MANHATTAN, KANSAS – K-State saw a halftime lead disappear in the third quarter, rallied to take a late fourth quarter lead but West Virginia fended off the Wildcats in the final moments on Sunday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum with a 60-58 win.
K-State (9-7, 1-2 Big 12) has played eight games this season decided by five points or less and are 4-4 in those contests.
The Wildcats were led by senior guard Tess Heal with 16 points and she added four rebounds and three steals to her final stat line. This is the second straight game Heal paced K-State in scoring.
Joining Heal double figures was junior forward Nastja Claessens with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while freshman guard Jordan Speiser added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting and tied her career-high with four connections from long range.
West Virginia (13-2, 3-0) was led by the double-double of Kierra Wheeler with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Carter McCray chipped in with 15 points and eight rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- K-State forced into 10 turnovers in the first quarter and held the Mountaineers scoreless for the final 4:48 of the opening frame. The Wildcats would win the quarter, 12-11.
- In the second quarter, the Wildcats made four straight field goals to build a 24-17 lead with 6:07 remaining. Speiser knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the stretch.
- The Wildcats would win the second quarter, 19-17, and hold a 31-28 lead at halftime. K-State shot 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from the field in the second stanza and saw Speiser and Taryn Sides tally six points apiece.
- K-State struggled from the field in the third quarter, shooting 27.3 percent (3-of-11). West Virginia would win the frame, 17-10, by shooting 53.8 percent (7-of-13) and hold a 45-41 advantage entering the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers used an 11-2 run to close the third to pull in front.
- West Virginia would build a seven-point lead, 51-44, with 6:59 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats made one field goal in the first three minutes of the final quarter.
- K-State used an 8-0 run to retake the lead, 52-51, on a Heal layup with 3:43 left. Heal scored six of the eight points during the run.
- After the Mountaineers squared the game at 52 with 3:19 remaining, Claessens finished a transition layup to push the Wildcats into a 54-52 lead with 2:54 remaining. This would be K-State’s final lead of the afternoon.
- West Virginia went in front, 56-54, with four straight points but Heal tied the game at 56 with two free throws with a minute remaining.
- An offensive rebound and putback from Gia Cooke with 19 seconds left gave the Mountaineers a 58-56 lead. K-State was unable to score on its next possession and saw Jordan Harrison of West Virginia make two free throws with seven seconds left. A Claessens layup with three seconds provided the final margin.
- K-State shot 41.7 percent (20-of-48) for the game which included a 63.6 percent (7-of-11) effort in the fourth quarter.
QUICK FACTS
- West Virginia leads the series with K-State, 21-9. The Wildcats are 4-9 in games played in Manhattan. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 9-24 in his career against West Virginia.
- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 680-386 (.638), including a mark of 226-151 (.599).
- In its 30th season of play in the Big 12, K-State owns a record of 246-249 (.497) in Big 12 action.
- K-State is 417-161 (.721) in its 38th-season inside Bramlage Coliseum, including a 147-53 (.735) record under Mittie.
- The Wildcats are 265-196 (.575) in games played in the month of January. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 45-44 (.506) in games during the 1st month.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Tess Heal, Taryn Sides and forwards Jenessa Cotton and Nastja Claessens. This was the first time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 82nd career start for Heal and her eighth at K-State. This was the 15th career start for Sides. This was the 14th career start for Garcia. Cotton made her 12th career start. Claessens made her 12th career start.
- The Wildcats held a 31-28 lead at halftime on Sunday. Under Mittie, K-State is 180-22 (.891) when leading at halftime, including a 4-1 mark this season.
- This season, K-State owns 24 quarters with an effort of 50.0 percent or better shooting from the field, including the second (50.0) and fourth (63.6) quarters on Sunday.
- Since 2011-12, when three or more players reach double figures in scoring in the same game, K-State is 207-92 (.692) with a 7-5 mark in 2025-26.
- The Wildcats’ bench outscored the Mountaineers’ bench, 15-3. The Wildcats have had the edge in bench points in 13 games this season (7-6).
PLAYER NOTES
- Heal reached double figures for the 80th time in her career, including her sixth time this season. She has led K-State in scoring in three games this season. Heal’s collegiate career point total now stands at 1,587 points.
- Speiser scored in double figures for the eighth time this season.
- Speiser tied her career-high with 4 three-pointers on Sunday. This was her second career game with four or more 3-point field goals made. This was her eighth career game with two or more connections from beyond the arc.
- Claessens scored in double figures for the eighth time this season.
- Sides dished out five assists on Sunday. She is the 22nd player in program history with 250 or more career assists (253). Sides ranks 22nd in program history for career assists. This was her 22nd career game with five or more assists and her seventh this season.
- Sides pocketed six steals on Sunday for the second straight game. The six steals tied her career-high. This was her 21st career game with two or more steals and her ninth this season. She has six career games with four or more steals.
