GAME #14
Cincinnati (8-2, 0-0 Big 12) vs. (13/12) Kansas State (12-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Sunday, December 22, 2024 | 1 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum (11,010) | Manhattan, Kan.
TELEVISION
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Missy Heidrick
Sideline: Sophie Smith
RADIO
K-State Sports Network & SiriusXM (Ch. 199 or 211)
Play-by-Play: Matt Walters
Analyst: Kristin Waller
LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY vs. Cincinnati
1-0
• K-State leads the series with Cincinnati, 1-0.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 5-1 in his career against Cincinnati.
• This will be the first game in the series in Manhattan.
(13/12) Wildcats Open Big 12 Play Sunday Against Cincinnati
MANHATTAN, Kansas - (13/12) K-State (12-1) starts its 29th Big 12 schedule on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., as the Wildcats host Cincinnati (8-2). This is the second straight season the Wildcats and Bearcats will open a league season.
• Sunday’s game is $2 Day, as general admission tickets purchased in advance are available for $2 as well as select concession items on game day.
• K-State has opened with a 12-1 record for the second straight season and the third time since 2008-09. With a win Sunday, K-State would achieve the sixth 13-1 or better start to a season in school history and its second straight.
• Sunday’s game will air 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. Back to December
• K-State owns a 13-game winning streak in games played in December. The Wildcats are 6-0 in December this season and with a win on Sunday would end the month with a perfect record for the second straight season. It would be the first time since the 2000-01 through 2003-04 seasons when the Wildcats went four straight seasons without a loss in the 12th month.
2. Cats Pacing the Nation
• K-State leads the nation in scoring margin (+37.7) and assists per game (22.9).
3. Assistance Available
• K-State leads the Big 12 and is sixth in the nation with an assist on 69.3 percent of its made field goals this season.
4. Lee a Rare One
• Senior center and perennial All-America candidate Ayoka Lee is the only player averaging 18.0 points in 19 minutes or less this season.
5. Glenn Closing in on 1K & Rare Club
• With 14 points, senior guard Jaelyn Glenn would become the 46th player in program history to score 1,000 or more points during their time at K-State. With 14 points and two assists, Glenn would be the fifth player and first since 2009 (Shalee Lehning) to achieve 1,000 or more points, 500 or more rebounds, 250 or more assists and 225 or more steals.
Number to Know
30
• Senior center Ayoka Lee carded her 15th career game with 30 or more points with her 34-point effort against New Mexico State on Dec. 18.
• Lee owns the school record for 30-point games.
• In its history, K-State has 69 games in which a Wildcat scored 30 or more points which was achieved by 29 different players.
• Of the 69 games, 21 came in the month of December with Lee notching four 30-point efforts in December.
• Lee’s effort against New Mexico State was the 51st time a Wildcat player has scored 30 or more points in a home game, with Lee notching 12 home games with 30 or more points.
• Five players in program history recorded one or more career 30-point games without doing so in a home game - Gabby Gregory, Kendra Wecker, Jalana Childs, Serena Sundell and Peyton Williams.
2024-25 K-State Coach & Player Milestones to Watch
Jeff Mittie
• Needs five wins to move into second on the K-State Women’s Basketball wins list (Judy Akers, 206)
Ayoka Lee
• Needs three double-doubles to move into second in Big 12 history for career double-doubles
• Needs 204 rebounds to move into second in Big 12 history for career rebounds
• Needs 26 made free throws to set the school record for career free throws made
Serena Sundell
• Needs 62 points to reach 1,500 career points
Jaelyn Glenn
• Needs 14 points to reach 1,000 career points
• Needs 64 steals to move into third on K-State career steals list
• Needs four rebounds to move into 28th on the K-State career rebounds list
At a Glance: Cincinnati
• Cincinnati (8-2) enters Big 12 play on a four-game winning streak following a 67-64 home win over Marshall on Dec. 18.
