean that glass or we're going to be in a world of hurt."

Appolon, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound transfer from Central Methodist, was one-man wrecking crew on the defensive end. His six blocks in the second half help keep McPherson at bay.

"He's got a ton of potential, he's just so raw and still so young," Monson said. "He's a guy who works hard and he's fun to work with every day. He's got a great attitude and just does everything that you want. It's fun to see him continue to grow and to continue to get better."

After McPherson got within three the final time the Coyotes closed it out in the final 42.3 seconds by making 4 of 6 free throws while McPherson missed two shots - the first blocked by Appolon - and was 1 of 2 at the foul line.

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0985dd1b-2cea-45df-96dc-7a49dd7659c4?elinkdata=15743">Izaiah Hale</a> added 10 points as KWU shot 47 percent (30 of 64) for the game but just 2 of 13 from beyond the 3-point line. McPherson shot 34 percent (27 of 80) and was 6 of 21 from long range.

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/a327a2f9-b8f8-4642-8e83-e18010deff27?elinkdata=15743">Jayden Hall</a> started at point guard for the Coyotes and finished with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and just one turnover.

"He did a good job tonight," Monson said. "That's why I tell everybody you've got to be ready because you never know when I'm going to make a switch. We made a switch tonight and felt like it was what we needed for this game. Luckily for us it worked out."

Charles Snyder and Jamil Hardaway had 14 points apiece for McPherson which was without starting forward Collin Storr.

"I thought defensively, except for a little stretch there in the second half, we were pretty good," Monson said. "And honestly if we wouldn't have given up so many offensive boards and a couple turnovers things would have been a little different."

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/4794ba56-87a0-4b4c-b3d3-fd37227b4a05?elinkdata=15743">Alex Littlejohn</a> was not feeling well in advance of Kansas Wesleyan's basketball game against McPherson.Littlejohn, to nobody's surprise though, donned his uniform and played in the Kansas Conference contest Wednesday night inside Mabee Arena. His performance left the visiting Bulldogs feeling puny by game's end.Littlejohn scored 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in leading KWU to a 72-65 victory. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/9220937b-771c-41bf-a6bf-b40efc8f3670?elinkdata=15743">Evens Appolon</a>, the Coyotes' man-mountain center who was playing on his birthday, blocked a program-record 11 shots to go along with eight points and seven rebounds.The Coyotes ended a two-game losing streak and improved to 5-2 overall, 1-1 in the conference. McPherson fell to 2-3 and 0-2.Littlejohn, the Coyotes' all-everything senior forward, was magnificent once more. He entered the game averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds."Alex was sick all day," coach <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/c03b9ab8-8190-453e-bbdc-9c349cefe949?elinkdata=15743">Anthony Monson</a> said on the postgame radio show. "He wasn't here for most of the day and we didn't know if he was actually going to play until maybe an hour before gametime. He made the big buckets when we needed them."Littlejohn scored 10 points and KWU shot 55.6 percent from the field (20 of 36) en route to a 44-32 halftime lead.McPherson rallied in the second half and got as close as three points on four occasions, the last 67-64 with 59 seconds left. The comeback was fueled by a 47-41 rebounding advantage that included 21 offensive rebounds and resulted in 21 second chance points."It's been a problem all year and we've got to find a way to fix that," Monson said. "They got 21 offensive boards tonight and we still found a way to win. We're playing with fire especially with (No. 17-ranked) Oklahoma Wesleyan coming here Saturday. That's what they do best and we've got to find a way to clean that glass or we're going to be in a world of hurt."Appolon, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound transfer from Central Methodist, was one-man wrecking crew on the defensive end. His six blocks in the second half help keep McPherson at bay."He's got a ton of potential, he's just so raw and still so young," Monson said. "He's a guy who works hard and he's fun to work with every day. He's got a great attitude and just does everything that you want. It's fun to see him continue to grow and to continue to get better."After McPherson got within three the final time the Coyotes closed it out in the final 42.3 seconds by making 4 of 6 free throws while McPherson missed two shots - the first blocked by Appolon - and was 1 of 2 at the foul line.<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0985dd1b-2cea-45df-96dc-7a49dd7659c4?elinkdata=15743">Izaiah Hale</a> added 10 points as KWU shot 47 percent (30 of 64) for the game but just 2 of 13 from beyond the 3-point line. McPherson shot 34 percent (27 of 80) and was 6 of 21 from long range.<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/a327a2f9-b8f8-4642-8e83-e18010deff27?elinkdata=15743">Jayden Hall</a> started at point guard for the Coyotes and finished with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and just one turnover."He did a good job tonight," Monson said. "That's why I tell everybody you've got to be ready because you never know when I'm going to make a switch. We made a switch tonight and felt like it was what we needed for this game. Luckily for us it worked out."Charles Snyder and Jamil Hardaway had 14 points apiece for McPherson which was without starting forward Collin Storr."I thought defensively, except for a little stretch there in the second half, we were pretty good," Monson said. "And honestly if we wouldn't have given up so many offensive boards and a couple turnovers things would have been a little different."

Ailing Littlejohn, Appolon lead Coyotes past McPherson 72-65

Kansas Wesleyan Women's Basketball improved to 2-0 in the Kansas Conference with a convincing 97-64 win over the McPherson College Bulldogs on Wednesday night at Mabee Arena.

"We were ready to play. We were locked in," Wesleyan coach <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ea67b38f-4966-4d3e-b316-3c064f007bcf?elinkdata=15715">Ryan Showman</a> said. "I thought we had two really good days of practice and preparation and we were ready to go. The starters set the tone and people came off the bench and keep the momentum going.

One of those key bench players was senior sharpshooter <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/1768817e-5fdd-4b45-b4c7-46f1fc198f42?elinkdata=15715">Jill Stephens</a>. Stephens went 4-4 from 3-point range in the first quarter and added a free throw, scoring 13 points in the period as the Coyotes jumped out to a 29-12 lead.

"I thought <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/edca916d-4f97-4dac-857d-030d01b5c012?elinkdata=15715">Jill Stephens</a> was phenomenal off the bench in that first half, hitting a bunch of big shots for us and extended the lead," Showman said.

Both teams struggled in the second quarter, but the Coyotes picked things up in the last two minutes. McPherson had cut the lead to nine thanks to a 9-0 run when Wesleyan responded.

Showman called a timeout midway through McPherson's run to refocus the team.

"There were some challenges issued in the timeout. I thought the response was great," he said. "It was what you would expect from a veteran team. We came out and closed things out heading to half time and I think that was really important."

The Coyotes closed the half on an 8-1 run pushing the lead back out to 16 at half time.

Five straight points by <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/db78c8c9-517a-4c86-b765-fae8e943ef9b?elinkdata=15715">Catherine Bowman</a> halfway through the third pushed KWU's lead out over 20 points for the first time.

<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b77a6f24-1775-4965-95bc-241066ef3bf8?elinkdata=15715">Kourtney Kaufman's</a> 3-pointer just before the third quarter horn gave KWU a 71-44 lead.

Another Kaufman triple got the difference over 30 for the first time with seven minutes left at 81-50.

Wesleyan shot lights out in the first quarter (10 of 12 for 83 percent) and in the third as well (9 of 14 for 64.3 percent) on the way to shooting 31 of 65 from the field for the game for 47.7 percent. The Coyotes hit 14 3-pointers, going 14 of 37 from deep.

Stephens had 16 to lead all scorers in the game, and another balanced output by the Coyotes. Bowman and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/476ab41b-4bef-4ae5-b55d-2eed55ef1e7b?elinkdata=15715">LaMyah Ricks</a> added 11 each. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/1725490b-c22b-45dc-8af2-c4eb9b2d2fbe?elinkdata=15715">Paige Chauncey</a>, <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/7c722111-05cd-45ee-a72b-73959769cac8?elinkdata=15715">Angel Lee</a> and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/809d5ed5-15d7-42cf-8da9-8d80aab2386a?elinkdata=15715">Odessa Ozuna</a> had nine each for the Coyotes. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ea25a2db-4a64-4f71-a588-60fc3fabc17e?elinkdata=15715">Jocelyn Hall</a> had 12 rebounds for the Coyotes, who out rebounded McPherson 48-42.

