K-STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
MANHATTAN, KANSAS – K-State saw a halftime lead disappear in the third quarter, rallied to take a late fourth quarter lead but West Virginia fended off the Wildcats in the final moments on Sunday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum with a 60-58 win.
K-State (9-7, 1-2 Big 12) has played eight games this season decided by five points or less and are 4-4 in those contests.
The Wildcats were led by senior guard Tess Heal with 16 points and she added four rebounds and three steals to her final stat line. This is the second straight game Heal paced K-State in scoring.
Joining Heal double figures was junior forward Nastja Claessens with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while freshman guard Jordan Speiser added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting and tied her career-high with four connections from long range.
West Virginia (13-2, 3-0) was led by the double-double of Kierra Wheeler with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Carter McCray chipped in with 15 points and eight rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- K-State forced into 10 turnovers in the first quarter and held the Mountaineers scoreless for the final 4:48 of the opening frame. The Wildcats would win the quarter, 12-11.
- In the second quarter, the Wildcats made four straight field goals to build a 24-17 lead with 6:07 remaining. Speiser knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the stretch.
- The Wildcats would win the second quarter, 19-17, and hold a 31-28 lead at halftime. K-State shot 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from the field in the second stanza and saw Speiser and Taryn Sides tally six points apiece.
- K-State struggled from the field in the third quarter, shooting 27.3 percent (3-of-11). West Virginia would win the frame, 17-10, by shooting 53.8 percent (7-of-13) and hold a 45-41 advantage entering the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers used an 11-2 run to close the third to pull in front.
- West Virginia would build a seven-point lead, 51-44, with 6:59 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats made one field goal in the first three minutes of the final quarter.
- K-State used an 8-0 run to retake the lead, 52-51, on a Heal layup with 3:43 left. Heal scored six of the eight points during the run.
- After the Mountaineers squared the game at 52 with 3:19 remaining, Claessens finished a transition layup to push the Wildcats into a 54-52 lead with 2:54 remaining. This would be K-State's final lead of the afternoon.
- West Virginia went in front, 56-54, with four straight points but Heal tied the game at 56 with two free throws with a minute remaining.
- An offensive rebound and putback from Gia Cooke with 19 seconds left gave the Mountaineers a 58-56 lead. K-State was unable to score on its next possession and saw Jordan Harrison of West Virginia make two free throws with seven seconds left. A Claessens layup with three seconds provided the final margin.
- K-State shot 41.7 percent (20-of-48) for the game which included a 63.6 percent (7-of-11) effort in the fourth quarter.
QUICK FACTS
- West Virginia leads the series with K-State, 21-9. The Wildcats are 4-9 in games played in Manhattan. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 9-24 in his career against West Virginia.
- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 680-386 (.638), including a mark of 226-151 (.599).
- In its 30th season of play in the Big 12, K-State owns a record of 246-249 (.497) in Big 12 action.
- K-State is 417-161 (.721) in its 38th-season inside Bramlage Coliseum, including a 147-53 (.735) record under Mittie.
- The Wildcats are 265-196 (.575) in games played in the month of January. Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 45-44 (.506) in games during the 1st month.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State's starting five consisted of guards Gina Garcia, Tess Heal, Taryn Sides and forwards Jenessa Cotton and Nastja Claessens. This was the first time this lineup has started together this season. This was the 82nd career start for Heal and her eighth at K-State. This was the 15th career start for Sides. This was the 14th career start for Garcia. Cotton made her 12th career start. Claessens made her 12th career start.
- The Wildcats held a 31-28 lead at halftime on Sunday. Under Mittie, K-State is 180-22 (.891) when leading at halftime, including a 4-1 mark this season.
- This season, K-State owns 24 quarters with an effort of 50.0 percent or better shooting from the field, including the second (50.0) and fourth (63.6) quarters on Sunday.
- Since 2011-12, when three or more players reach double figures in scoring in the same game, K-State is 207-92 (.692) with a 7-5 mark in 2025-26.
- The Wildcats' bench outscored the Mountaineers' bench, 15-3. The Wildcats have had the edge in bench points in 13 games this season (7-6).
PLAYER NOTES
- Heal reached double figures for the 80th time in her career, including her sixth time this season. She has led K-State in scoring in three games this season. Heal's collegiate career point total now stands at 1,587 points.
- Speiser scored in double figures for the eighth time this season.
- Speiser tied her career-high with 4 three-pointers on Sunday. This was her second career game with four or more 3-point field goals made. This was her eighth career game with two or more connections from beyond the arc.
- Claessens scored in double figures for the eighth time this season.
- Sides dished out five assists on Sunday. She is the 22nd player in program history with 250 or more career assists (253). Sides ranks 22nd in program history for career assists. This was her 22nd career game with five or more assists and her seventh this season.
- Sides pocketed six steals on Sunday for the second straight game. The six steals tied her career-high. This was her 21st career game with two or more steals and her ninth this season. She has six career games with four or more steals.
- Jenessa Cotton pulled in seven rebounds on Sunday. This was her sixth career game with five or more rebounds this season, all this season.
- Gina Garcia registered six assists. She is the 14th freshman in program history to record 75 or more assists (80 assists this season). This was her 10th career game with five or more assists.
Up next the Wildcats travel to Houston on Wednesday Jan. 7 for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off against the Cougars. The game will be streamed on ESPN+