MANHATTAN, Kan. – (12/10) K-State used a big third quarter rally and timely fourth quarter shooting to down (9/9) TCU, 59-50, on Wednesday night at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (22-2, 10-1 Big 12) extended its home court winning streak to 15 games. This is tied for the seventh-longest home win streak in program history and tied for the fourth-longest in Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats reached 10 Big 12 wins in 11 games for the fourth time in program history and the first time since the 2007-08 season.
K-State was led by senior guard and All-America candidate Serena Sundell with a game-high 27 points, including 23 in the second half, and team-highs of six rebounds and four assists.
Senior guard Jaelyn Glenn added 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- TCU (21-3, 9-2) used a 12-2 run to close out the second quarter and build a 25-19 lead at halftime. Van Lith scored seven of the 12 points during the run.
- The Wildcats shot 29.0 percent (9-of-31) from the field in the opening half, including 14.3 percent (1-of-7) from beyond the arc.
- K-State dominated the third quarter, 24-11, by shooting 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the field in the frame. The Wildcats were paced in the frame by Sundell with 15 points.
- The Wildcats used a 9-2 run to go in front by three, 32-29, as Sundell scored all nine points during the run. K-State then used a 9-2 run to end the third quarter, as Sundell scored seven of the nine points during the run to build the seven-point lead entering the fourth.
- In the fourth quarter, the Horned Frogs used a 10-2 run to go in front by one, 46-45, with 6:28 remaining. K-State went back in front with a 5-0 burst started on a three-pointer from Gisela Sanchez with 6:13 to play and followed by a Temira Poindexter layup with 5:13 left. Poindexter finished with nine points on the night.
- A layup from TCU’s Sedona Prince, who led the Horned Frogs with 14 points and 11 rebounds, cut the K-State lead to two, 52-50, but the Wildcats ended the game on a 7-0 run as Poindexter connected on a 3-pointer with 3:39 remaining and was followed by two layups from Sundell with her last coming at 1:46 to sela the final margin.
- K-State shot 59.3 percent (16-of-27) in the second half, including 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from beyond the arc.
- The Wildcats finished the night shooting 43.1 percent (25-of-58).
QUICK FACTS
- The series between the schools is tied, 12-12. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 12-9 in his career against TCU. The Wildcats are 8-4 in games played in Manhattan between the schools.
- The Wildcats are 242-243 (.499) in its history in Big 12 games.
- K-State is 411-156 (.725) in its 37-season history inside Bramlage Coliseum, including a 15-0 record this season. This is the 34th season in program history with 10 or more home wins in a season, including the 26th season at Bramlage Coliseum.
- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 666-372 (.642), including a mark of 212-137 (.607).
- K-State owns a record of 270-97 (.736) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 23-4 (.852) all-time when ranked 12th in the nation. The Wildcats are 6-8 (.429) all-time against teams ranked ninth in the AP poll.
- The Wildcats are 234-201 (.538) in games played in the month of February. Under Mittie, K-State is 37-42 (.468) in games during the second month. K-State has notched a .500 or better record in the month of February 27 times.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards: Zyanna Walker, Jaelyn Glenn and Serena Sundell; forwards Temira Poindexter and Kennedy Taylor. This was the fifth time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 127th career start for Sundell, the 123rd career start for Jaelyn Glenn, the 111th career collegiate start and 24th at K-State for Poindexter, the 46th career start and fifth at K-State for Taylor and the 24th career start for Walker. Sundell remains in fifth in program history for career starts. With her 123rd career start, Glenn moves into a tie for sixth in program history for career starts.
- K-State has held its opponents to 24 quarters with single digits for points, including the first quarter on Wednesday (8). The Wildcats are 18-0 this season when holding an opponent to single digits in any quarter.
- K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in a quarter in two quarters on Wednesday. The Wildcats have 58 quarters this season of 50.0 percent or better shooting, which are the most in program history for a full season.
- K-State has scored 20-or more points in a quarter 50 times this season, including the third quarter on Wednesday. Since the start of the quarter-system in 2015-16, the Wildcats are 154-62 (.713) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter of a game, including a 22-0 record this season.
PLAYER NOTES
- Sundell owns 1,592 career points and remains in 10th on the K-State career scoring list. This was Sundell’s 18th career game and her third this season with 20 or more points. Sundell notched her 90th career game with 10 or more points.
- Sundell hauled in six rebounds on Wednesday. This was her 49th career game with five or more rebounds and her ninth this season.
- Sundell’s four assists on Sunday improved her career total to 719. She is the second player in program history with 700 or more assists (Shalee Lehning, 2005-09; 800).
- Glenn reached double figures for 53rd time in her career and the 14th time this season. Glenn moved into a tie for 36th on the K-State career scoring list with 1,096 points.
- Glenn connected on two 3-pointers on Wednesday. This was her 63rd career game with two or more 3-pointers made. She improves her career total to 203 three-point field goals made and remains in eighth in school history. She is the eighth player in program history with 200 or more career 3-point field goals made.