Kansas Wesleyan Women's Basketball improved to 2-0 in the Kansas Conference with a convincing 97-64 win over the McPherson College Bulldogs on Wednesday night at Mabee Arena."We were ready to play. We were locked in," Wesleyan coach <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ea67b38f-4966-4d3e-b316-3c064f007bcf?elinkdata=15715">Ryan Showman</a> said. "I thought we had two really good days of practice and preparation and we were ready to go. The starters set the tone and people came off the bench and keep the momentum going.One of those key bench players was senior sharpshooter <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/1768817e-5fdd-4b45-b4c7-46f1fc198f42?elinkdata=15715">Jill Stephens</a>. Stephens went 4-4 from 3-point range in the first quarter and added a free throw, scoring 13 points in the period as the Coyotes jumped out to a 29-12 lead."I thought <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/edca916d-4f97-4dac-857d-030d01b5c012?elinkdata=15715">Jill Stephens</a> was phenomenal off the bench in that first half, hitting a bunch of big shots for us and extended the lead," Showman said.Both teams struggled in the second quarter, but the Coyotes picked things up in the last two minutes. McPherson had cut the lead to nine thanks to a 9-0 run when Wesleyan responded.Showman called a timeout midway through McPherson's run to refocus the team."There were some challenges issued in the timeout. I thought the response was great," he said. "It was what you would expect from a veteran team. We came out and closed things out heading to half time and I think that was really important."The Coyotes closed the half on an 8-1 run pushing the lead back out to 16 at half time.Five straight points by <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/db78c8c9-517a-4c86-b765-fae8e943ef9b?elinkdata=15715">Catherine Bowman</a> halfway through the third pushed KWU's lead out over 20 points for the first time.<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b77a6f24-1775-4965-95bc-241066ef3bf8?elinkdata=15715">Kourtney Kaufman's</a> 3-pointer just before the third quarter horn gave KWU a 71-44 lead.Another Kaufman triple got the difference over 30 for the first time with seven minutes left at 81-50.Wesleyan shot lights out in the first quarter (10 of 12 for 83 percent) and in the third as well (9 of 14 for 64.3 percent) on the way to shooting 31 of 65 from the field for the game for 47.7 percent. The Coyotes hit 14 3-pointers, going 14 of 37 from deep.Stephens had 16 to lead all scorers in the game, and another balanced output by the Coyotes. Bowman and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/476ab41b-4bef-4ae5-b55d-2eed55ef1e7b?elinkdata=15715">LaMyah Ricks</a> added 11 each. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/1725490b-c22b-45dc-8af2-c4eb9b2d2fbe?elinkdata=15715">Paige Chauncey</a>, <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/7c722111-05cd-45ee-a72b-73959769cac8?elinkdata=15715">Angel Lee</a> and <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/809d5ed5-15d7-42cf-8da9-8d80aab2386a?elinkdata=15715">Odessa Ozuna</a> had nine each for the Coyotes. <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/ea25a2db-4a64-4f71-a588-60fc3fabc17e?elinkdata=15715">Jocelyn Hall</a> had 12 rebounds for the Coyotes, who out rebounded McPherson 48-42.

KWU WBB cruises to 97-64 win over McPherson

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– (10/10) K-State dispatched of Milwaukee in the opening five minutes of Wednesday night’s game and cruised to a season-high 111-46 win at Bramlage Coliseum.

The 111 points are the second-most points K-State has scored in a game in program history and the most since setting the school record of 115 on Dec. 2, 2002, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

K-State shot a season-high 60.0 percent from the field (45-of-75) and registered its highest field goal percentage since a 60.4 percent effort against Baylor on Feb. 15, 2023.

K-State (5-0) improved its season-opening win streak to five. This is the third straight season the Wildcats have opened a season with a five-game winning streak and marks the first time in program history K-State has started three consecutive seasons with a 5-0 record.

The Wildcats featured a season-high six players in double figures and were led by All-America center Ayoka Lee with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting. She also pulled in seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

Senior guard Jaelyn Glenn equaled her season-high with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting including 3-of-4 from 3-point range to go with three rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Senior guard and All-America candidate Serena Sundell carded 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot. This was Sundell’s 47th&nbsp;career game with 10 or more points and five or more assists.

Sophomore guard Zyanna Walker narrowly missed a triple-double with 13 points, a career-high nine rebounds and a career-high nine assists.

Sophomore guard Taryn Sides added 11 points off the bench, while junior Gisela Sanchez carded 10 points, a career-high seven assists and five rebounds.

- K-State raced out to an 18-4 lead with 4:31 to play in the first quarter. Lee scored half of K-State’s points, nine, in the five-and-a-half-minute stretch. The Wildcats would end the frame with a 27-11 lead and shot 55.6 percent (10-of-18).

- Milwaukee (2-4) narrowed the deficit to 18, 35-17, with 7:11 to play in the second quarter. The Wildcats answered the mini-run by the Panthers with a 19-1 run to end the first half and build a 54-18 lead at the break.

- The Wildcats shot 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the field in the second quarter.

- The 54 first half points were the most by K-State in a first half since scoring 54 in the opening half against Utah Tech on Nov. 20, 2022. This was the first time K-State scored 25 or more points in consecutive quarters since Dec. 6, 2023, against McNeese State when K-State scored 30 points and 25 in the third and fourth quarters.

- K-State registered a season-high for points in a quarter with 33 in the third quarter to build an 87-33 advantage at the end of the third. The Wildcats shot 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the field in the frame.

- The Wildcats won the fourth quarter, 24-13, and shot 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the field.

- K-State outrebounded the Panthers, 51-18, as the Wildcats converted 16 offensive rebounds into 20 second chance points.

- The Wildcats handed out a season-high 27 assists on their 45 made field goals.

- K-State and Milwaukee played the first game in the series between the schools. The Wildcats are 11-2 against current members of the Horizon League.

- K-State is 401-156 (.720) in its 37-season history inside Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats own a 234-30 (.886) record against non-conference opponents inside Bramlage.

- K-State owns a record of 253-95 (.727) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 16-5 (.762) all-time when ranked 10th in the nation.

- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 649-370 (.637) in his 33 seasons as a head coach, including a mark of 195-135 (.591) in his 11 seasons at K-State. Mittie is 405-113 (.782) in games played in his home venue, including a 131-48 (.732) mark in Bramlage Coliseum.

- The Wildcats are 165-54 (.753) in games played in the month of November, including wins in 53 of its last 64 games in the month. Under Mittie, K-State is 51-11 (.823) in games during the 11th&nbsp;month.

- K-State's starting five consisted of guards: Zyanna Walker, Jaelyn Glenn and Serena Sundell; forward Temira Poindexter and center Ayoka Lee. This was the fourth time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 118th&nbsp;career start for Lee, the 108th career start for Sundell, the 104th career start for Jaelyn Glenn, the 92nd career collegiate start and fifth at K-State for Poindexter and the fifth career start for Walker. With her 118th&nbsp;career start at K-State, Lee moves into sole possession of 8th&nbsp;in program history for career starts.

- The Wildcats held a 54-18 lead at halftime on Wednesday. Under Mittie, K-State is 155-19 (.891) when leading at halftime. The Wildcats have led at the half in all five games this season.

- K-State has scored 20-or more points in a quarter 12 times this season, including all four quarters on Wednesday night. Since the start of the quarter-system in 2015-16, the Wildcats are 137-62 (.688) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter of a game.

- K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in a quarter in all four quarters on Wednesday night.The Wildcats have 10 quarters this season of 50.0 percent or better shooting.

- Over the last four seasons, K-State is 47-3 (.940) when holding the advantage on the glass.

- K-State recorded a combination of 23 blocks and steals (nine blocks, 14 steals) on Wednesday. In the Jeff Mittie era, K-State is 24-1 when achieving a combination of 20 or more blocks and steals in a game.

- Lee needs 64 points to pass Kendra Wecker (2001-05; 2,333 points) for the school record for points in a career. Lee’s career point total stands at 2,270. Lee tallied her 54th career game with 20 or more points and her 108th career game with 10 or more points. Lee has scored in every game of her career (118 games).

- Lee hauled in seven rebounds on Wednesday. Lee’s career total for rebounds stands at 1,143, improving upon her own school record for career rebounds. Lee is seventh in Big 12 history for career rebounds. This was her 104th&nbsp;career game with five or more rebounds.

