(Courtesy K-State Sports Information)
K-State opened the game with three quick 3-pointers to jump on top of the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes immediately and never look back. The Wildcats never trailed in their 64-57 victory on Friday evening at Bramlage Coliseum as Brittany Chambers led the way with 25 points.
Chambers shot 7-of-11 from long range and helped K-State score the first 14 points of the game.
The Wildcats drained a total of nine shots from beyond the arc as they used Chambers’ hot hand in the first half to their advantage. K-State (5-0) has made a 3-pointer in 179 consecutive games now dating back to Feb. 7, 2007. In the second half it would take until there was 5:45 remaining until the Wildcats would make a 3-pointer, however, and the Devillettes clawed their way back into the game cutting the lead to just four points.
K-State responded with Chambers and Haley Texada hitting some buckets to extend the lead back to double digits and provide the cushion needed to close out the win over the final minutes.
Texada tallied 12 points for the game as she and Ashia Woods also joined Chambers with double digits in scoring. Woods put 10 points on the board and pulled down seven rebounds.
After Mississippi Valley State (1-5) could not slow the Wildcats in the first half, the Devilettes turned the game around in the second half, putting a scare into the Wildcats. K-State shot only 20.6 percent in the second half while Mississippi Valley got hot from long range hitting 6-of-10.
The Devilettes were led in scoring by Derita Silas with 16 points. She was hot in the second half and finished the night shooting 6-of-9 overall and 4-of-5 from deep. Joncyee Sanders and Alia Frank also reached double digits with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Turnovers plagued the Devilettes as K-State’s defense had 15 steals and forced six additional turnovers. K-State then took advantage of those turnovers converting them into 18 points.
The Wildcats built the lead up to 22 points in the first half, which was the deficit at the break 43-21. K-State made nearly half of its shots hitting 16-of-33 attempts overall and 7-of-17 from beyond the arc. The 22-point halftime lead was the largest of the season surpassing the previous high of 21 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff when K-State held a 47-26 lead at the break. Those two games represent the only two games this season the Wildcats have held a double-digit lead at half.
Kansas State stays in-state for its next game, as the Wildcats travel to Wichita State to face the Shockers on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m., in Koch Arena.
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