- Jenessa Cotton pulled in seven rebounds on Sunday. This was her sixth career game with five or more rebounds this season, all this season.
- Gina Garcia registered six assists. She is the 14th freshman in program history to record 75 or more assists (80 assists this season). This was her 10th career game with five or more assists.
FROM THE HEAD COACHES
K-State Head Coach Jeff Mittie
On West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg coaching this game after losing his mother…
“Well first off, before I address the game, you know, Mark [Kellogg, West Virginia head coach] lost his mother this week, and so I just want to simply say, as I told him before, our prayers are with him and his family. And you know, coaches do a lot of things that, I don't want to say people don't realize, but because of, you know, life happens right? And our season goes on and so for him to coach and for his team to get the win today, you know, there's a part of me that's happy for Mark. He does a hell of a job with this team and I have a lot of respect for his program and his family, and so I know this has been a tough, tough week for him. But they deserve to win today. And so on a personal note, I just know how tough of a week it was for him, and not going to be easy going back home, either.”
On what he liked about how the team played today…
“Yeah, I love the way we competed. I thought we played tough. Thought we got the kind of game we needed to to have an opportunity. Defensively, we wanted to keep them in front. They're the best team in the league at getting to the free throw line, and that also feeds into what they do defensively so well, of the press, and so we wanted to keep them off the free throw line as much as possible. We didn't want to feed into that press. And I thought our team, from that standpoint, played really, really well.”
On the biggest takeaway after a lack in offensive rebound…
“Yeah, I think there was a point of this game where I didn't think we were playing tough enough at the rim. And so there were a lot of drives that I felt like we could have gotten to the free throw line. There were a lot of rebounds that I felt like that we weren't getting, we weren't tough enough, physical enough to get on the offensive end. And that's an area that we've got to get better at, we've got to get better at. And you're right, I mean, the difference those 10 [second chance] points is big, because they did get some of those.”
On the leadership of Tess Heal…
“Yeah, I thought she had a really good second half. You know, first half, not as aggressive, but she's been, she's a consistent competitor, and that has become more infectious with our team. And so what she does for us doesn't always show on the stat line, although it certainly does tonight, but it's also why she got to start today, and it's why she is getting the minutes that she's getting.”
On if West Virginia got the team to force some shots…
“Yeah, well, there were some plays in that stretch in the third [quarter] where we didn't play very well, where I felt like the shot clock, they really locked us up, and we didn't get very good looks in that stretch. So we were forced to take some really, really hard shots and give credit to them, that's what they do. And that stretch of the game was big for them, because we had the lead, they overtake us there. We had some empty possessions, but a lot of credit goes to them.”
On what he wants the team to take away from this game…
“Well, there are a lot of things I think a team can take away from a game like today that hopefully build some confidence. In that you can look at things and see where there was a commitment to the game plan, and you can look and see on film, me watching it live, I can see a concerted effort of things that we talked about. And they're going to be able to look and see those same things, we talked about this, we talked about this in the press break, we talked about this. And so there's tangible evidence of, if you commit to this, we can play with some pretty good teams and have an opportunity, doesn't mean you win it. We left some opportunities out there, right? I mean, we missed some layups, we missed some plays that we'd like to have back. We did not have a very good shoot around this morning, that really concerned me, but we ended shoot around better, and I didn't know what we were going to get, honestly. I didn't know what we were going to get, but I was pleased overall, I saw a group that played to the scout pretty well and was pretty connected most of the day.”
West Virginia Head Coach Mark Kellogg
Opening statement…
“Well, really good game, back and forth, not necessarily much flow offensively, I didn't think, especially for us, and really maybe both teams. We kind of had to switch up some defenses for us until we could find a rhythm. You know, they've presented problems in the past with some of the way we like to play. We've had great games with K-State since I've been here, come down to the wire, overtime a couple years ago in this building. You know, thought they might play us quite a bit of zone based on what we had seen on film, so we're somewhat prepared, but it was just it has a few nuances that we hadn't seen a ton. And so I was just proud of our kids' resiliency. I think we only won one of the three quarters, but for us to find a way to win that one is good. This team for Kansas State will get better as they mature and get older. I know they're young and got some youth, but there's talent there, and Coach Mittie does a great job, so that's why it probably feels really good. But winning on the road in this league is really difficult. We struggled at times last year, not at times, we did struggle winning the second of these two back to back games that we play. So just really proud of this one, and hopefully we can figure out how to get a little bit better as we go home.”