- Lee has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 81 career games. With her 11 made field goals on Wednesday, Lee improved her career total to 919. She needs 17 made field goals to pass Ohlde for the school record for career field goals made. This was her 32nd&nbsp;career game with 10 or more made field goals.

- Lee improved her career blocked shot total to 316, improving upon her school record for career blocked shots. Lee ranks fifth all-time in Big 12 history for career blocked shots.

- With her 17 points on Wednesday, Glenn improved her career total to 905 points. She needs 95 points to become the 46th&nbsp;player in program history to score 1,000 or more career points at K-State. This was her 42nd&nbsp;career game with 10 or more points.

- Glenn made three 3-pointers on Wednesday. This was her 51st career game with two or more connections from long range. She is tied for 10th on the K-State career 3-point field goals made list (166).

- Glenn pocketed three steals on Wednesday for her 61st&nbsp;career game with two or more steals. With her three steals, Glenn improved her career total to 213 steals and moved into eighth in school history for career steals, passing Shaelyn Martin (2014-18; 212).

- Sundell notched her 74th career game with 10 or more points. Sundell owns 1,313 career points and passed Megan Mahoney (2001-05; 1,307) for 19th&nbsp;and is tied with Marlies Gipson (2005-09; 1,313) for 18th&nbsp;on the K-State career scoring list.

- Sundell’s five assists on Wednesday improved her career total to 572 and she remains in third in school history for career assists. With 18 assists, Sundell will pass Megan Mahoney (2001-05; 589) for second in school history. This was her 68th&nbsp;career game with five or more assists.

- Walker recorded her 14th&nbsp;career game, all at K-State, with 10 or more points.

- Walker handed out five or more assists for the fourth time this season and the sixth time in her career.

- Walker achieved 14th&nbsp;career game and her third this season with five or more rebounds.

- Sides connected on three 3-point field goals, equaling her career-high and marking her 12th&nbsp;career game with two or more connections from long range.

- Sanchez tallied a season-high in points and her eighth career game with 10 or more points.

- Sanchez hauled in five or more rebounds for the third time this season and the 16th&nbsp;time in her career.

- Sanchez dished out a career-high seven assists. This was her second career game with five or more assists.

“When you don't make shots, it tends to not look good. I mean, that's the thing, when you make shots, everything looks good. But I think the things that lead to making shots, ball movement, spacing, those things were much better. And I thought our effort was much better. I said a couple games ago, one of the things that concerned me about our transition game was we were getting three and maybe a four, but we weren't getting a fifth to run hard like we needed to. I think tonight we saw some players run really well. I'll give you an example. There was a play coming our way, where I was in front of the bench and I was yelling at her [Zyanna Walker] to go through, and she was ahead of the pack, and she went all the way through and got it back, got the ball, got a ball screen from Kennedy [Taylor], and hit the pull up jumper on the other side. And you know, we weren't playing that way, certainly Monday night, we've had glimpses of it. But tonight we put it together. Now we had some advantages, but at the same time you can either take advantage of those advantages or play down a notch. And tonight we played up.”

On holding Milwaukee to 18 rebounds…

"I think two things. I think one, our transition game got going so well, they got so concerned about that so they weren't sending people to the glass. It's one of the things that I think goes unnoticed when you're running so well at the other end, and the other team says, 'We got to get back.' They tend to do that quicker. And then I think that we chased the ball really well tonight. I thought our guards really chased the ball well tonight. I had to look at that twice on the stat sheet, because I thought Randy had made a mistake and because it didn't feel like that to me watching it, but it also didn't feel like they were getting any second chances."

"I think as a coach, I think you're always curious on how your team’s going to handle success and how they're going to handle some adversity. And while we won a game the other night, you guys all know that I wasn't pleased with some things, and our team knew I wasn't pleased with some things. So how are they going to bounce back from that? Shoot around, practice preparation, and then when the lights are on, how are they going to handle that? So I thought this was a good step forward for us. We saw a lot of people play well tonight, and that's what I was looking for."

On going into the Ball Dawgs Classic…

"We know we've got a really good matchup with Duke, and it's a great tournament. You've got Oklahoma and DePaul on the other side. We're going to go to win a tournament championship. We got four teams that have that opportunity. Every player, every coach, gets more excited about ranked games, tournament games, those things are exciting for us. Hopefully we'll have good preparation going into it. We've got a couple days here in Manhattan, and then we'll get into Vegas on Saturday."

K-State Senior Guard Serena Sundell

On the team’s ability to quickly turn around defensively…

“I think we did a good job of refocusing. We had a practice yesterday where we were focused on us. We didn't really talk about Milwaukee. We focused on what we needed to do, and what we could control, just the little things that kind of go a long way, whether that's our defense and guarding people one-on-one or rebounding and taking good shots. Like you said, we did a good job of kind of refocusing coming in tonight with a different mindset of putting it on them, and then let's not play the score.”

On Gap Goat’s influence with intensity and motivation…

“I think even tonight, Coach (Jeff) Mittie was honest about our defense. I think we still had different ways we could improve. We knew that they were going to come in, and you saw it with strides, stops, pivot work, and angles. He said, they're not the fastest team, and we can beat them to the spots but we have to be disciplined. We kind of lost our discipline a few times there, but overall, it was a good defensive performance. I think the Gap Goat intensity is still fun, it still motivates us. It's fun to see the managers get into it with the crowd.”

On the legacy of gap goat without Gabby Gregory…

“She did a good job. She was obviously a presence on Twitter. We needed somebody to step up and get that going again. I think our team, just embraces it. It's just what makes K-State Women's Basketball unique. It's something that our fans and community have really bought into, which has been a lot of fun to see just that grow. As silly as it is, it is helpful, and it's a lot of fun to get seven gaps. We all really believe in what it means and the statistics of if you are getting seven gaps, you're going to win 95% of your games. So I think our team believes and we trust in coach Mittie and that philosophy. It's been fun to kind of see that hard work kind of pan out so far.”

K-State Sophomore Guard Taryn Sides

“I think it's just a lot of fun. The way we played tonight suits us. Guard good, get out and run, push the ball, get some easy buckets in transition and then play out of it. I think it's what we did well tonight. It was a lot of fun.”

“I think Coach [Jeff] Mittie has instilled confidence in me to shoot the ball. He says let it fly and when your coach is telling you that, it just gives you the free will and you just play looser. And I think I've done that better this year compared to last year.”

“I just feel more confident and loose. My teammates can attest to that. We just play together so well, so it makes it easy. Just knock down shots, get everyone involved, and play basketball the right way.”

K-State will play its first two games away from Bramlage Coliseum next week, as the Wildcats take part in the 2024 Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nevada. K-State will face (14/14) Duke on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. (CT).

