MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State led by as many as 16 points over Missouri State on Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum and withstood a late charge by the Lady Bears to claim the victory, 65-63, in non-conference action.
K-State (3-0) was led by junior guard Brittany Chambers with 25 points. Chambers was stymied in the second half as Missouri State could not slow her down in the first half when she scored 20 of her points. She was hitting from long range, shooting 6-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Chambers was joined in double figures by Jalana Childs with 14 points and Tasha Dickey with 10. Chambers also led the team with seven rebounds.
The charge by Missouri State (1-2) was created by guard Casey Garrison, as she led the Bears with 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. She made half her shots from the field and was a perfect 9-of-9 at the free-throw line. She was the only player for Missouri State to post double digits in points, but the pair of Christiana Shorter and Karly Buer each scored nine points. Shorter hauled in 10 rebounds and also tallied three steals.
K-State jumped on the Lady Bears early with the Wildcats leading 10-2 three minutes into the contest. Missouri State would pull within 10 points late in the opening frame, but the Wildcats answered by outscoring the Lady Bears 8-4 over the final four minutes to hold a 41-27 lead at halftime.
Missouri State would come out of the locker room to go on a 10-0 run to get within striking distance of the Wildcats. K-State would battle back to build a second-half lead of 13 points with 4:52 remaining. The Lady Bears would continue to chip away at the lead until a layup by Buer would make it a one-point ballgame with 27 seconds remaining.
After making one of her two free throws, Childs extended the lead to two points and gave Missouri State a chance to play for overtime or go for the win on the final possession. The Lady Bears would miss four shots on their possession as the Wildcats failed to keep Missouri State from crashing the boards late. A final shot by Jaleshia Roberson missed and Mariah White pulled down the rebound for K-State as time expired for the win.
Chambers’ 25 points marks a new season-best and the 14th time she has scored 20 or more in a game in her career. It was also the 16th time she has made at least four 3-pointers.
The Wildcats will be back in action next week in Mexico as they participate in the Cancun Challenge. K-State will take on Hofstra on Thanksgiving Day at 3 p.m., before facing Purdue the next day at 9 p.m. Purdue eliminated the Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament last season in the first round. Both games can be heard on the K-State Sports Network.
