LEXINGTON, Ky. - K-State (26-7, 13-5 Big 12), the 5-seed in the Spokane 4 Region, will face the 12-seed, Fairfield (28-4, 19-1 MAAC), in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday at 1:30 p.m. (CT), in Lexington, Kentucky, at Memorial Coliseum.
• With a win on Friday, K-State would secure the third-highest single season win total in program history.
• Friday's game will air on ESPNews, as Sam Gore (play-by-play) and Tamika Catchings (analyst) will have the call.
Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women's basketball
1. Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament
• K-State is making its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance and the sixth under head coach Jeff Mittie. The Wildcats own a record of 15-18 in its previous 18 bids and have advanced at least one round 13 times.
2. 26 Dubs x 2
• K-State has registered 52 wins in the last two seasons (2023-24, 26; 2024-25, 26). The 52 wins are tied for third in school history (1974-75 & 1975-76) for wins in a two-season span. The school record for wins over a two-season span is 55 over the 2001-02 (26) and 2002-03 (29) seasons.
3. K-State Sets School Blocks Record
• K-State has broken the school record for blocks in a season with its 183 this season. The Wildcats rank tied for seventh in the nation for total blocks this season and are ninth in the nation for blocks per game (5.5).
4. Cats Improve on Season Assist Record
• K-State has led the nation in assists for most of the season and have pocketed the school season record for assists. The Wildcats have dished out 705 assists this season, which is second in the nation in total assists. The 705 assists are eighth in Big 12 history for a season. K-State joins Baylor (8x) as the only programs in Big 12 history (1996-present) with 700 or more assists in a season.
5. Sundell Sets Assist Record
• All-America candidate and 2025 All-Big 12 First Team selection Serena Sundell has broken the school record for assists in a season with her career-high 233 this season. Her total ranks ninth in Big 12 history for a season.
Number to Know
2,616
• K-State has scored 2,616 points this season (79.3 ppg).
• The 2,616 points ranks second in school history. This is the sixth season in program history with 2,500 or more points scored.
• With 20 points, the Wildcats will break the school record for points in a season of 2,635 set in the 1979-80 season.
• The Wildcats' scoring average of 79.3 would rank second in school history behind the school record of 81.3 in the 1982-83 season.
• The Wildcats have scored 90 or more points in a game 10 times this season, which is a school record for games with 90 or more points in a season.
• Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State has scored 90 or more points 26 times, including 19 times in the last four seasons.
2024-25 K-State Player Milestones to Watch
Ayoka Lee
• Needs 12 points to reach 2,500 in her career
• Needs three double-doubles to move into second in Big 12 history for career double-doubles
• Needs 160 rebounds to move into second in Big 12 history for career rebounds
• Needs 14 made free throws to set the school record for career free throws made
Serena Sundell
• Needs 22 points to move into 6th in K-State history for career points
• Needs 10 assists to move into 5th in Big 12 history for career assists
• Needs 19 assists to set the school record for career assists
Jaelyn Glenn
• Needs 14 assists to move into 14th on K-State career assists list
• Needs 2 rebounds for sole possession of 19th on the K-State career rebounds list
• Needs 16 points for sole possession of 27th on the K-State career points list
Temira Poindexter
• Needs 26 points for 2,000 points in her college career
Kennedy Taylor
• Needs 14 points for 1,000 points in her college career
At a Glance: Fairfield
• Fairfield (28-4, 19-1 MAAC) enters Friday's game with wins in 22 of their last 23 games including three straight in the MAAC Tournament and a 76-53 victory over Quinnipiac in the MAAC title game, which avenged the only league loss for Fairfield.
• On the sideline, the Stags are led by third-year head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis. A 2013 graduate of Monmouth, Thibault-DuDonis owns a record of 74-21 (.779) at Fairfield, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and four MAAC titles.
• On the floor, Fairfield is led by the duo of Meghan Andersen and Kaety L'Amoreaux.
• Andersen, a sophomore from Wantagh, New York, leads the squad in scoring at 15.1 points per game on a .485 field goal percentage. Andersen was an All-MAAC First Team selection for the second straight season.
• L'Amoreaux, a sophomore from Endwell, New York, is second on the team at 12.5 points and a team-best 4.7 rebounds. L'Amoreaux collected All-MAAC Second Team honors.
K-State Top-20 in NCAA History for Wins
• K-State is in its 57th season of action and ranks among the top programs in NCAA history for all-time wins.
• K-State's all-time record stands at 1,069-671 (.614) and the Wildcats entered the 2024-25 season ranked 20th in NCAA Division I women's basketball history for program wins. The Wildcats were the 19th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 1,000 or more wins as a program and are one of three members of the Big 12 (Baylor, Utah). K-State is averaging 18.5 wins per season.
• K-State is one of three teams in the nation to be guided by an active head coach with 650 or more career wins and the program has surpassed the 1,000-win mark (UConn, NC State).
• The Wildcats have accumulated 28 20-win seasons and have secured 413 victories inside Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State has 245 wins in the Big 12 Conference.
