MANHATTAN, Kansas ā California had a hot shooting performance for the first three quarters and held off K-Stateās furious fourth quarter rally on Sunday night, 83-75, in the second round of the 2026 Womenās Basketball Invitation Tournament at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (19-18) saw four players reach double figures led by junior guard Taryn Sides with 13 points, while freshmen Brandie Harrod and Jordan Speiser added 12 points each. Senior guard Tess Heal recorded 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Freshman guard Gina Garcia dished out a career-high 12 assists. Her season total of 191 set the school record for assists in a freshman season, breaking the mark of 189 held by Shalee Lehning in the 2005-06 season.
California (21-14) was paced by Sakima Walker with 28 points, including 16 in the second half, on 13-of-18 shooting and 16 rebounds. Lulu Twidale and Taylor Barnes added 17 points each.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- K-State shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the field in the first quarter and registered 10 assists, including seven by Garcia. The Wildcats capped the quarter with a 3-pointer from Speiser to take a 23-21 lead at the end of the frame. Despite its hot shooting, Cal was right there with the Wildcats at 61.5 percent (8-of-13), including 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from long range.
- Cal would shoot 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from the floor in the second quarter and outscore the Wildcats, 20-13, in the stanza to hold a 41-36 lead at halftime. The Golden Bears made five of its final seven field goals to secure the lead.
- The Golden Bears would punch it into Walker for a majority of the third quarter, as she racked up 12 points in the frame and helped Cal to a 66-51 lead after three quarters. The Golden Bears shot 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field in the third quarter.
- Cal pushed its advantage to 25, 76-51, with 6:47 remaining by using a 12-0 run.
- A Sides three-pointer with 6:37 to play ended K-Stateās fourth quarter drought and started a 13-0 run to cut the margin to 12, 76-64, with 2:32 left. The Wildcats chiseled the margin to nine, 80-71, on a steal a layup by Harrod with 41 seconds left. A layup and a pair of free throws from Aniya Foy provided the final margin, as the Wildcats ran out of time in its comeback bid.
- K-State shot 50.0 percent (31-of-62) from the field, but were held to 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from beyond the arc.
QUICK FACTS
- K-State tied the school record for games played in a season with 37, joining the 2012-13 season.
- This was the first meeting in the series between the schools. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 2-2 in his career against Cal. The Wildcats are 12-17 against members of the ACC, including a 2-2 record this season.
- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 691-396 (.636), including a mark of 237-161 (.595). Mittie owns a career record of 27-23 (.540) in postseason play.
- K-State is 421-166 (.717) in its 38th-season inside Bramlage Coliseum, including a 151-58 (.722) record under Mittie.
- The Wildcats are 148-112 (.569) in games played in the month of March. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 31-28 (.525) in games during the third month.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod, Tess Heal, and Taryn Sides and forward Nastja Claessens. This was the 14th time this lineup has started together this season, the most used starting lineup for K-State this season. This was the 36th career start for Sides. This was the 35th career start for Garcia. Heal made her 24th start this season and the 98th of her career. Claessens made her 33rd career start. This was Harrodās 33rd career start.
- Since the start of the quarter-system in womenās college basketball in the 2015-16 season, K-State is 177-77 (.697) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter in a game, including a 17-12 mark this season. The Wildcats had 52 quarters this season with 20 or more points scored.
- This season, K-State owns 49 quarters with an effort of 50.0 percent or better shooting from the field, including the first (62.5) and third (50.0) quarters on Sunday.
- K-State handed out 21 assists on Sunday. This was K-Stateās ninth game this season (8-1) with 20 or more assists. For the season, the Wildcats handed out 555 assists, which ranks sixth in program history for a single season.
- K-State pocketed 10 steals. The Wildcats have recorded 10 or more steals in 22 games this season (13-9). For the season, the Wildcats have recorded 361 steals. The 361 steals this season ranks fourth in program history for a single season.
PLAYER NOTES
- Sides tallied 10 or more points for the 41st time in her career and 23rd time this season. She has led K-State in scoring 15 times in her career, including 12 games this season.