- Glenn registered four steals on Wednesday. This was her 18th career game with four or more steals and her 70th career game and her 12th this season with two or more steals.
- Walker pocketed two steals on Wednesday. This was her 23rd career game with two or more steals and her 13th this season.
- With her nine points on Wednesday, Poindexter increased her collegiate point total to 1,858 points (1,560 at Tulsa; 298 at K-State).
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Jeff Mittie
Overall thoughts…
“It was a competitive game. Both teams struggled to play well, but we're highly competitive early. Defensively, proud of our group. We Struggled offensively most of the night. Obviously the second half really liked our efficiency numbers. Really played well there, but it was just a grinding game and you get some of these, and you have to find a way to win. I thought we got good contributions in a lot of areas from a lot of people.”
On Serena Sundell…
“The iso play, where she was able to get some post UPS down low. We wanted to put them at a decision of whether they were going to come bring that double team, or what they were going to do out of that, and she played really well at it. Made good reads. We were able to score, not only Serena [Sundell] score, but we were able to score off of it some. I just thought she had a look in her eye that she wanted the ball. Felt like we were able to get her just enough rest. You know, that's not an easy play. It's going to require some energy, and she absolutely delivered.”
On Jaelyn Glenn…
“Well, I thought Jaelyn [Glenn] is the one that kind of kept us in it. It seemed like when the offense was really struggling, [Jaelyn] was making enough plays to kind of keep us going. She got the runner in the second half. First half, she gets our only three. I just thought she was steady all night. And you know, we've said numerous times we're a better team with [Jaelyn] on the floor. There's no doubt about it. She just does so much for us. She got timely steals, timely rotations, and I thought played really well.”
On the decision to press and play aggressive defense…
“I like to do some things differently, just to see if we're any good at it at all, right? And I think because we're year around, a lot more than 10 years ago, you got to keep things fresh at times, and so you got to challenge them. And so it's been something we've worked on. We probably work ball screen defense as much as anything that we do from a defensive standpoint. So we try to be aggressive early. I think it's better to start aggressive than back players off. So this is not something that we just started working on. So I think that's helped us. It is something that we weren't doing a lot of prior to a couple weeks ago, but our team, I thought all three centers, were excellent. They had a tough task tonight. They had to get out there on van Lith. They had to make sure that she wasn't able to edge them off. And we were pretty good at it most of the time.”
On TCU’s success and remembering his time there…
“Mark [Campbell] has done a really good job. It's good to see him. We've got a lot of fond memories down there. My wife got a degree from there,and my oldest daughter got a degree from there. I'm thankful that they gave me an opportunity to coach at the highest level. It's hard to wish them well when you're in the same league. It certainly is something that I can definitively say that I root for purple all the time…Most of that's K State purple.”
On being in 1st place in the Big 12…
“It's great. There were one or two ways to go tonight, right? You're either not going to be there or you were. I think it's awesome,but one of the things I said a long time ago and it was one of our goals coming in. But I'm a big believer that if you're there with two or three games left, and you're within a game, everybody's got a chance. And right now we just need to lower our heads. We've got a ranked opponent on Saturday that beat this TCU team at home. It's great to be in sole possession but there's a lot of games left.”
TCU Head Coach Mark Campbell
Opening Statement…
“First of all, an awesome college basketball environment. It was great to see the support for this team. Today, we simply didn’t play well enough to win on the road in a tough environment against a really good team. Credit to Kansas State, they did a great job preventing us from getting into a rhythm. They doubled the on-balls and the post, and we were never able to attack and play off of those situations. They stuck with that game plan for 40 minutes, which is likely why we had our lowest point total of the season. Still, we were in the fight during the last five minutes, right there until the end. In the final moments, they made the plays they needed to make. It’s a great learning experience for us. It’s just one game, we have seven more left. They have a one-game lead on us, but we’ll review the film, grow, and get better."
On Serena Sundell’s performance…
"Yeah, she dominated at the rim. She’s a unique basketball player, they use her as a one through four, they play her as a point guard. In the second half, they played her at center, and she absolutely destroyed us in the post, just getting layup after layup. That’s what makes her special, she’s a 6'2" versatile playmaker, and today she showed it around the rim. She scored 23 in the second half and had a heck of a game. We didn’t have a great answer for her."
On K-State’s aggressive defense…
"We knew they would be aggressive, mix things up, trap on-ball screens, press at times, and do an aggressive zone. We walked through it and talked through it, but we didn’t execute. As a coach, it’s not just about what you know; it’s about making sure your players understand how to attack it and feel comfortable. We didn’t do a good enough job preparing them. Everything K-State did was exactly what we expected, but we didn’t ensure our players were ready. Credit to K-State, they did a tremendous job. This is a great growth and learning opportunity for us, so the next time we face this, we’ll be ready."
FROM THE FLOOR
Serena Sundell, K-State Senior Guard
On her big scoring night…
"That was a big turnaround from the first half. Credit to my teammates for keeping me locked in mentally at halftime. We talked about how those were good shots, and if we got the same looks in the second half, we’d be fine. It was one of those games where you just have to stay the course. Our defense made the difference. Even though we didn’t shoot well in the first half, we focused on controlling what we could on defense. Holding a team like that to 50 points was an incredible effort by us tonight."
