KANSAS CITY, Missouri - (20/19) K-State (25-6), the 5-seed, will face 13-seed UCF (12-17), in the second round of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship on Thursday at 11 a.m., at T-Mobile Center.
• With a win on Thursday, K-State would equal its win total from the 2023-24 season (26). The 52 wins over the last two seasons would tie for the third-most over a two-season span in program history.
• Thursday’s game will air on ESPN+, as Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Christy Thomaskutty (analyst) will have the call.
Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women’s basketball
1. Wildcats in the Big 12 Championships
• K-State is 23-27 in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championships and have advanced at least one round in 20 of the previous 27 championships.
2. Clowder of Cats Named All-Big 12
• K-State saw five players collect All-Big 12 honors for their efforts this season - Serena Sundell (first team), Ayoka Lee (second team), Temira Poindexter (third team), Jaelyn Glenn (honorable mention) and Zyanna Walker (Defensive). This is the first time K-State has had five different players earn All-Big 12 honors.
3. Cats Improve Upon Season Assist Record
• K-State has led the nation in assists for most of the season and recently pocketed the school season record for assists. The Wildcats have dished out 667 assists this season, which leads the nation in total assists.
4. K-State Closing in on Blocks Record
• With five blocked shots, K-State will set the school record for blocks in a season. The Wildcats have recorded 174 blocks this season and ranks fifth in the nation for total blocks and second in program history for a season. K-State established the current record of 178 in the 2023-24 season.
5. Sundell Nears Assist Record
• All-America candidate and All-Big 12 First Team selection Serena Sundell needs 10 assists to set the school record for assists in a season. Her total of 220 is a career-high.
Number to Know
267
• K-State has made 267 three-point field goals this season. The Wildcats are 13th in the nation and third in the Big 12 for 3-point field goals made this season.
• The 267 three-point field goals made this season ranks second in program history, trailing the school record of 325 in the 2012-13 season.
• K-State ranks third in the Big 12 and 23rd in the nation for 3-point field goals made per game (8.61). The Wildcats are shooting .385 from distance and leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage. K-State’s 3-point field goals made per game would be second in program history, while the 3-point percentage would rank third.
• K-State has recorded 12 games this season with 10 or more connections from long range. This is the highest total of games with 10 or more connections from distance since the 2012-13 season when the Wildcats tallied 14 games with 10 or more connections.
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 25 points to move into 7th in K-State history for career points
• Needs 3 assists to move into 6th in Big 12 history for career assists
• Needs 32 assists to set the school record for career assists
Jaelyn Glenn
• Needs 31 steals to move into third on K-State career steals list
• Needs 4 assists to move into 15th on K-State career assists list
• Needs 10 rebounds for sole possession of 19th on the K-State career rebounds list
• Needs 5 rebounds for to become 20th player in program history with 600 or more career rebounds
• Needs 11 points for sole possession of 30th on the K-State career points list
At a Glance: UCF
• UCF (12-17, 4-14 Big 12) enters Thursday’s game following an 81-69 win over BYU on Wednesday morning in the first round of the Big 12 Championship. The win was UCF’s first in the Big 12 Championship.
• On the sideline, the Knights are led by third-year head coach Sytia Messer. A 2000 graduate of Arkansas, Messer owns a career record of 38-49 (.437) in Orlando.
• On the floor, UCF is led by Kaitlin Peterson.
• Peterson, a senior guard from Eufala, Alabama, is second in the Big 12 in scoring at 21.4 points per game. Against the Cougars, Peterson registered 35 points and three steals.
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 7-5 including 5-5 in Big 12 action. K-State is averaging 75.5 points per game and allowing 64.6 points per game.
Time Cards Punched
• A trio of long time Wildcats are climbing the ranks of the program’s career games started and minutes lists.
• Seniors Ayoka Lee, Serena Sundell and Jaelyn Glenn are among the top-5 in program history for career starts. Lee and Sundell holds the school record with 134 career starts, while Lee is second with 133 and Glenn is tied for third with 130 career starts.
• Sundell is tied for second for career games played with 134 while Lee and Glenn are tied for fourth are tied for third in program history with 133.
• Sundell is second in school history for career minutes played with 4,385 and sixth for minutes per game (32.7).
• Glenn ranks fourth for career minutes played with 4,199.
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 5.6 blocks per game (174 blocks) and ranks second in the Big 12 and eighth 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 (28), Temira Poindexter (28), Zyanna Walker (18), Eliza Maupin (16), Imani Lester (18), Kennedy Taylor (11).
• K-State’s blocked shots total of 174 is the second-highest single-season total in program history. With five blocked shots, K-State would 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 +92 this season (174-82). 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 1,701 shots for 4.78 per game in the 356 games. The 1,701 blocks in the 11 seasons are the most in any 11-season span in program history.