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– (10/10) K-State dispatched of Milwaukee in the opening five minutes of Wednesday night’s game and cruised to a season-high 111-46 win at Bramlage Coliseum.The 111 points are the second-most points K-State has scored in a game in program history and the most since setting the school record of 115 on Dec. 2, 2002, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.K-State shot a season-high 60.0 percent from the field (45-of-75) and registered its highest field goal percentage since a 60.4 percent effort against Baylor on Feb. 15, 2023.K-State (5-0) improved its season-opening win streak to five. This is the third straight season the Wildcats have opened a season with a five-game winning streak and marks the first time in program history K-State has started three consecutive seasons with a 5-0 record.The Wildcats featured a season-high six players in double figures and were led by All-America center Ayoka Lee with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting. She also pulled in seven rebounds and blocked two shots.Senior guard Jaelyn Glenn equaled her season-high with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting including 3-of-4 from 3-point range to go with three rebounds, three steals and two assists.Senior guard and All-America candidate Serena Sundell carded 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot. This was Sundell’s 47th&nbsp;career game with 10 or more points and five or more assists.Sophomore guard Zyanna Walker narrowly missed a triple-double with 13 points, a career-high nine rebounds and a career-high nine assists.Sophomore guard Taryn Sides added 11 points off the bench, while junior Gisela Sanchez carded 10 points, a career-high seven assists and five rebounds.HOW IT HAPPENED- K-State raced out to an 18-4 lead with 4:31 to play in the first quarter. Lee scored half of K-State’s points, nine, in the five-and-a-half-minute stretch. The Wildcats would end the frame with a 27-11 lead and shot 55.6 percent (10-of-18).- Milwaukee (2-4) narrowed the deficit to 18, 35-17, with 7:11 to play in the second quarter. The Wildcats answered the mini-run by the Panthers with a 19-1 run to end the first half and build a 54-18 lead at the break.- The Wildcats shot 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the field in the second quarter.- The 54 first half points were the most by K-State in a first half since scoring 54 in the opening half against Utah Tech on Nov. 20, 2022. This was the first time K-State scored 25 or more points in consecutive quarters since Dec. 6, 2023, against McNeese State when K-State scored 30 points and 25 in the third and fourth quarters.- K-State registered a season-high for points in a quarter with 33 in the third quarter to build an 87-33 advantage at the end of the third. The Wildcats shot 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the field in the frame.- The Wildcats won the fourth quarter, 24-13, and shot 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the field.- K-State outrebounded the Panthers, 51-18, as the Wildcats converted 16 offensive rebounds into 20 second chance points.- The Wildcats handed out a season-high 27 assists on their 45 made field goals.QUICK FACTS- K-State and Milwaukee played the first game in the series between the schools. The Wildcats are 11-2 against current members of the Horizon League.- K-State is 401-156 (.720) in its 37-season history inside Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats own a 234-30 (.886) record against non-conference opponents inside Bramlage.- K-State owns a record of 253-95 (.727) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 16-5 (.762) all-time when ranked 10th in the nation.- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 649-370 (.637) in his 33 seasons as a head coach, including a mark of 195-135 (.591) in his 11 seasons at K-State. Mittie is 405-113 (.782) in games played in his home venue, including a 131-48 (.732) mark in Bramlage Coliseum.- The Wildcats are 165-54 (.753) in games played in the month of November, including wins in 53 of its last 64 games in the month. Under Mittie, K-State is 51-11 (.823) in games during the 11th&nbsp;month.TEAM NOTES- K-State's starting five consisted of guards: Zyanna Walker, Jaelyn Glenn and Serena Sundell; forward Temira Poindexter and center Ayoka Lee. This was the fourth time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 118th&nbsp;career start for Lee, the 108th career start for Sundell, the 104th career start for Jaelyn Glenn, the 92nd career collegiate start and fifth at K-State for Poindexter and the fifth career start for Walker. With her 118th&nbsp;career start at K-State, Lee moves into sole possession of 8th&nbsp;in program history for career starts.- The Wildcats held a 54-18 lead at halftime on Wednesday. Under Mittie, K-State is 155-19 (.891) when leading at halftime. The Wildcats have led at the half in all five games this season.- K-State has scored 20-or more points in a quarter 12 times this season, including all four quarters on Wednesday night. Since the start of the quarter-system in 2015-16, the Wildcats are 137-62 (.688) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter of a game.- K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in a quarter in all four quarters on Wednesday night.The Wildcats have 10 quarters this season of 50.0 percent or better shooting.- Over the last four seasons, K-State is 47-3 (.940) when holding the advantage on the glass.- K-State recorded a combination of 23 blocks and steals (nine blocks, 14 steals) on Wednesday. In the Jeff Mittie era, K-State is 24-1 when achieving a combination of 20 or more blocks and steals in a game.PLAYER NOTES- Lee needs 64 points to pass Kendra Wecker (2001-05; 2,333 points) for the school record for points in a career. Lee’s career point total stands at 2,270. Lee tallied her 54th career game with 20 or more points and her 108th career game with 10 or more points. Lee has scored in every game of her career (118 games).- Lee hauled in seven rebounds on Wednesday. Lee’s career total for rebounds stands at 1,143, improving upon her own school record for career rebounds. Lee is seventh in Big 12 history for career rebounds. This was her 104th&nbsp;career game with five or more rebounds.- Lee has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 81 career games. With her 11 made field goals on Wednesday, Lee improved her career total to 919. She needs 17 made field goals to pass Ohlde for the school record for career field goals made. This was her 32nd&nbsp;career game with 10 or more made field goals.- Lee improved her career blocked shot total to 316, improving upon her school record for career blocked shots. Lee ranks fifth all-time in Big 12 history for career blocked shots.- With her 17 points on Wednesday, Glenn improved her career total to 905 points. She needs 95 points to become the 46th&nbsp;player in program history to score 1,000 or more career points at K-State. This was her 42nd&nbsp;career game with 10 or more points.- Glenn made three 3-pointers on Wednesday. This was her 51st career game with two or more connections from long range. She is tied for 10th on the K-State career 3-point field goals made list (166).- Glenn pocketed three steals on Wednesday for her 61st&nbsp;career game with two or more steals. With her three steals, Glenn improved her career total to 213 steals and moved into eighth in school history for career steals, passing Shaelyn Martin (2014-18; 212).- Sundell notched her 74th career game with 10 or more points. Sundell owns 1,313 career points and passed Megan Mahoney (2001-05; 1,307) for 19th&nbsp;and is tied with Marlies Gipson (2005-09; 1,313) for 18th&nbsp;on the K-State career scoring list.- Sundell’s five assists on Wednesday improved her career total to 572 and she remains in third in school history for career assists. With 18 assists, Sundell will pass Megan Mahoney (2001-05; 589) for second in school history. This was her 68th&nbsp;career game with five or more assists.- Walker recorded her 14th&nbsp;career game, all at K-State, with 10 or more points.- Walker handed out five or more assists for the fourth time this season and the sixth time in her career.- Walker achieved 14th&nbsp;career game and her third this season with five or more rebounds.- Sides connected on three 3-point field goals, equaling her career-high and marking her 12th&nbsp;career game with two or more connections from long range.- Sanchez tallied a season-high in points and her eighth career game with 10 or more points.- Sanchez hauled in five or more rebounds for the third time this season and the 16th&nbsp;time in her career.- Sanchez dished out a career-high seven assists. This was her second career game with five or more assists.FROM THE HEAD COACHK-State Head Coach Jeff MittieOpening Statement…“When you don't make shots, it tends to not look good. I mean, that's the thing, when you make shots, everything looks good. But I think the things that lead to making shots, ball movement, spacing, those things were much better. And I thought our effort was much better. I said a couple games ago, one of the things that concerned me about our transition game was we were getting three and maybe a four, but we weren't getting a fifth to run hard like we needed to. I think tonight we saw some players run really well. I'll give you an example. There was a play coming our way, where I was in front of the bench and I was yelling at her [Zyanna Walker] to go through, and she was ahead of the pack, and she went all the way through and got it back, got the ball, got a ball screen from Kennedy [Taylor], and hit the pull up jumper on the other side. And you know, we weren't playing that way, certainly Monday night, we've had glimpses of it. But tonight we put it together. Now we had some advantages, but at the same time you can either take advantage of those advantages or play down a notch. And tonight we played up.”On holding Milwaukee to 18 rebounds…"I think two things. I think one, our transition game got going so well, they got so concerned about that so they weren't sending people to the glass. It's one of the things that I think goes unnoticed when you're running so well at the other end, and the other team says, 'We got to get back.' They tend to do that quicker. And then I think that we chased the ball really well tonight. I thought our guards really chased the ball well tonight. I had to look at that twice on the stat sheet, because I thought Randy had made a mistake and because it didn't feel like that to me watching it, but it also didn't feel like they were getting any second chances."On teaching points tonight…"I think as a coach, I think you're always curious on how your team’s going to handle success and how they're going to handle some adversity. And while we won a game the other night, you guys all know that I wasn't pleased with some things, and our team knew I wasn't pleased with some things. So how are they going to bounce back from that? Shoot around, practice preparation, and then when the lights are on, how are they going to handle that? So I thought this was a good step forward for us. We saw a lot of people play well tonight, and that's what I was looking for."On going into the Ball Dawgs Classic…"We know we've got a really good matchup with Duke, and it's a great tournament. You've got Oklahoma and DePaul on the other side. We're going to go to win a tournament championship. We got four teams that have that opportunity. Every player, every coach, gets more excited about ranked games, tournament games, those things are exciting for us. Hopefully we'll have good preparation going into it. We've got a couple days here in Manhattan, and then we'll get into Vegas on Saturday."FROM THE FLOORK-State Senior Guard Serena SundellOn the team’s ability to quickly turn around defensively…“I think we did a good job of refocusing. We had a practice yesterday where we were focused on us. We didn't really talk about Milwaukee. We focused on what we needed to do, and what we could control, just the little things that kind of go a long way, whether that's our defense and guarding people one-on-one or rebounding and taking good shots. Like you said, we did a good job of kind of refocusing coming in tonight with a different mindset of putting it on them, and then let's not play the score.”On Gap Goat’s influence with intensity and motivation…“I think even tonight, Coach (Jeff) Mittie was honest about our defense. I think we still had different ways we could improve. We knew that they were going to come in, and you saw it with strides, stops, pivot work, and angles. He said, they're not the fastest team, and we can beat them to the spots but we have to be disciplined. We kind of lost our discipline a few times there, but overall, it was a good defensive performance. I think the Gap Goat intensity is still fun, it still motivates us. It's fun to see the managers get into it with the crowd.”On the legacy of gap goat without Gabby Gregory…“She did a good job. She was obviously a presence on Twitter. We needed somebody to step up and get that going again. I think our team, just embraces it. It's just what makes K-State Women's Basketball unique. It's something that our fans and community have really bought into, which has been a lot of fun to see just that grow. As silly as it is, it is helpful, and it's a lot of fun to get seven gaps. We all really believe in what it means and the statistics of if you are getting seven gaps, you're going to win 95% of your games. So I think our team believes and we trust in coach Mittie and that philosophy. It's been fun to kind of see that hard work kind of pan out so far.”K-State Sophomore Guard Taryn SidesOn how the offense performed…“I think it's just a lot of fun. The way we played tonight suits us. Guard good, get out and run, push the ball, get some easy buckets in transition and then play out of it. I think it's what we did well tonight. It was a lot of fun.”On her confidence…“I think Coach [Jeff] Mittie has instilled confidence in me to shoot the ball. He says let it fly and when your coach is telling you that, it just gives you the free will and you just play looser. And I think I've done that better this year compared to last year.”On her growth as a player…“I just feel more confident and loose. My teammates can attest to that. We just play together so well, so it makes it easy. Just knock down shots, get everyone involved, and play basketball the right way.”UP NEXTK-State will play its first two games away from Bramlage Coliseum next week, as the Wildcats take part in the 2024 Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nevada. K-State will face (14/14) Duke on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. (CT).