• Kansas State has registered 274 victories when they were ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll and achieved 94 wins against teams ranked in the AP poll.
With & Without Big 12 Preseason PoY
• K-State has utilized the services of 2024-25 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and All-American Ayoka Lee to its advantage but have missed her while she has been out with injury.
• In the 19 games Lee has played in this season, K-State is 18-1 including an 8-0 record in Big 12 play. The Wildcats are averaging 82.2 points per game and holding opponents to 53.6 points and handing out 23.1 assists per game.
• In the 12 games without Lee, K-State is 8-7 including 5-5 in Big 12 action. K-State is averaging 75.4 points per game and allowing 65.2 points per game.
Halftime Lead = K-State 'W'
• Since the 2001-02 season, K-State is 401-53 (.883) when leading at the break, including a 24-1 record in the 2024-25 season.
• K-State is 174-20 (.897) when leading at the break under head coach Jeff Mittie.
• Since the start of the 2007-08 season, K-State is 307-19 (.942) when leading with five minutes to play including a 191-8 (.960) record under Mittie.
Cats With a Pack of 1K Scorers
• K-State features four players with 1,000 or more career points: Ayoka Lee (2,488), Temira Poindexter (1,974), Serena Sundell (1,712) and Jaelyn Glenn (1,174).
• The Wildcats and Miami (Fla.) are the only two teams in the nation with a 2,000+ point scorer, 1,500+ point scorer and a 1,000+ point scorer on their roster.
• The Wildcats are tied for second in the nation for 1,000+ point scorers on its roster. K-State is one of three Big 12 programs with four or more 1,000-point scorers on its roster (Baylor, 6; Utah, 4).
• With Lee, Sundell and Glenn all scoring 1,000 or more points at their current school, K-State is one of six teams in the nation and one of two in the Big 12 (Utah) with three or more players on their current roster to score 1,000 or more points at their current school.
Magic Number is 70 Points
• Since the 2014-15 season, K-State is 130-21 (.861) when scoring 70 or more points in a game. The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points in 23 games this season.
• K-State has scored 2,616 points this season, which ranks second in school history. This is the sixth season in program history with 2,500 or more points scored.
• With 20 points, the Wildcats will break the school record for points in a season of 2,635 set in the 1979-80 season.
• K-State is averaging 79.3 points per game this season and leads the Big 12 and ranks 15th in the nation in scoring offense. K-State's field goal percentage of .489 leads the league and is fourth in the nation.
• The Wildcats' scoring average of 79.3 would rank second in school history behind the school record of 81.3 in the 1982-83 season.
• The Wildcats have scored 90 or more points in a game 10 times this season, which is a school record for games with 90 or more points in a season.
• Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State has scored 90 or more points 26 times, including 19 times in the last four seasons.
• K-State tallied a season-high 111 points against Milwaukee on Nov. 20. This was the highest single-game point total in the Mittie era. It was the second-highest single-game point total in program history, trailing the school record of 115 on Dec. 2, 2002, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
• The Wildcats recorded 110 points against USC Upstate in a 110-24 win on Dec. 5. This is the first time in program history K-State scored 110 or more points in two or more games in the same season.
• In its history, K-State has scored 100 or more points in a game 30 times (30-0) including seven times under Mittie.
Sky-High Field Goal Percentage
• When K-State shoots 50.0 percent or better in a game during the Jeff Mittie era, they have been victorious. Since the 2014-15 season, the Wildcats are 54-6 (.900) when shooting 50.0 percent or better in a game.
• K-State has shot over 50.0 percent in a game 18 times this season including a season-best of 60.0 percent (45-of-75) against Milwaukee on Nov. 20. The 60.0 field goal percentage was the fourth-highest in under Mittie and highest since Feb. 15, 2023, against Baylor (60.4).
• The Wildcats' 45 made field goals against Milwaukee were the second-most in K-State history, trailing the school record of 46 set on Nov. 23, 1981 against Pacific Christian.
• For the season, the Wildcats are shooting 48.9 percent from the floor. K-State is fourth in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage.
• K-State has shot 50.0 percent or better in a school record 74 quarters this season including all four quarters in six games.
• The Wildcats registered a season-high field goal percentage in a quarter with an 86.7 percent effort (13-of-15) against West Virginia on March 7. This was the second-highest field goal percentage for a quarter in program history, trailing a 90.0 percent effort against UIW on Dec. 3, 2019.
Wildcats Solid From the Arc
• K-State has continued to attack from deep in the 2024-25 season.
• For the season, K-State is shooting 38.8 percent (280-of-721) from 3-point range. The Wildcats lead the Big 12 and are second in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage and are third in the Big 12 and 23rd in the nation for 3-point field goals made (8.5).
• K-State's 280 three-point field goals made ranks second in program history for 3-pointers made in a single season. K-State's 3-point field goal percentage of .388 would rank second in school history for a season.
• K-State is receiving 32.1 percent of its total points (840 points) from made 3-point field goals this season. This is the highest percentage of points from 3-pointers in the Jeff Mittie era and the fourth time since 2014-15 that K-State has received 30.0 percent or more of its points from beyond the arc.
