EXHIBITION GAME #1
Washburn (0-0, 0-0 MIAA) at (13/13) Kansas State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 | 6:30 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum (11,010) | Manhattan, Kan.
TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
Promotion: Postgame Meet & Greet with the team in the Shamrock Zone
Tickets: kstatesports.com/tickets or (800) 221-CATS
TELEVISION
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Missy Heidrick
Sideline: Sophie Smith
LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY vs. Washburn
5-0
• K-State leads the series with Washburn, 5-0 (regular season-only).
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 4-3 in his career against Washburn.
(13/13) K-State Faces Washburn in Exhibition Tilt
MANHATTAN, Kansas - (13/13) K-State will play its only exhibition game of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats host Washburn in Bramlage Coliseum at 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday’s game can be seen live on ESPN+, as Brian Smoller (play-by-play), Missy Heidrick (analyst) and Sophie Smith (sideline) will have the call.
Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women’s basketball
1. Cats Picked as Big 12 Favorites
• For the first time in Big 12 history, K-State was chosen as the league favorite in the 2024-25 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats received 7 first-place votes and 211 points.
2. K-State 13th in AP & Coaches Polls
• For the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2004-05, K-State is ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today/WBCA Coaches preseason polls. The Wildcats check in at 13th in both, its highest preseason ranking since 2003-04 when the Cats were ranked fifth.
3. Duo Named Preseason All-Big 12
• K-State’s Ayoka Lee (unanimous selection) and Serena Sundell were 2024-25 Preseason All-Big 12 selections. Lee was picked as the 2024-25 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year.
4. Mittie Set for 11th season
• K-State head coach Jeff Mittie is prepared for his 11th season in Manhattan. He owns a 190-135 (.585) record and eight postseason appearances with the Wildcats. With 10 wins, Mittie will become the third K-State WBB coach (Deb Patterson, 350; Judy Akers, 206) with 200 or more wins at the helm of the Wildcats.
5. Lee on Cusp of Scoring Record
• Senior center and 2024-25 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Ayoka Lee needs 140 points to pass Kendra Wecker (2001-05; 2,333 points) for the K-State career scoring record. Lee owns the career school records for rebounds (1,118) and blocks (310).
Number to Know
2,067
• K-State returns 85 percent (2,067 points) of its points from the 2023-24 season.
• This is the second straight season K-State will return over 2,000 points scored from the previous season (2,120 entering 2023-24).
• Of the 2,067 points returning from last season, K-State returns its eight of its top nine scorers (Ayoka Lee, 533 points; Serena Sundell, 4111 points; Jaelyn Glenn, 239 points; Zyanna Walker, 231 points; Brylee Glenn, 214 points; Gisela Sanchez, 180 points; Eliza Maupin, 116 points; Taryn Sides, 115 points).
• The Wildcats scored 2,437 points in the 2023-24 season, the third straight season K-State has scored 2,000 or more points in a season. K-State has scored 2,000 or more points under Jeff Mittie in seven of his previous 10 seasons.
2024-25 Coach and Player Milestones to Watch
Jeff Mittie
• Needs 10 wins to become third K-State Women’s Basketball head coach with 200 or more wins at K-State
• Needs 17 wins to move into second on the K-State Women’s Basketball wins list (Judy Akers, 206)
Ayoka Lee
• Needs 140 points to set the school career scoring record
• Needs six double-doubles to move into second in Big 12 history for career double-doubles
• Needs 274 rebounds to move into second in Big 12 history for career rebounds
• Needs 56 made free throws to set the school record for career free throws made
• Needs 50 made field goals to set the school record for career field goals made
Serena Sundell
• Needs 238 points to reach 1,500 career points
• Needs 41 assists to move into second in school history for career assists
Jaelyn Glenn
• Needs 145 points to reach 1,000 career points
• Needs 12 made 3-pointers to move into 10th on K-State career 3-point field goals made list
• Needs 84 steals to move into third on K-State career steals list
• Needs 45 rebounds to move into top-30 on K-State career rebounds list
Brylee Glenn
• Needs 223 points to reach 1,000 career points
At a Glance: Washburn
• Washburn will play two exhibition games before beginning its 2024-25 season on November 8 against Southwest Minnesota State in the Central Region Crossover in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
• The Ichabods were voted ninth in both the MIAA Preseason Media Poll and 10th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Washburn is guided on the sideline by third-year head coach Lora Westling. The 2005 graduate of Washburn owns a career record of 139-143 (.493) including a 24-33 (.421) mark in Topeka.
• The top returning scorer and rebounder for the Ichabods is junior center Yiibari Nwidadah. The product of Olathe, Kansas, averaged 12.4 points on a .548 field goal percentage and hauled in 9.1 rebounds. At the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, Nwidadah was named an All-MIAA honorable mention recipient.
K-State Among the Rankings
• Kansas State made its 2024-25 preseason debut at 13th in the Associated Press (AP) top-25 poll.
• This is the fourth time in program history and the first time since the 2004-05 season that K-State appeared in the AP preseason poll. This was the program’s highest preseason ranking since 2003-04 when the Wildcats entered the season ranked fifth.
• Since making its poll debut on Nov. 20, 2023, K-State has been ranked for 20 consecutive weeks. This is the longest consecutive streak for K-State since being ranked for the entirety of the 2004-05 season. In its history, K-State has now been ranked for a total of 193 weeks in the AP poll.
• As an AP ranked team, K-State owns a 247-94 (.724) record.
• During the 2023-24 season, the Wildcats achieved the program’s highest ranking in the Jeff Mittie era (2014-present), as the team was ranked 2nd on Jan. 29, 2024. It was the highest ranking for the program in the AP poll since Nov. 25, 2002 when K-State was ranked 2nd.
• According to Stats Perform, K-State was the first women’s program since the start of the AP poll in 1976 to go from unranked in the preseason to either No. 1 or No. 2 in the same season.
• The Wildcats are ranked 13th in the preseason USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. This is the fourth time K-State has appeared in the preseason Coaches Poll and the first time since 2004-05. This is K-State’s highest preseason ranking in the poll since 2003-04 when the Wildcats entered the season ranked fifth.
• K-State reached a high of 2nd in the Coaches Poll for two straight weeks in the 2023-24 season, its highest Coaches Poll ranking since being ranked 2nd in the third poll of the 2002-03 season.
• The Wildcats have been ranked in 20 straight USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls dating back to Nov. 20, 2023.
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 1,043-664 (.611) and the Wildcats entered the 2023-24 season ranked 19th 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 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 600 or more career wins and the program has surpassed the 1,000-win mark (UConn, NC State).
• The Wildcats have accumulated 27 20-win seasons and have secured 396 victories inside Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State has 232 wins in the Big 12 Conference.