 K-State WBB Plows Through Milwaukee

<a>MANHATTAN, Kan. –&nbsp;Four Wildcat programs recorded Big 12-best graduation rate figures, and K-State’s all-sport graduation rate of 92 percent ranked was the second-highest in department history, as the NCAA released its latest graduation rate data.</a>

K-State’s men’s golf (100), women’s golf (100), tennis (100) and volleyball (100) programs all had Big 12-leading GSR figures, while as a department, K-State was fifth among current Big 12 membership with an overall average GSR of 92 percent. Other notable scores were baseball (92), which ranked third among Big 12 schools, and women’s track and field (97), which ranked second.

All colleges and universities are required by NCAA legislation and federal law (the Student Right-to-Know act from 1990) to report student graduation rates, and those institutions offering athletics aid are required to report for their student-athletes as well. The NCAA acquires student-athlete graduation rate data from the Department of Education’s Integrated Post-Secondary Data System Graduation Rate Survey (IPEDS-GRS).

The student-athlete graduation rate calculated directly based on IPEDS-GRS (which is the methodology the U.S. Department of Education requires) is the proportion of first-year, full-time student-athletes who entered a school on athletics aid and graduated from that institution within six years. This federal rate does not account for students who transfer from their original institution and graduate elsewhere; they are considered non-graduates at both the college they left and the one from which they eventually graduate.

<a>MANHATTAN, Kan. –&nbsp;Four Wildcat programs recorded Big 12-best graduation rate figures, and K-State’s all-sport graduation rate of 92 percent ranked was the second-highest in department history, as the NCAA released its latest graduation rate data.</a>K-State’s men’s golf (100), women’s golf (100), tennis (100) and volleyball (100) programs all had Big 12-leading GSR figures, while as a department, K-State was fifth among current Big 12 membership with an overall average GSR of 92 percent. Other notable scores were baseball (92), which ranked third among Big 12 schools, and women’s track and field (97), which ranked second.All colleges and universities are required by NCAA legislation and federal law (the Student Right-to-Know act from 1990) to report student graduation rates, and those institutions offering athletics aid are required to report for their student-athletes as well. The NCAA acquires student-athlete graduation rate data from the Department of Education’s Integrated Post-Secondary Data System Graduation Rate Survey (IPEDS-GRS).The student-athlete graduation rate calculated directly based on IPEDS-GRS (which is the methodology the U.S. Department of Education requires) is the proportion of first-year, full-time student-athletes who entered a school on athletics aid and graduated from that institution within six years. This federal rate does not account for students who transfer from their original institution and graduate elsewhere; they are considered non-graduates at both the college they left and the one from which they eventually graduate.

Four Wildcat Programs Highlight Latest Graduation Rate Figures

Kansas Wesleyan has sent four teams to their respective NAIA National Championship events this fall season. It is the highest number of teams heading to NAIA Nationals in a single athletic season (fall, winter, spring) in school history.

It all begins Thursday as Men's Soccer plays in the NAIA First Round against Williams Baptist in the Bellevue Bracket in Bellevue, Neb., hosted by Bellevue University. Men's and Women's Cross Country runs in their respective National Championship races on Friday. Football heads to Dickinson N.D. for the NAIA Football Championship Series First Round on Saturday, against Dickinson State.

This is the first time in school history that both cross country teams have qualified as a team for the NAIA National Championships.

KWU Men's Soccer received the second automatic bid from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference to the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Tournament. The Coyotes are headed to Bellevue, Neb., to play in the NAIA First Round against Williams Baptist (Ark.).

Kansas Wesleyan Men's Cross Country makes its second consecutive appearance as a team at the NAIA National Championships. The Coyotes will run at 10:30 a.m. on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.

KWU Women's Cross Country makes its first NAIA appearance as team since 2013 in Friday's NAIA National Championship. The women will run at 11:30 a.m. on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.

Kansas Wesleyan Football makes its first NAIA National Championship appearance since the fall 2021 season as KWU heads to Dickinson, N.D. to take on Dickinson State in a 2 p.m. kickoff at the Henry Biesiot Activities Center.

You can do your part to help support all of these outstanding student-athletes on their National Championship journey. Consider making a donation to the Championship Fund at&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/3225e224-7590-42e7-a06b-a2e6d791f707?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">www.kwu.edu/give</a>.

