MANHATTAN – K-State led the entire game on Thursday night, including a 20-point advantage in the third quarter, as the Wildcats upset (22/21) South Dakota State, 62-53, at Bramlage Coliseum.
The win was K-State’s first win over an Associated Press top-25 opponent since winning at 15th-ranked Texas on February 17, 2019. It was K-State’s first win over an AP ranked non-conference opponent since defeating 20th-ranked Drake on March 18, 2017, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
For the first time this season, the Wildcats saw three players reach double figures as Ayoka Lee returned to register a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds.
Lee was joined in double figures by Christianna Carr with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and two blocks. Rachel Ranke rounded out the double figure scorers for the Wildcats with 10 points and three assists.
K-State (3-2) shot 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field in the first quarter to stake themselves to a 20-7 lead at the end of the frame. The Wildcats used a 14-1 run to end the quarter, as Lee ended the quarter with a pair of layups. Lee registered eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first quarter.
The Wildcats would increase its lead to 17, 26-9, with 8:58 remaining in the second quarter. Ranke buried a 3-pointer after Emilee Ebert rebounded her own missed free throw and Taylor Lauterbach finished a layup to push the lead to 17.
Sydney Goodson and Carr hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions for the Wildcats to push the K-State lead to 18, 34-16, with 3:26 to play. Lee pulled in an offensive rebound and completed the play with a layup to give the Wildcats a 36-18 lead at the half.
The Wildcats shot 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from the field in the opening half and handed out 12 assists. K-State’s defense was also strong, holding the Jackrabbits to a 27.3 percent (6-of-22) effort from the floor.
South Dakota State (3-1) used an 8-0 run to pull within 12, 38-26, and force a K-State timeout with 7:54 to play in the third quarter.
After the timeout, K-State stopped the run and outscored the Jackrabbits by five over the next four minutes to improve its lead to 46-30 with 2:01 remaining.
In the fourth quarter, two baskets from Lee and a layup from Laura Macke gave the Wildcats a 57-42 advantage with 7:06 remaining. Macke came off the bench to register eight points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
South Dakota State was able to close to within nine, 57-48, but Goodson’s third 3-pointer with 4:38 remaining put the lead back into double digits. Goodson finished the evening with nine points and five rebounds.
K-State finished the night with a 43.4 percent (23-of-53) shooting performance. South Dakota State shot 38.9 percent (21-of-54) but the effort was boosted by a 66.7 percent effort in the third quarter. The Wildcats ended the night with 18 assists.
The Wildcats outrebounded the Jackrabbits, 45-29, and turned 14 offensive rebounds into 14 second chance points.
K-State returns to action on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., as the Wildcats host Omaha. Saturday’s game will be limited to 15% capacity. A limited number of single-game tickets are available by calling (800) 221-CATS or online at kstatesports.com.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The game will also be available on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com.
– kstatesports.com –