• The Wildcats registered a season-high 15 connections from 3-point range at Kansas on Feb. 2 with a percentage of 65.2.
• The Wildcats registered 14 connections on 20 attempts from 3-point range against UCF on Feb. 15 for a season-high 70.0 percent effort. Since 2009-10 season, the percentage of 70.0 is the highest in program history (min. 20 attempts), the only Big 12 team to shoot 70.0 percent or better on 20 or more attempts and the eighth team in the nation to achieve the feat.
• In the Mittie era, the Wildcats have made five or more 3-pointers in a game 258 times in 358 total games including 50 games with 10 or more connections (w-l: 44-6) from deep.
• This season, K-State made 10 or more 3-pointers in five straight games (Dec. 1-18) for the first time in program history.
• The trio of Temira Poindexter (81), Taryn Sides (80) and Jaelyn Glenn (65) are the fourth set of K-State teammates and first since 2012-13 to make 50 or more 3-pointers in a season.
• The quintet of Poindexter (81), Sides (80), Glenn (65), Walker (22) and Sundell (20) marks the fifth season in program including the third straight with five or more Wildcats making 20 or more 3-point field goals in a season.
• In the 11 seasons under Mittie, K-State has buried 2,254 three-pointers which is 6.30 per game.
Sharing is Caring
• K-State remains unselfish in its play in the 2024-25 season.
• The Wildcats are averaging 21.4 assists per game and own an assisted shot rate of 70.6. K-State is second in the nation for assists per game, second in the nation for assist/turnover ratio (1.67) and is tied for first in the nation for assisted shot rate.
• The Wildcats have dished out 705 total assists this season, which is second in the nation for total assists. The 705 assists are eighth in Big 12 history for a season. K-State joins Baylor (8x) as the only programs in Big 12 history (1996-present) with 700 or more assists in a season.
• Since assists became an officially tracked stat in 1981-82, K-State has registered an assisted shot rate of 60.0 percent or higher at the end of a season 24 times in its history.
• The Wildcats have handed out 20 or more assists in 20 games this season (20-0) including a season-high 30 assists on 37 made field goals against DePaul on Nov. 27. The 30 assists were the most since carding 30 against UIW on Dec. 3, 2019.
• Over the last 17 years, the Wildcats are 112-8 (.933) when handing out 20 or more assists.
• Serena Sundell (233) and Zyanna Walker (117) have combined to dish out 350 assists this season, setting the school record for most combined assists by a tandem.
• K-State features five players with 50 or more assists this season: Sundell (233), Walker (117), Jaelyn Glenn (99), Taryn Sides (94) and Temira Poindexter (57). This marks the fourth season in program history with five or more players dishing 50 or more assists.
Cats Send Back Shots Under Mittie
• During the Jeff Mittie era, K-State has dealt out rejection to its opponents including a record total in 2023-24 season.
• This season, K-State is averaging 5.5 blocks per game (183 blocks) and ranks second in the Big 12 and ninth in the nation. The Wildcats are one of three teams in the nation (South Carolina & Virginia) that feature seven players with 10 or more blocks this season - Ayoka Lee (41), Serena Sundell (30), Temira Poindexter (28), Zyanna Walker (20), Imani Lester (19), Eliza Maupin (17) and Kennedy Taylor (14).
• K-State's blocked shots total of 183 set the school record for blocks in a season, surpassing the mark set last season of 178.
• The Wildcats have registered 150 or more blocked shots in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. K-State has blocked 120 or more shots in each of Mittie's 11 seasons, the longest streak of 120 or more blocks in program history.
• K-State has a blocked shot differential of +95 this season (183-88). Since blocks became official in 1982-83, K-State has 22 seasons with a positive blocked shot differential including a school record of +95 last season.
• K-State recorded a season-high nine blocks against Milwaukee on Nov. 20, against DePaul on Nov. 27 and against Arizona on Jan. 16.
• During the Mittie era, Kansas State has sent back 1,710 shots for 4.78 per game in the 358 games. The 1,710 blocks in the 11 seasons are the most in any 11-season span in program history.
We Are An Ag School After All
• Fans and media may notice a stuffed four-legged friend on the K-State bench in the 2023-24 season and he has returned for the 2024-25 season.
• During the summer of 2023-24, the K-State coaching staff encouraged the team to get "gaps" which are three consecutive stops on defense and to do this seven times in a game.
• Before the 2023-24 season, head coach Jeff Mittie asked Serena Sundell, Gabby Gregory and Ayoka Lee to make this their own and to embrace the three straight defensive stops. Enter Gap Goat.
• Gregory chose a goat because it is her favorite animal.
• Gap Goat, who can be followed on Instagram (@GapGoat7), is hoisted aloft when the Wildcats register three consecutive defensive stops.
• Gap Goat's apparel includes a K-State jersey and gold chains with one chain featuring a goal number seven pendant, which he is awarded when the team gets seven "gaps" in a game.
• K-State fans have jumped on the new tradition and have purchased their own versions of Gap Goats and bring them to Bramlage Coliseum to join in the celebration of the K-State defense.