Kansas Wesleyan has sent four teams to their respective NAIA National Championship events this fall season. It is the highest number of teams heading to NAIA Nationals in a single athletic season (fall, winter, spring) in school history.It all begins Thursday as Men's Soccer plays in the NAIA First Round against Williams Baptist in the Bellevue Bracket in Bellevue, Neb., hosted by Bellevue University. Men's and Women's Cross Country runs in their respective National Championship races on Friday. Football heads to Dickinson N.D. for the NAIA Football Championship Series First Round on Saturday, against Dickinson State.This is the first time in school history that both cross country teams have qualified as a team for the NAIA National Championships.MEN'S SOCCERKWU Men's Soccer received the second automatic bid from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference to the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Tournament. The Coyotes are headed to Bellevue, Neb., to play in the NAIA First Round against Williams Baptist (Ark.).<ul>
 <li>KWU is 11-5-3 on the season and reached the KCAC Semifinals, but earned the second conference berth as Oklahoma Wesleyan won both the regular season and tournament titles.</li><li>Williams Baptist, located in Walnut Ridge, Ark., received an at-large bid to the 40-team NAIA field after tying for second in the American Midwest Conference regular season.</li><li><a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/5798f4e8-59e2-43a2-a2a1-b358912b9e99?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Gerardo Garcia</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0cebab82-f9cd-4c6b-9889-02a413612562?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Kamille Kum</a>&nbsp;lead the Coyotes with six goals each as KWU has six players with at least three goals.&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0ac5449b-d752-49d5-8a9d-d3450adfbbd1?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Jakob Treitl</a>&nbsp;has four assists to lead KWU.&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/908607c8-93b2-4ae2-a9ca-2567653b29ad?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Santiago Pagnutti</a>&nbsp;has played every minute in goal for the Coyotes, with a 1.15 GAA and 50 saves on the season.</li><li>Williams Baptist relies on defense to get it done, with 13 shutouts and only 12 allowed goals on the season. Jacobo Obrardors leads the Eagles with 18 goals. Rodrigo Pina is WBU's goalkeeper playing every minute in goal, with 54 saves.</li><li>The winner faces No. 7 seeded Bellevue on Saturday at Noon. The winner of Saturday's match advances to the 66th&nbsp;Annual Men's Soccer National Championship final site at Scheels Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita beginning December 2.</li>
 </ul>MEN'S CROSS COUNTRYKansas Wesleyan Men's Cross Country makes its second consecutive appearance as a team at the NAIA National Championships. The Coyotes will run at 10:30 a.m. on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.<ul>
 <li>KWU is ranked No. 18 in the final NAIA Top 25 rating of the season.</li><li>KWU finished second at the KCAC Championships on November 9 in Leavenworth.&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0bdc1784-5149-455f-a3ad-522f260d8718?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Damion Jackson</a>&nbsp;finished second and&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/9609d9a5-97b8-4b12-b57f-9ec58a91084f?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Austin Hess</a>&nbsp;finished fourth at the KCAC meet earning All-KCAC honors, while four others were in the Top 20, earning Honorable Mention honors.</li><li>The Coyotes finished 14th&nbsp;at the NAIA National Championships a year ago.</li><li>Jackson earned NAIA All-America honors last year with a 37th&nbsp;place finish at the National Championships</li><li>36 teams and an additional 80 individual runners comprise the championship field that will have over 300 runners toe the line.</li>
 </ul>WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRYKWU Women's Cross Country makes its first NAIA appearance as team since 2013 in Friday's NAIA National Championship. The women will run at 11:30 a.m. on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.<ul>
 <li>KWU is ranked No. 13 in the final NAIA Top 25 rating of the season, the highest rating since 2010 when KWU was ranked No. 9 in the NAIA and finished 16th&nbsp;at the NAIA National Championships that season.</li><li>KWU finished second at this year's KCAC Championships in Leavenworth.&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/78867fb4-a85d-44e1-937d-16b8c73c700a?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Josie Koppes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/0cbdb257-e763-47fb-bb02-09d3e77d249e?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Kierra Jensen</a>&nbsp;were All-KCAC finishing ninth and 10th, respectively.</li><li>Koppes,&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/38c9a345-2ed2-408c-bedc-42281ca73c8e?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Madisyn Ehrlich</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/83ddb60d-9c5a-4c71-8845-2751f14daeae?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Charlee Lind</a>&nbsp;ran at the NAIA National Championships a year ago. This will be Ehrlich's third appearance at the NAIA National Championships</li><li>35 teams and an additional 82 individuals make up the championship field for Friday's race. Over 300 runners will run in the race.</li>
 </ul>FOOTBALLKansas Wesleyan Football makes its first NAIA National Championship appearance since the fall 2021 season as KWU heads to Dickinson, N.D. to take on Dickinson State in a 2 p.m. kickoff at the Henry Biesiot Activities Center.<ul>
 <li>After starting the season 2-4, KWU won the Bissell Division of the KCAC with a 5-0 record and earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Football Championship Series.</li><li>This is KWU's seventh appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series (2001, 2002, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021). KWU is 4-6 all-time in FCS games, reaching the Semifinals in 2018.</li><li>KWU and DSU have met once prior to this meeting, in the 2018 FCS Quarterfinals in Salina. KWU came away with a 43-40 win over the Blue Hawks, with Demarco Prewitt scoring with 46 seconds left and then threw the 2-point conversion pass to Charlie Simmons, and Takota Anderson sealed the win with an interception with 16 seconds left.</li><li><a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/47907bcc-e83f-43c0-9982-e16e17f444f3?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Luke Armstrong</a>&nbsp;leads the Coyotes in rushing with 1297 yards on 160 carries, averaging 8.1 yards per carry and 117.9 per game with 14 touchdowns. Zerek Fewell has 546 yards rushing on 118 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per carry and 49.6 per game.</li><li><a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/154a8b44-8f11-47df-9bbd-654ec757b41c?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Byron McNair</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/aaa0306f-9b84-4ac6-b94f-2d94b2415a52?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">Richard Lara</a>&nbsp;split time at quarterback for the Coyotes. McNair has thrown for 760 yards and four touchdowns, completing 51 percent of passes. Lara has thrown for 542 yards and five touchdowns, completing 57 percent of passes.</li><li>Dickinson State is 9-1 on the season and won the North Star conference with an 8-0 record. This is their second straight NAIA FCS appearance.</li><li>Will Madler is the Blue Hawk signal caller, throwing for 2211 yards and 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, completing 59.5 percent of passes.</li><li>Braden Zuroff has gotten the majority of carries for DSU in the rushing game with 147 carries for 661 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and 66.1 per game. Semaj Clark is DSU's top receiver with 39 catches for 758 yards and 10 touchdowns.</li><li>DSU only allows 15.4 points per game and 265.4 yards of total offense to opponents.</li><li>The winner advances to the NAIA FCS Second Round. Second round matchups will be announced by the NAIA on Sunday.</li>
 </ul>You can do your part to help support all of these outstanding student-athletes on their National Championship journey. Consider making a donation to the Championship Fund at&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/3225e224-7590-42e7-a06b-a2e6d791f707?elinkdata=15687" target="_blank">www.kwu.edu/give</a>.

Four KWU athletic teams open NAIA Championship play beginning Thursday

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, everybody will go today for practice, as far as the injuries go. (We) look forward to the challenge of playing the Panthers. They’re playing real good football right now and (they’re) well coached and they have good players. They’re playing – like I said, they’re coming off two good wins there. Anyways, with that, the time’s yours.”

Q: How much do you foresee Isiah Pacheco playing on Sunday if he plays?

REID:&nbsp;“We’ll see on both those two – Charles (Omenihu) and him (Isiah Pacheco). (We’ll) kind of go through the practice and see where we’re at this week and we’ll go from there. We’ll just have to see. (It’s) a day-by-day type (of) thing.”

Q: Do you sense it’s easier to reach the guys about the details or urgency after a loss?

REID:&nbsp;“I think – listen, I think the guys have been receptive all the way through so I wouldn’t say that. We’ve got a couple (of) things (that) we obviously have to fix so (we’ll) keep working on those.”

Q: What’s the potential for Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco in the same backfield?

REID:&nbsp;“We’ll (laughs) – we’ll find a way. Both of them (Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt) are good players so we’ll find a way to get both of them in (the game) - if and when that takes place - but that’s a good problem to have.”

Q: How’s Isiah Pacheco been? Have you had to keep him back for his own good?

REID:&nbsp;“Listen, he’s (Isiah Pacheco) a sparkplug now, emotionally. He’s something that – he’s worked his tail off to get to the point that he’s at now, so we’ve got to keep an eye on him that way. He would have played three weeks ago if he had his choice (laughs). That’s sometimes how it goes. I appreciate that though, that mentality. That’s what’s helped him, like I said, get to this point.”

Q: How did Charles Omenihu and Isiah Pacheco look in practice last week?

REID:&nbsp;“Both of them (Isiah Pacheco and Charles Omenihu) took all of the scout team reps so they did a nice job and I thought (they) got some productive work.”

Q: Anything stand out to you defensively about the Panthers?

REID:&nbsp;“So offensively, they obviously have a good running back (Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard) and a good quarterback (Panthers QB Bryce Young), he’s playing good football right now – (a) wide receiver, 17 (Panthers WR Xavier Legette) is a heck of a player and they have a very good offensive line. So, they’re moving the football the last couple of games very well. Defensively, it starts with their front. They’ve got a good defensive front. Their linebackers fly around, we know one of them from Denver – (Panthers LB Josey) Jewell. He knows that defense and he’s the one that’s kind of hitting things up there from that standpoint. Then, their secondary, they have two good corners and two good safeties. They just got 20 (Panthers S Jordan Fuller) back so he’s – they have a lot of trust in him and he’s a good football player.”

