KANSAS CITY, Missouri – After trailing for the first three and a half quarters, (16/16) K-State charged into the lead over (5/6) Texas in the fourth, but the Longhorns scratched out a 71-64 win over the Wildcats in the semifinals of the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship at T-Mobile Center on Monday evening.
K-State (25-7) was led by senior center and All-America candidate Ayoka Lee with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting and a game-high 10 rebounds. With her 25 points, Lee passed Brittany Chambers (2009-13; 2,156) for third on the K-State career scoring list.
With her double-double, Lee collected her 59th career double-double and her fourth career double-double in a Big 12 Championship game, setting the school record for double-doubles in a Big 12 Championship career.
Junior guard and All-American candidate Serena Sundell carded 12 points and six assists.
Texas (29-4) featured five players in double figures and were led by Madison Booker with 17 points, while Aaliyah Moore added 14.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Wildcats won the third quarter, 14-13, bludgeoning its way to a 46.2 percent (6-of-13) effort from the field and holding the Longhorns to a 33.3 percent (5-of-15) effort. and trailing by seven points, 51-44.
- Trailing by seven points, 51-44, entering the fourth quarter, K-State used an 8-2 run to open the stanza to pull to within one, 53-52, with 5:17 remaining. After a layup from Moore to make the score 55-52 Longhorns, Lee finished a layup and was followed by a Brylee Glenn 3-pointer with four minutes left to push K-State into its first lead of the game, 57-55. After Texas squared the game at 57, Glenn knocked down two free throws to give K-State a 59-57 advantage with 3:06 left.
- Over the final 3:05 of the game, Texas would use a 14-5 run to capture the victory. The Wildcats were held to one made field goal during this stretch.- For the game, K-State shot 49.0 percent (25-of-51) from the field and converted at the free throw line at a 78.6 percent (11-of-14) clip.
- Texas was held below its season field goal percentage of 50.0 percent, as the K-State defense limited the Longhorns to 46.6 percent (27-of-58) shooting. Texas shot 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the charity stripe.
QUICK FACTS
- Texas leads the series, 33-18. The Wildcats are 3-4 against the Longhorns in neutral site matchups. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 6-23 in his career against Texas.
- The Wildcats are 23-27 in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship. The Wildcats own a 14-15 record in Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship games played in Kansas City.
- Head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 643-369 (.635) in 32 seasons as a head coach and is 189-134 (.585) during his 10-seasons at K-State.
- K-State owns a record of 247-94 (.724) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 14-11 (.560) all-time when ranked 16th in the nation. K-State is 1-2 this season against AP top-5 opponents and owns a 5-3 record against AP top-25 opponents this season.- All seven of K-State's defeats this season have been by seven points or less, with an average margin of 5.1.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards: Jaelyn Glenn, Serena Sundell, Brylee Glenn, Gabby Gregory and center Ayoka Lee. This was the 25th time (20-5) this starting five has been used this season. This was the 112th career start for Lee, the 110th collegiate career start and the 64th start at K-State for Gregory, the 101st career start for Sundell, the 97th career start for Jaelyn Glenn and the 91st career start for Brylee Glenn.
- K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in a quarter one time on Monday. This season, the Wildcats have 45 quarters with a field goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better.
- K-State held a 38-30 advantage in points in the paint on Monday. This was the 25th time this season K-State has scored 30 or more points in the paint. This was the 26th time this season K-State has outscored its foe in the lane.
PLAYER NOTES
- Lee tallied the 59th double-double of her career. This was her fourth career double-double in the Big 12 Championship, setting the school record for double-doubles in a Big 12 Championship career.
- Lee recorded her 49th career game with 20 or more points and her 103rd career game with 10 or more points. Lee has scored in every game of her career (112 games). Lee's career total stands at 2,163 and she passed Brittany Chambers (2009-13; 2,156) for third on the K-State career scoring list.
- Lee moved into sixth for points scored in a Big 12 Championship career with 95. Lee's career scoring average in Big 12 Championship games stands at 19.0, which is the highest of any player with 75 or more career points scored in Big 12 Championship play.
- This was Lee's 28th career game with 10 or more made field goals. She has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 76 career games. Her 11 made field goals tied for the fourth most in school history for a Big 12 Championship game. Her 40 career field goals made in Big 12 Championship games ranks fourth in program history.
- Lee hauled in 10 rebounds on Monday. Lee's career total for rebounds stands at 1,098, improving upon her own school record for career rebounds. This was Lee's 59th career game with 10 or more rebounds and 103rd career game with five or more rebounds. Lee ranks fifth in school history for rebounds in a Big 12 Championship career with 50.
- Sundell notched her 69th career game with 10 or more points, including her 24th this season. Sundell owns 1,236 career points and moved into a tie for 24th on the K-State career scoring list with Claire Coggins (2003-07; 1,236).
- Sundell's six assists on Saturday improved her career total to 534. This was Sundell's 63rd career game with five or more assists. Sundell ranks fifth in school history for assists in a Big 12 Championship career with 29.
- Gregory made two 3-pointers on Monday, which is the 69th time in her career with two or more connections from long range, including 15 games this season.
UP NEXT
K-State will now prepare for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will find out its seed on Sunday, March 17, during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on ESPN at 7 p.m.