- Sides connected on two 3-point field goals. This was her 24th game this season and the 55th of her career with two or more connections from long range. Sides ranks fifth in K-State history for 3-point field goals in a junior season with 82.
- Harrod carded 12 points. This was her sixth game this season with 10 or more points.
- Harrod pulled in six rebounds. This was her 19th game this season with five or more rebounds. She has led K-State in rebounding in 14 games this season, which is the team lead.
- Speiser registered 10 or more points for the 20th game this season.
- Speiser made a two 3-pointers. This was her 22nd game this season with two or more connections from long distance. She is third in program history for three-point field goals made in a freshman season with 73.
- Heal reached double figures for the 94th time in her career, including 20 games this season. She ends her collegiate career with 1,828 points.
- Gina Garcia handed out a career-high 12 assists. She set the school record for assists in a freshman season with 181. Garcia owns the school record for assists in a season by an international player. This was her 19th game this season with five or more assists, including her third game with 10 or more assists. She led K-State in assists in 24 games this season.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Jeff Mittie
On what it says about the team that they kept fighting in the last couple minutesā¦
āI think that over the last three, four weeks, you know, we've really shown a really good collective fight in some DNA that can be good for us going forward, obviously. I think that while we didn't play great tonight and we didn't, we weren't really able to stay in some things consistently enough, I was proud that they continued to fight, you know. In one of the timeouts I said, āWe owe it to ourselves to give our very best, we owe it to our fans to give our very best for 40 minutes here, let's finish this strong,ā and you know, so I was proud that they did that.ā
On if Sakima Walker was one of the tougher match ups theyāve had under the basketā¦
āThey [Cal] really had good balance early in this game. You know, you got Walker in there, who's really had a great season and then Taylor Barnes is knocking 3s down. They get their All-Conference kid [Lulu Twidale] going early, which you know that can happen, she's really a talented player. Barnes played extremely well, she was kind of the wild card in that early part of the game of knocking 3s down early, so really put us in a tough spot of, how much can we double Walker? When we didn't double Walker, they got her the ball one-on-one, we had trouble stopping that, when we did double her, we had trouble getting out of rotations and Barnes made us pay.ā
On what he said to the team after the gameā¦
āYeah, just the same thing I just said. You know, we did a lot of good things down the stretch I thought for a really young basketball team. You could really see a lot of growth, both individually and collectively as a group. But the season ends quickly, it ends, you know, in a moment like that, and it's sometimes hard to process. So let's take a little bit of time this week, let's get some rest, but be proud of what you did the last stretch of this season, and let's build off of it.ā
On the growth of the team this seasonā¦
āYeah, I think that they all did some really good things. You know, you got a player like Gina Garcia, who really continued to grow throughout the year. We saw Aniyaā Foy extend her minutes, Jordan Speiser being named to the All-Tournament team. You saw tonight, Ivona Scekic doing good things, Brandie Harrod has been one of the more consistent ones for us all year long, taking on a variety of roles. So those are just the freshmen in that group. So you know, the growth that you can make from your freshman year to your sophomore year can be a big jump, especially when you've played, because you have knowledge of what you need to get better at. How you handle that, what you do with it, the work that you put in, you have more knowledge than a player that maybe sat and didn't get that game experience. So this group certainly has some of that, and the off season will be big for them.ā
On when the coaches will start to have conversations with players about their plansā¦
āYeah, I think probably by the end of the week. I think by the end of the week we'll start to have those talks. You know, I want them to get away from the emotion of the loss, the fatigue of the season. But, you know, I told them, let's catch up later in the week. You know, you have those kind of talks throughout the year, not only just, āHey, here's the plan,ā all those things, and certainly in today's world, you want to be talking to your players, because we know that they've got a lot of voices, and they have a lot of people talking to them. But you know, they're going to need a little time to breathe, probably by the end of the week.ā