Q: On the inconsistency with the deep balls from Patrick Mahomes to Xavier Worthy.

REID:&nbsp;“There are things that – little things – here and there. It could be him (Patrick Mahomes), it could be not being able to see it, just worries the way the defense is playing it, whether it’s a possible pressure situation there. It’s been a variety of things. It will happen, it’ll click here. He sure had a nice game though. He was positive in that last game.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Q:&nbsp; What lesson did the young guys learn on Sunday and after watching film on the game?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, the guys – listen our attitude is great. Those guys have been – they want to get better. They want to learn. It’s always been that way since they’ve been here. That game (against a) good football team – gives you that experience. You take it and you learn from it, and you move on. I mean, I’m not going to go – I can’t go through everything there but as far as that but they’re receptive to it. The best part is they’ll go try it so that’s a – that’s the important part.”

Q: The Bills were successful playing you in man coverage. Does that play into your game planning this week or will you more so look at what the Panthers have been doing?

REID:&nbsp;“Probably a combination. We’re trying to focus in on them (Panthers), that’s where it’s happening and then they’re improving as they go along. They’re coming off a bye week so you know they’re going to be fresh and ready to go and so we try to hone in – they’ve got good coordinators there. The schemes are sound and you have to make sure you spend the time exhausting yourself on that and then the techniques and fundamentals of their players so you get – you’re right there.”

Q:&nbsp; On Hollywood Brown’s status.

REID:&nbsp;“Making very good progress. I can’t tell you a time when he’ll (Hollywood Brown) be back but he’s another one that’s excited to get back out here and get going. I appreciate the way he’s approached this whole thing.”

Q:&nbsp; Do you know anything about Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales?

REID:&nbsp;“I don’t really know him (Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales), but I know where he’s come from. I’ve had a chance to meet him and talk to him and that at the owner meetings – sharp guy. I think he’s doing a heck of a job down there. It looks like the guys believe in what he’s saying. They’re playing hard.”

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Quotes

Q:&nbsp;What did you see that you guys need to improve upon going forward?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“There’s just – I think, a couple plays here and there kind of changed the momentum of the game. If you look at the throw to Xavier (Worthy) down the sideline, or even the throw in the second – in the third quarter on second down where I hit Trav (Travis Kelce), I could’ve probably hit Noah (Gray) if I just wait on the progression. (It’s) just little plays like that are what make the difference in a big game and so (it’s) just stuff that you have to go back, look at, learn from and try to get better at.”

Q:&nbsp;On if the mindset changes after a loss.

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think just having – like you said, a sense of urgency from the beginning of the games. I feel like offensively we can be better in the way we start and the way we play throughout the entire game because you can tell whenever a lot of times in the fourth quarter when we need to score, we go right down the field and score. If we can play the entire football game like that, it won’t put us in these situations where (we’re) in one-score games at the very end.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you think it’s easier to get everyone’s attention where there’s a consequence like a loss?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, we have a lot of veterans, so they know what we need to do, but obviously a loss kind of heightens everybody’s attention to detail. I think that’d be the biggest thing, but at the same time, we know it’s a long season. You lose a football game here and there, but you try to learn from that and try to be better the next week.”

Q:&nbsp;What is it about Noah Gray that allows him to have one of the highest catch percentages in the league?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“He (Noah Gray) does everything the right way. He’s learned a ton from Trav (Travis Kelce) and so he knows how to kind of work within the rules of the offense and get himself open. He’s just a guy that’s going to be in the right spot so as a quarterback you know if you’re going to give him the football, he’s going to make the play happen. He’s not going to talk a lot. He’s going to come in – he’s going to come to work, do his job, but at the same time, those are the guys you want on your team because you know that he’s going to do whatever it takes to win.”

Q:&nbsp;What are your expectations for Isiah Pacheco when he comes back?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think you said it. I think it’s going to be us trying to hold him (Isiah Pacheco) back because he’s a guy that wants to be out there as much as possible and he wants to play, but at the same time he wants to win. He knows the long-term goal that we have. Our goal is to get him back as quickly as possible but at the best time for him and his body so that we can have him for the long haul. Whenever that is, I know he’ll be ready, and he’ll be that energizer bunny that everybody loves to see.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you like about Tyquan Thornton’s potential?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Obviously, in season (I) haven’t watched a ton of film on him (Tyquan Thornton) but just from the highlights that I have seen – I mean, (he has) a ton of big-play ability. Someone that has a big frame – I didn’t realize how tall he was until he got in the building. I’m excited to see him on the practice field working and I’m sure guys like Carson (Wentz) and them will give him chances downfield and we’ll get to see that speed. (He has) a lot of talent (and) a lot of ability and I think it will be good to get him worked in within the offense and see what he can do.”

Q:&nbsp;Did the early interception and touchdown mess up the plan that you guys had to start the game?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Not necessarily. Interceptions are always kind of a bump in the road because you don’t want to have those, but at the same time, I think (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid does a good job of going back to it (and) going back to the way we want to go about a game. I mean, obviously with them (the Buffalo Bills) scoring from the interception, you have to try to find ways to get back in the end zone and you have to keep the game close, keep it tied or whatever that is. I don’t think it does much. I mean, I know for me, it’s just you (have to) keep firing. You don’t want to throw interceptions, but at the end of the day once they happen, there’s nothing you can do about it. You just learn from it and try to be better the next time.”

Q:&nbsp;On the play calls during the game.

