MANHATTAN – K-State extended its win streak in season-openers with a strong fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon to pull away from Southern 66-51, at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (1-0) has won 11 straight season-openers, the second-longest streak in program history behind a 12-game streak from the 1975-76 season to the 1987-88 season. The Wildcats are 44-9 all-time in home-openers, including a 29-4 mark in home-openers in Bramlage Coliseum.
With a one-point lead at the half, 29-28, K-State went to Ayoka Lee who delivered the first nine points of the second half for the Wildcats and kept K-State in front, 38-34, with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter. Lee would score 11 points in the third stanza, as K-State held a 45-41 lead entering the fourth.
A putback from Lee and a driving layup from Carr to begin the final frame gave the Wildcats its largest lead of the afternoon at 49-41, with 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats would build their advantage to 11, 56-45, on a Laura Macke jumper with 4:23 to play. Southern cut the lead to nine, but a layup from Sydney Goodson with 2:53 remaining started a 10-4 K-State run to close out the game.
Lee ended the afternoon with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds and four blocks. Carr added 15 points including a 3-of-7 effort from 3-point range.
Southern (0-1) held a four-point lead, 20-16, with 6:42 to play in the second quarter following a layup from Raven White.
The Wildcats would then use a 9-4 run, as Carr knocked down an off-balance jumper, then connected on her third 3-pointer of the half. Carr then found Macke along the baseline to give K-State a 25-24 lead with 3:25 remaining in the second frame. Macke ended the game with eight points and four rebounds.
The Jaguars would go in front by three, 28-25, with 1:37 left after a pair of layups from Genovea Johnson.
The Wildcats would hold a one-point lead at the half, 29-28, as Macke connected on a jumper and Rachel Ranke finished a transition layup with 38 seconds on the clock. Ranke led the K-State bench with seven of the 17 bench points.
For the afternoon, K-State shot 46.0 percent (29-of-63) from the field while Southern was held to a 35.0 percent (21-of-60) performance.
Defensively, K-State tallied 10 blocked shots. The most since recording 10 at TCU on February 1, 2020. Emilee Ebert tied with Lee for game-high honors with a career-high four blocks. Ebert added four points, four rebounds and a career-high six assists.
K-State begins the month of December with the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday, December 3, against (11/12) Kentucky. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and available on the K-State Sports Network.
– kstatesports.com –