On the performance of Jaelyn Glenn…
"She’s the reason we had a chance in this game. In the first half, she was consistent; in the second half, she knocked down shots, she did it all. Defensively, she came up with a huge stop, getting her hands on the ball and doing all the little things right. That’s why she plays so much, we need her on the court. She’s a threat, and I’m just really proud of her."
On the impact of the crowd…
"That was so much fun. There's nowhere in the Big 12 that has an environment like what we saw tonight, and we had it last game too. In general, women’s basketball across the country doesn’t see crowds like that, or students getting front row seats. They were huge for us, keeping us in it when we were struggling. Coach [Jeff] Mittie always says we have a really smart crowd. They were loud when we needed them, especially when the other team made a run at the end with about five minutes left. Our crowd knows when to step up and help us out. It was just so much fun, so cool to play in Bramlage."
On who deserves a shout-out for their defensive effort…
"Everybody played their part tonight. We had a solid game plan, and we did a great job on our scout. We stuck to it, and everyone was flying around. Without Yoki, we’ve just been finding a way, with people scrambling and stepping up. The one person Coach made sure to shout out in the locker room was Zy [Walker]. She struggled offensively tonight, but she never let that affect her defense. She knew it was so much more than making shots. She set up the press, put pressure on them right away, and made them not want to run their offense. That’s exactly what you need to be a good team and win games like this, mental consistency and doing it for your team."
Jaelyn Glenn, K-State Senior Guard
On Serena Sundell’s performance…
"Serena does it all for our team and brings so much energy. She’s a really reliable player, and as you saw, we tried to get her the ball every chance we could while she was hot, making great moves. It always amazes me how patient she is with the ball, I feel like I could never do that. But yeah, she’s just very reliable and brings a lot of energy to our team."
On if she was nervous coming into the game…
“I can't say that I was nervous. I was super excited. Just seeing everyone start filling in, I was super excited to play in front of that crowd and play for them. When you struggle a little bit, you want to turn your defense up and use your defense to give energy to the crowd and things like that. But yeah, I wouldn't say I was nervous.”
On the versatility of the offense…
"I think our team has a lot of scoring threats, and it also shows how mentally tough we are. Like Serena [Sundell] said about Zy [Walker], she struggled a bit offensively, but she never let up on defense, and that brought a lot of energy to our team. It shows that other people can step up and be threats, which makes it harder for the opposing team. It also shows our toughness, and that’s a big part of what we’re about."
Haley Van Lith, TCU Senior Guard
On her thoughts after a tough loss…
"For me, losing is a hard reality to deal with. I'm a competitor, or I like to think I am, and I hate losing. Knowing we had the capability to win that game and let it slip is frustrating. In all our losses, we’ve had the same issue. It’s not about one person; it’s a collective team challenge. Coach reminds us all the time, it’s our battle, our hill to climb. When teams get aggressive and physical with us, sometimes we respond, and sometimes we don’t. That inconsistency is starting to cost us games. But the worst thing I can do is let my frustration linger. At the end of the day, I want to be better. I’ll watch the film, my teammates will watch the film, and we’re just going to keep climbing our hill."
On dealing with this tough 5-game stretch…
"Obviously, we've lost twice on the road, so those environments are a challenge for us. It’s about embracing that atmosphere, and sometimes that starts with knowing and trusting each other. When you trust everyone on the court, you feel more excited than nervous in those moments. We still have time this season to build that trust. As a leader and a point guard, I need to help lift my teammates up and build their confidence so they can bring their strengths to the game, even on the road. I’m going to challenge myself as a leader in this moment. I still believe we have a great team. I’ve seen what potential looks like, and I know we have it, it’s just up to us to put it all together."
On the challenges that K-State’s defense gave TCU…
"Obviously, it was a big enough challenge to cost us the game, so that’s a problem. I have to handle it better, create more looks for my teammates and give them the confidence to take and make those shots. I think I got caught in between. I knew they would trap, but then in the second half, they stopped at times, and I wasn’t aggressive or intentional enough. I turned the ball over too much. As a point guard still learning this position, this is great film for me to study. I need to get better, and I’m excited for the opportunity to grow from this."
On playing against 2 of her former teammates in Zyanna Walker and Imani Lester…
"I love those kids, they were my freshmen. I'm proud of them and want to see them do well. I like to think of myself as an older sister to them since we went through the trenches together. I'm happy that they're happy here. Obviously, I wanted to beat them, but at the end of the day, I’m glad to see them doing well and wish them the best of luck."
Agnes Emma-Nnopu, TCU Senior Guard
On the impact that the crowd played in the loss…
“I think K-State had great fans. I think that student section was really loud. I think we didn't really let it affect us, but I think we just didn't play well.”
UP NEXT
K-State begins a two-game road trip on Saturday, as the Wildcats visit (25/rv) Oklahoma for a 2 p.m., tip-off at Gallagher-Iba Arena.