• On the sideline, the Bearcats are led by second-year head coach Katrina Merriweather. A 2001 graduate of Cincinnati, Merriweather owns a career record of 173-90 (.658) which includes a 22-20 record at her alma mater.
• On the floor, Cincinnati is led by Jillian Hayes and Tineya Hylton.
• Hayes, a 5th-year forward from Cincinnati, is eighth in the Big 12 and paces the Bearcats with 17.6 points on a .458 field goal percentage and 10.2 rebounds. She leads the Big 12 in double-doubles with six.
• Hylton, a senior transfer guard from Texas A&M and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is second on the team with 14.1 points per game on a .420 field goal percentage and paces Cincinnati with 3.8 assists per game. Hylton led the Bearcats against Marshall with 16 points and three assists.
Halftime Lead = K-State ‘W’
• Since the 2001-02 season, K-State is 386-52 (.881) when leading at the break, including a 11-0 record in the 2024-25 season.
• K-State is 161-19 (.894) when leading at the break under head coach Jeff Mittie.
• Since the start of the 2007-08 season, K-State is 293-19 (.939) when leading with five minutes to play including a 177-8 (.957) record under Mittie.
Three is not a Crowd, It’s a Benefit
• Since 2011-12, when three or more players reach double figures in scoring in the same game, K-State is 186-85 (.686) including an 11-1 record in the 2024-25 season.
• The Wildcats had a season-high six players reach double figures against Milwaukee on Nov. 20.
• The combination of Ayoka Lee and Serena Sundell have scored in double figures in 41 of 70 games played together since 2021-22.
• Lee and Sundell combined to score 52 points in a win over New Mexico State on Dec. 18. This is the third time the duo has combined to score 50 or more points in the same game including the school record of 72 against Oklahoma on Jan. 23, 2022.
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 45-5 (.900) when shooting 50.0 percent or better in a game.
• K-State has shot over 50.0 percent in a game eight 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 51.1 percent from the floor. K-State leads the Big 12 and ranks second in the nation for field goal percentage.
• K-State has shot 50.0 percent or better in 33 quarters this season including all four quarters against Milwaukee, Eastern Illinois, USC Upstate and New Mexico State.
• The Wildcats shot 45.6 percent from the field in the 2023-24 season, which ranked third in the Big 12 and 25th in the nation. It was the highest field goal percentage under Mittie at K-State.
• K-State owned 48 quarters with a field goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better. This was the most quarters with a field goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better since the beginning of the quarter system in 2015-16. Of the 136 regulation quarters played last season, the Wildcats have tallied a 50.0 percent field goal percentage or better in 35.3 percent of quarters played.
K-State Attacking the Paint
• K-State opened the 2024-25 season similar to how it attacked the 2023-24 season.
• The Wildcats have registered 30 or more points in the lane in 12 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 are the most since scoring 58 against McNeese State on Dec. 6, 2023.
• This season, K-State is averaging 44.0 points per game (572 points) in the paint with 50.6 percent of its points from inside the lane and have outscored its foes in the lane in 12 games.
• 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 in Jeff Mittie’s 11 seasons in Manhattan. K-State has scored 1,000 or more points in the paint in four of Mittie’s 11 seasons.
Sharing is Caring
• K-State remains unselfish in its play to open the 2024-25 season.
• The Wildcats are averaging 22.9 assists per game and own an assist percentage of 69.3. K-State leads the nation for assists per game and leads the Big 12 and is second in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.97).
• 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 10 games this season 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 102-8 (.927) when handing out 20 or more assists.
• K-State continued to share the ball in the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats handed out a school record 631 assists (18.6 apg) and owned an assist to turnover ratio of 1.31. K-State tallied an assisted shot rate of 68.2.
• K-State was third in the Big 12 and 12th in the nation for assists per game and were second in the league and ranked sixth in the nation for assisted shot rate. K-State led the Big 12 and ranked 18th in the nation for assist to turnover ratio.
• Serena Sundell (189) and Gabby Gregory (114) combined for 303 assists in the 2023-24 season, which was second in school history for combined assists by two K-State players in a season.