K-State Attacking the Paint
• K-State has continued to attack the lane in the 2024-25 season.
• The Wildcats have registered 30 or more points in the lane in 24 games this season including a season-high 56 points in the paint against Milwaukee on Nov. 20 and DePaul on Nov. 27. The 56 points were the most since scoring 58 against McNeese State on Dec. 6, 2023.
• This season, K-State is averaging 37.9 points per game (1,176 points) in the paint with 47.7 percent of its points from inside the lane and have outscored its foes in the lane in 24 games.
• This is the fourth consecutive season K-State has scored 1,000 or more points in the paint. K-State has scored 1,000 or more points in the paint in five of Jeff Mittie’s 11 seasons.
• In the 2023-24 season, K-State scored 1,268 points (37.3 ppg) in the paint which was 52.0 percent of K-State’s overall point total.The 1,268 points in the paint were the most scored in the lane under Mittie.
Defensive Walker
• Sophomore Zyanna Walker has been a thief in the 2024-25 season and was recognized for her efforts.
• Walker collected her first career All-Big 12 Defensive Team honor this season while she has notched career-highs with 56 steals and 18 blocked shots. She ranks 11th in the Big 12 in steals per game.
• She has 15 games this season with two or more steals including three contests with five.
Poindexter With Points
• Senior Temira Poindexter has sparked K-State offensively since joining the squad this summer after transferring in from Tulsa.
• This season, Poindexter is third on the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game on a .467 field goal percentage, including a career-high .403 three-point percentage. She has recorded a career-high 58.8 percent of her points this season from beyond the arc.
• In Big 12 action, Poindexter was second on the team in scoring at 13.78 points per game on a .474 field goal percentage including a .437 effort from beyond the arc. She ranked 20th in the Big 12 in scoring, eighth in field goal percentage and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage. She owns 13 games in Big 12 action with 10 or more points including two with 20 or more points.
• At BYU on Jan. 11, the product of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, registered a personal season-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
• In her collegiate career, Poindexter has tallied 1,953 points (15.8 ppg). A season ago as a Golden Hurricane, Poindexter carded a career-high 734 (21.0 ppg) points and ranked seventh in the nation for total points and 16th in the nation for points per game.
Glenn Gains Possession
• Jaelyn Glenn moved into the conversation during the 2022-23 season and beyond as one of the Big 12 Conference’s top defenders.
• For her career, Glenn has registered 258 steals (1.94 spg) and ranks fifth in school history for career steals and sixth for steals per game. She is the fifth player in program history with 250 or more career steals.
• Her 258 steals are the most pocketed by a Wildcat in the Big 12 era (1996-present).
• She possesses 75 games with two or more steals including 20 games with four or more steals.
• During the 2023-24 season, Glenn pocketed a team-leading 68 steals (2.00 spg). She ranked sixth in the Big 12 for steals per game. This was her second straight season with 60 or more steals.
• Against UCF on Feb. 17, Glenn notched a career-high seven steals. She is second in school history for career games with five or more steals with nine.
• In the 2022-23 season, Glenn tallied a team-high 91 steals (2.53 spg). She tied for seventh in school history for steals per game in a season. Glenn’s 91 steals were the most by a Wildcat since Carlisa Thomas registered 119 steals in the 1986-87 season.
• Glenn led the Big 12 in steals per game. She paced the Big 12 and was 11th in the nation, second among Power 5 conferences, for total steals (91).
Sundell Rises into Top-10 for Points
• In addition to her distribution skills, guard Serena Sundell adds a scoring punch to the K-State lineup.
• During her career, Sundell has scored 1,681 points (12.5 ppg) and currently ranks eighth on the K-State career scoring list. She was the 14th player in school history to score 1,500 points in her career. She has tallied double figures in 94 career games, including 20 career games with 20 or more points.
• This season, Sundell is averaging 13.5 points per game on a .488 field goal percentage. She has scored in double figures in 23 games, including a season-high 27 against TCU on Feb. 5.
• With her 418 points this season, Sundell has tallied her third straight season with 400 or more points. She is the seventh player in program history with three or more consecutive seasons with 400 or more points scored.
• In league action this season, Sundell averaged 14.0 points on a .475 field goal percentage. She ranks 19th in the Big 12 for points per game and seventh in the league for field goal percentage. She notched 14 games in double figures.
• In the 2023-24 season, Sundell was second on the team in scoring with 12.1 points on a career-high .536 field goal percentage. She registered a personal season-high 22 points at UCF on Jan. 6 and scored in double figures in 25 games, including three games with 20 or more.
• During the 2022-23 season, Sundell was second on the team and 12th in the Big 12 in scoring with 13.9 points per game on a .489 field goal percentage.