California Head Coach Charmin Smith
Opening Statementā¦
āWeāre just really happy to be extending our season, you know, earning another game. To be able to keep playing, that's the goal in March. So really proud of, you know, the first 35 minutes of this game. Really tough to go on the road and play a really good K-State team. I really thought their offense was really hard to guard, they gave us some issues, we figured it out in the second half and were able to get a solid lead that we obviously needed in the fourth quarter. So I've been challenging Kima [Sakima Walker] to really step up, and she was excellent tonight, and I'm just really glad that we get to keep playing.ā
On the biggest thing the team did to be able to pull away in the third quarterā¦
āI thought we were better defensively in the second half. I think Mjracle [Sheppard] kind of sparked us, she got her hands on some balls, we were able to get some steals and get out in transition. And then, you know, we were making a concerted effort to get Sakima the ball, because she was, you know, doing such a great job in the first half, we wanted to continue that. And then when we shoot well from 3 and Sakimaās dominant inside, we're a really tough team to beat.ā
On if it was a priority to use Sakima Walkerās size as an advantage against K-Stateā¦
āHonestly, we like feeding the ball to Sakima, whether it's like-size individuals or not, right, we need her to eat. In order to space the floor for our guards, give our guards, you know, opportunities to have open looks, right? When they had four people on her in one possession. And, you know, I don't think it's coincidental that we're 11-24, from 3 in a game in which she's such, you know, a threat. So we always want to have that inside presence regardless of who we're playing.ā
FROM THE FLOOR
K-State Junior Guard Taryn Sides
On what went wrongā¦
āWe just couldn't get stops. Sakima Walker ended up with 28 and she was hard to guard. And then when we tried to double her, all their guards knocked down shots. When you have a good balance inside and out, it's hard to guard.ā
On the growth she saw this season from this young teamā¦
āI think I knew coming in with a bunch of seniors graduating and girls leaving. I was really excited about just a new, clean slate and being able to see the growth of such a young squad. It was so cool to see this year. I think when I look back on the beginning of the season, it's crazy how much these girls have grown individually, and we've grown as a team, and it's just been such a fun year. I mean, obviously we want to keep playing, but itās so cool to see the growth of everyone.ā
On the freshman classā¦
āThis freshman class is special. They're really good this year. I can't wait to see when they're juniors and seniors, they're going to be insanely good. I think they really stepped up in the Big 12 Tournament when we needed them. And to do that in that big of a moment is unique, especially being that young of a player. So they're gonna be really good. They already are, but scary hours.ā
K-State Senior Guard Tess Heal
On the team continuing to fight when down 25 pointsā¦
āObviously the score wasn't what we wanted. We wanted to be playing on Thursday, but we can be proud of that effort. We didn't give up. It would have been easy to, you're down 20 in the last quarter with five minutes to go. It's very easy to let that go out to 30, but I'm glad that we got it back to eight and showed some fight, and it's the right way to finish.ā
On her experience at Kansas Stateā¦
āI've been to three different schools, three really good schools, and K-State has to be my favorite. I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it. So I think I just appreciate every moment. College basketball is really special, and it goes by way quicker than you think. This place is phenomenal. The fans, the way they show up for you every single game, the way they talk to you on the street. I don't know how many fans I've spoken to since I've been here, probably hundreds, just at cafes and grocery shopping, like it's crazy. It's really, really special. So I'd say just enjoy every moment and appreciate it. Talk to as many people as you can, and just maximize the opportunity.ā
K-State Freshman Guard Brandie Harrod
On guarding Sakima Walkerā¦
āIt was really hard. She's six inches taller than me and stronger than me, but having my teammates around me guarding her also helps.ā
On playing with Taryn Sides and Tess Healā¦
āIt was a blessing coming here playing with Taryn [Sides] and Tess [Heal]. My journey wasn't always easy, so coming here was definitely a great decision, being with my freshman group. It's gonna be a great next year.ā
California Grad Student Center Sakima Walker
On scoring her career high of 28 pointsā¦
āIt's very special. It's my last year of college basketball, so to be able to keep playing with this team it's just really exciting.ā
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