Glenn Nears 1K
• Jaelyn Glenn is approaching an important career scoring milestone.
• With 14 points, Glenn would become the 46th player in program history to score 1,000 or more points in her K-State career.
• When she reaches the 1,000-point mark and collects two more assists, Glenn will become the fifth player in program history and first since 2009 with 1,000 or more points, 500 or more rebounds, 250 or more assists and 225 or more steals.
• This season, Glenn is averaging 10.1 points on a .441 field goal percentage including seven games with 10 or more points.
Sundell 2nd for Career Assists
• Serena Sundell has established herself at the point for K-State with her distribution skills.
• Sundell, a 2024-25 Preseason All-Big 12 recipient, owns a career assist total of 637 and ranks second on the K-State career list. She is the second player in school history with 600 or more career assists.
• Sundell, a 2023-24 All-Big 12 First Team recipient, ranks second in school history for career assists per game at 5.49. She ranks third in the nation among active NCAA Division I players for career assists and fifth in the nation among active NCAA Division I players for career assists per game.
• She has 75 career games with five or more assists including seven games with 10 or more assists and a career-high of 13 assists. Her 75 career games with five or more assists ranks second in school history. She ranks fourth in program history for career games with 10 or more assists.
• Her combined assist total from the 2022-23 (184) and 2023-24 (189) seasons of 373 ranked fourth in program history for most assists over consecutive seasons.
• Her career assist to turnover ratio of 1.80 is third in program history (min. 100 career assists).
• This season, Sundell is averaging 6.77 assists per game and ranks third in the Big 12 and seventh in the nation. She is second in the nation for total assists (88). She is second in the Big 12 for assist/turnover ratio and ranks 10th in the nation (3.38).
• Against USC Upstate on Dec. 5, Sundell set a new career-high and tied the school record for assists in a single-game with 13 assists.
• In the 2023-24 season, Sundell averaged 5.56 assists per game (189 assists) and was the Big 12 leader for assists per game and total assists. In league action, Sundell was second in the league at 5.71 assists per game.
• Sundell’s 189 assists last season were a career-high and ranked tied for fifth in program history for assists in a single season. The 2023-24 season marked her third straight with 150 or more assists. She was the first Wildcat since Shalee Lehning (four seasons) and the third overall (Megan Mahoney; three seasons) to hand out 150 or more assists in three or more seasons.
• In the 2022-23 season, Sundell handed out a career-high 184 assists (5.11 apg) including a season-high 10 against Oklahoma State on Jan. 4.
• Sundell was the second player in program history (Shalee Lehning, 368) with 350 or more assists by the conclusion of their sophomore season.
• Sundell’s 184 assists in the 2022-23 season set the school record for assists in a sophomore season and ranked as the sixth-most in a season in program history.
Lee Efficient from the Field
• Ayoka Lee continues to put the ball in the hoop at a high rate and is among the top-five on the K-State career field goal percentage list.
• In her career, Lee has a field goal percentage of .595 (970-of-1631) and is second in program history for career field goal percentage. Her career field goal percentage ranks sixth in Big 12 history, while she ranks fifth in league history for career field goals made.
• Lee owns the school record for career field goals made and is fourth for career field goals attempted.
• Lee owns 91 career games with a field goal percentage of .500 or better. She has made 10 or more field goals in a game 34 times in her career - a school record.
• This season, Lee is shooting .667 (84-of-126) from the field and ranks second in the Big 12 and seventh in the nation in field goal percentage. She ranks 18th in the nation for field goals made.
• In the 2023-24 season, Lee led the Big 12 by shooting .619 (221-of-357) from the field. Her field goal percentage of .619 ranked third in school history for a single season.
• In the 2021-22 season, Lee set a new school record for field goals made in a single season (296). She ranked fifth in school history for field goals attempted in a season (526).
• Against Oklahoma on Jan. 23, Lee set the Big 12 and K-State records for field goals made with 23. Of the 23 made field goals, 22 came inside the paint and needed only three total dribbles.