On the team turnovers in the first half…
“Yeah, it was just, I mean, they were sitting back in a two-three zone, and we were turning the ball over, so two different ways. You know, we most of the time try to do it a little bit more in the full court, but can in the half. But, yeah, they just took away our space and I thought we weren't particularly strong with the ball. The ball was sticking, which they wanted it to do. And I just thought we played into their hands. So their game plan, we understood it. I thought we were pretty well prepared for it, but didn't do a very good job in it. So what did we have, I think, 15 turnovers, right, I think at halftime, and 10 in the first quarter. So yeah, credit to them, they had a great game plan. I thought we got better offensively as the game went on, and started to understand some of the things we were looking for and made some adjustments. But they certainly won that battle. But I thought we got it back on the offensive rebound. So for what they won in turnovers, we won in second chance points to maybe even that out just a little bit.”
On what K-State did to avoid the full court pressure…
“Well, shot it and move the ball. I mean, that's what they really did. They made a bunch of 3s there early. You know, I think, what they have five at half, I want to say. And I just thought they shot it really well, we were late in some rotations and got confused. And, you know, that we knew they would play fast against it, that's typically what they do. So again, it's one thing to prepare for, and it's another thing to actually get in live action. And some of our new kids probably just weren't quite ready for the speed in which they will move the ball and can pass the ball, so we just needed to slow that down. And I thought that was, you know, we made those adjustments just to see if we could do it.”
On if they wanted to establish an inside presence in the second half…
“Yeah, and we wanted to in the first half, we just didn't do a great job, I mean, we did an okay job, actually, because at halftime, our two leading scorers were our two post players. You know, we didn't get much from the perimeter at all. We had just come off of two games where we made 11 threes and 13 threes, and I thought we had a bunch of them that we could have taken, that we just chose, for whatever reason, not to take or didn't believe in that shot today. So again, found ways though, and I think that's what, I guess, impressed me the most, was just when it wasn't there we didn't settle for 3s, we still found a way to to get it done.”
On deciding to coach the game after losing his mother earlier in the week…
“Yeah, again, I just know that's what my mom would want me to do. This is, you know, I said it the other day, she was supposed to be at these two games. They come every time we play here, because they're from Missouri, and this is kind of getting back to their roots. So, you know, it was family decision, I guess. But you know, the hard part is you're not guilty, I don't know if that's a great word, but you know, if I'm here, I'm thinking about my family. If I'm with my family, I'm thinking about my team. So it's not really, it's a no win situation from that standpoint. So just try to do what you know, again, there's no manual for this, so just trying to do what my heart tells me is the right thing to do, and what my mom would want me to do. So yeah, it was to be here, and then well, you know, now I got a couple days, I'll still prepare for the next but see what the family needs from me.”
FROM THE FLOOR
K-State Senior Guard Tess Heal
On dealing with a one possession loss…
“Yeah, it was super disappointing. I think we were right there and it was probably one or two possessions in. Sometimes you win those games and sometimes you don't. We've been in a lot of those games this season, and it's always disappointing when it goes the other way.”
On the late scoring run during the fourth quarter…
“Yeah, I think everyone was aware of the score and we kicked it into another gear. We knew we were down and we had to get it back. I was proud of the team's fight. [We] didn't quite get it done, but the effort and the intentionality was there.”
On seeing active team growth…
“Yeah, definitely. I think we've made strides. I think there's still areas that we're working on, but I think the team as a whole has made massive strides. I think there were some really good plays. Jordan [Speiser] shot the ball really well today. I thought that Nastja [Claessens] played really well, she ran the floor really well. We worked on our press break a lot, and 16 turnovers were not great, but not bad. They're a really good pressing team [West Virginia]. I think they forced Houston to 30 turnovers so we took care of the ball in that respect. There's definitely growth, but we've got to be better.”
On forcing turnovers against a defensive team…
“I think they were a little rattled. I think that's their identity, and I don't know what they expected from us. I think we're still figuring out our own identity. I think we did a good job of forcing some of those turnovers and creating bad decisions on their behalf. So I think that's something that we can continue throughout Big 12 play and hopefully annoy a couple of other teams with.”
K-State Freshman Guard Jordan Speiser
On a defensive mindset during the first half…
“[It was] sort of like the last game–just chaos. They're a really good team. They knew how to break the press so we had to know when to turn it on and off. But just to fly around, have energy and be active, was really our mindset.”
On finding a rhythm shooting today…
“Yeah, for sure. I'm definitely a rhythm shooter. When I'm feeling it–I'm feeling it, and my teammates noticed that. In transition they were making sure they found me and it worked.”
On physicality playing against Big 12 teams…
“Well, we’re 1-2 now. We left too many points on the table. That game was winnable. We should have won it, but I think we're there. We just have to know ourselves that we're there, and we have to take ownership of that and win some games.”
On the strategy during the final possessions of the game…
“The plan was for Nastja [Claessens] to come around me, make a loop, set a screen on my player, and I popped out for a three-pointer. They guarded me well, knowing that I was shooting the ball well that game. If that wasn’t there, the plan was to get the ball to Nastja, but I stepped out of bounds, so it didn't work.”
UP NEXT
K-State makes its third trip to the state of Texas this season, as the Wildcats visit Houston on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.