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid QuotesNovember 20, 2024HEAD COACH ANDY REIDOPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, everybody will go today for practice, as far as the injuries go. (We) look forward to the challenge of playing the Panthers. They’re playing real good football right now and (they’re) well coached and they have good players. They’re playing – like I said, they’re coming off two good wins there. Anyways, with that, the time’s yours.”Q: How much do you foresee Isiah Pacheco playing on Sunday if he plays?REID:&nbsp;“We’ll see on both those two – Charles (Omenihu) and him (Isiah Pacheco). (We’ll) kind of go through the practice and see where we’re at this week and we’ll go from there. We’ll just have to see. (It’s) a day-by-day type (of) thing.”Q: Do you sense it’s easier to reach the guys about the details or urgency after a loss?REID:&nbsp;“I think – listen, I think the guys have been receptive all the way through so I wouldn’t say that. We’ve got a couple (of) things (that) we obviously have to fix so (we’ll) keep working on those.”Q: What’s the potential for Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco in the same backfield?REID:&nbsp;“We’ll (laughs) – we’ll find a way. Both of them (Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt) are good players so we’ll find a way to get both of them in (the game) - if and when that takes place - but that’s a good problem to have.”Q: How’s Isiah Pacheco been? Have you had to keep him back for his own good?REID:&nbsp;“Listen, he’s (Isiah Pacheco) a sparkplug now, emotionally. He’s something that – he’s worked his tail off to get to the point that he’s at now, so we’ve got to keep an eye on him that way. He would have played three weeks ago if he had his choice (laughs). That’s sometimes how it goes. I appreciate that though, that mentality. That’s what’s helped him, like I said, get to this point.”Q: How did Charles Omenihu and Isiah Pacheco look in practice last week?REID:&nbsp;“Both of them (Isiah Pacheco and Charles Omenihu) took all of the scout team reps so they did a nice job and I thought (they) got some productive work.”Q: Anything stand out to you defensively about the Panthers?REID:&nbsp;“So offensively, they obviously have a good running back (Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard) and a good quarterback (Panthers QB Bryce Young), he’s playing good football right now – (a) wide receiver, 17 (Panthers WR Xavier Legette) is a heck of a player and they have a very good offensive line. So, they’re moving the football the last couple of games very well. Defensively, it starts with their front. They’ve got a good defensive front. Their linebackers fly around, we know one of them from Denver – (Panthers LB Josey) Jewell. He knows that defense and he’s the one that’s kind of hitting things up there from that standpoint. Then, their secondary, they have two good corners and two good safeties. They just got 20 (Panthers S Jordan Fuller) back so he’s – they have a lot of trust in him and he’s a good football player.”Q: On the inconsistency with the deep balls from Patrick Mahomes to Xavier Worthy.REID:&nbsp;“There are things that – little things – here and there. It could be him (Patrick Mahomes), it could be not being able to see it, just worries the way the defense is playing it, whether it’s a possible pressure situation there. It’s been a variety of things. It will happen, it’ll click here. He sure had a nice game though. He was positive in that last game.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Q:&nbsp; What lesson did the young guys learn on Sunday and after watching film on the game?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, the guys – listen our attitude is great. Those guys have been – they want to get better. They want to learn. It’s always been that way since they’ve been here. That game (against a) good football team – gives you that experience. You take it and you learn from it, and you move on. I mean, I’m not going to go – I can’t go through everything there but as far as that but they’re receptive to it. The best part is they’ll go try it so that’s a – that’s the important part.”Q: The Bills were successful playing you in man coverage. Does that play into your game planning this week or will you more so look at what the Panthers have been doing?REID:&nbsp;“Probably a combination. We’re trying to focus in on them (Panthers), that’s where it’s happening and then they’re improving as they go along. They’re coming off a bye week so you know they’re going to be fresh and ready to go and so we try to hone in – they’ve got good coordinators there. The schemes are sound and you have to make sure you spend the time exhausting yourself on that and then the techniques and fundamentals of their players so you get – you’re right there.”Q:&nbsp; On Hollywood Brown’s status.REID:&nbsp;“Making very good progress. I can’t tell you a time when he’ll (Hollywood Brown) be back but he’s another one that’s excited to get back out here and get going. I appreciate the way he’s approached this whole thing.”Q:&nbsp; Do you know anything about Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales?REID:&nbsp;“I don’t really know him (Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales), but I know where he’s come from. I’ve had a chance to meet him and talk to him and that at the owner meetings – sharp guy. I think he’s doing a heck of a job down there. It looks like the guys believe in what he’s saying. They’re playing hard.”Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes QuotesNovember 20, 2024QB PATRICK MAHOMESQ:&nbsp;What did you see that you guys need to improve upon going forward?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“There’s just – I think, a couple plays here and there kind of changed the momentum of the game. If you look at the throw to Xavier (Worthy) down the sideline, or even the throw in the second – in the third quarter on second down where I hit Trav (Travis Kelce), I could’ve probably hit Noah (Gray) if I just wait on the progression. (It’s) just little plays like that are what make the difference in a big game and so (it’s) just stuff that you have to go back, look at, learn from and try to get better at.”Q:&nbsp;On if the mindset changes after a loss.MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think just having – like you said, a sense of urgency from the beginning of the games. I feel like offensively we can be better in the way we start and the way we play throughout the entire game because you can tell whenever a lot of times in the fourth quarter when we need to score, we go right down the field and score. If we can play the entire football game like that, it won’t put us in these situations where (we’re) in one-score games at the very end.”Q:&nbsp;Do you think it’s easier to get everyone’s attention where there’s a consequence like a loss?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, we have a lot of veterans, so they know what we need to do, but obviously a loss kind of heightens everybody’s attention to detail. I think that’d be the biggest thing, but at the same time, we know it’s a long season. You lose a football game here and there, but you try to learn from that and try to be better the next week.”Q:&nbsp;What is it about Noah Gray that allows him to have one of the highest catch percentages in the league?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“He (Noah Gray) does everything the right way. He’s learned a ton from Trav (Travis Kelce) and so he knows how to kind of work within the rules of the offense and get himself open. He’s just a guy that’s going to be in the right spot so as a quarterback you know if you’re going to give him the football, he’s going to make the play happen. He’s not going to talk a lot. He’s going to come in – he’s going to come to work, do his job, but at the same time, those are the guys you want on your team because you know that he’s going to do whatever it takes to win.”Q:&nbsp;What are your expectations for Isiah Pacheco when he comes back?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think you said it. I think it’s going to be us trying to hold him (Isiah Pacheco) back because he’s a guy that wants to be out there as much as possible and he wants to play, but at the same time he wants to win. He knows the long-term goal that we have. Our goal is to get him back as quickly as possible but at the best time for him and his body so that we can have him for the long haul. Whenever that is, I know he’ll be ready, and he’ll be that energizer bunny that everybody loves to see.”Q:&nbsp;What do you like about Tyquan Thornton’s potential?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Obviously, in season (I) haven’t watched a ton of film on him (Tyquan Thornton) but just from the highlights that I have seen – I mean, (he has) a ton of big-play ability. Someone that has a big frame – I didn’t realize how tall he was until he got in the building. I’m excited to see him on the practice field working and I’m sure guys like Carson (Wentz) and them will give him chances downfield and we’ll get to see that speed. (He has) a lot of talent (and) a lot of ability and I think it will be good to get him worked in within the offense and see what he can do.”Q:&nbsp;Did the early interception and touchdown mess up the plan that you guys had to start the game?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Not necessarily. Interceptions are always kind of a bump in the road because you don’t want to have those, but at the same time, I think (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid does a good job of going back to it (and) going back to the way we want to go about a game. I mean, obviously with them (the Buffalo Bills) scoring from the interception, you have to try to find ways to get back in the end zone and you have to keep the game close, keep it tied or whatever that is. I don’t think it does much. I mean, I know for me, it’s just you (have to) keep firing. You don’t want to throw interceptions, but at the end of the day once they happen, there’s nothing you can do about it. You just learn from it and try to be better the next time.”Q:&nbsp;On the play calls during the game.MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I mean, for sure. Obviously, we didn’t run a ton of plays this last game, so with the interception kind of stalling out that drive quickly and then kind of how the flow of the game was, we probably threw the ball more than we might have wanted to from the beginning of the game. I thought (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) did a good job of getting the run game back going as the game went on which opened up other things as well. I think more than anything, just having the offensive line that we have and those three guys (Trey Smith, Creed Humphrey and Joe Thuney) in the middle running downhill is hard for defenses to account for. If we can run the ball downhill it opens up everything else. I think Kareem (Hunt) and all of those guys do a great job of doing that. You kind of have to play the flow of the game. You can talk about it on the sideline, but all of us have full belief on whatever (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) calls we’re going to go out there and execute.”Q:&nbsp;What type of challenges do the Carolina Panthers present?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“First off – great defensive coordinator. I played against him (Panthers Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero) when he was in Denver. (He’s) very smart, very intelligent and he kind of gets his guys in the right position. They have a lot of talented players. I think you’ve seen that these last few weeks is that they play hard and they’re playing better football as the season goes on. It will be a great challenge for us going there to play them. They’re coming off two wins and a bye (week) so they’re going to be hungry. It will be a great opportunity for us to go out there and try to find a way to get a win.”Q:&nbsp;On the missed deep throws to Xavier Worthy.MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think you’ve seen it as the season’s gone on that he’s (Xavier Worthy) playing faster. He has more confidences about me being on the same pages as him. I can sit here and we can practice it all we want but until we start doing it in the game, there’s nothing much more that I can really say about it, but I’m excited for it. I believe it’s going to start happening and once it starts happening, the offense is going to really take off.”Q:&nbsp;Has each play been a little bit different?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, they’re all different type of plays. Some of them he’s (Xavier Worthy) the first read, some of them it’s kind of an alert type (of) read. I think more than anything when you look at the film, you see him getting open, you see him utilizing his speed. Then, now it’s about me making the throws where he can score touchdowns. If we score those touchdowns, like I said, it changes the entire ball game.”Q:&nbsp;As a leader, how do you help the rookies ramp up to the playoff standard?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“This is kind of the point where you have got to start taking off. You have to kind of start building – you want to do it all season long but it’s a long season. As we kind of get to this back stretch you want to be playing your best football going into the playoffs. As you get close to Thanksgiving and everything like that, you want to start showing progression and stuff that we’ve worked on throughout the year. I feel like we’re close to doing that, but we want to keep building and keep getting better so we’re playing our best football at the end of the season.”Q:&nbsp;How much do you think that first half against the Bills can be momentum for Xavier Worthy for the rest of the season beyond the deep ball threat?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think more than anything is you just saw the confidence that he (Xavier Worthy) was playing with which you could tell that he has more confidence within himself and what he can do within the offense. Whenever he’s playing confident and not thinking, he’s playing fast and it’s hard for people to account for how fast he is so I’m excited for him. I thought that was a good jump off point. We have to keep him more involved in the offense throughout the second half, but at the same time, I think that’s going to help the offense go.”Q:&nbsp;Do you find it harder for you to be more patient with your tackles struggling?