A 10-1 run in the late stages of the fourth quarter sent Kansas State to its seventh straight win, downing No. 23 Auburn in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday night, 71-66. Kansas State has now opened the season with a 7-0 record for the first time since the 2012-13 season and just the sixth time in program history.
Thursday’s win by the Wildcats was the lone Big 12 win on the first night of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, as Oklahoma (at Kentucky) and Texas (vs. South Carolina) dropped their matchups. The win marked K-State’s 11th straight season with a win over an Associated Press top-25 opponent.
Kansas State (7-0) was led by senior guard Kindred Wesemann with 16 points and four assists. This was her seventh straight game in double figures. Joining Wesemann in double digits were senior center and Naismith Trophy candidate Breanna Lewis with 13 points and nine rebounds and freshman forward Peyton Williams with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Junior guard/forward Shaelyn Martin contributed a diverse stat line off the bench of nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Martin tallied a pair of free throws in the late stages of the contest to seal the K-State win.
Auburn (6-2) was paced by Katie Frerking with a game-high 22 points and six rebounds. Also in double figures for the Tigers were Janiah McKay with 15 points and Brandy Montgomery with 11 points.
After being out rebounded in the first half, 18-10, Kansas State controlled the board in the second half by holding a 29-8 advantage including 12 offensive boards for a 12-0 edge in second chance points in the second stanza. K-State has now won 28 straight games, including all seven this season when leading on the boards.
K-State shot 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the field and held Auburn to a 37.1 percent (23-of-62) effort.
Auburn used a 10-2 run to build a five-point lead, 10-5, with 5:42 remaining in the first quarter. Katie Frerking and Janiah McKay were responsible for eight of the 10 Auburn points during the early run. The Tigers would eventually build its lead to eight at the end of the first quarter, 21-13. The 21 points were the most first quarter points K-State has surrendered this season. Auburn bolstered its lead by outrebounding K-State 14-3 in the opening period.
Wesemann and Eternati Willock helped push K-State into a 34-32 lead at the half, as Kansas State outscored Auburn 21-11 in the second quarter. Wesemann tallied seven points and Willock registered six in the second frame.
Kansas State opened the first five minutes of the second quarter with a 13-2 run to take a 26-25 lead with 4:04 left in the opening half. During the run, Willock notched all six of her points. Wesemann gave K-State a 29-28 lead with 3:03 left by drilling her second 3-pointer of the quarter. The Wildcats ended the first half scoring with Williams hauling in an offensive board and cashing in the ensuing layup with 48 seconds left.
K-State shot 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the field in the opening half, dishing out 10 assists on 13 made field goals. Auburn was 39.4 percent (13-of-33) from the field and outrebounded the Wildcats, 18-10.
Auburn came out of the halftime break firing from beyond the arc, going 3-of-3 from deep in the first two minutes to take a 41-36 lead with 8:06 remaining. A pair of 3-pointers from Brandy Montgomery and one from Frerking opened the scoring for Auburn.
Kansas State answered with a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to grab a 48-43 lead with 3:45 left in the third. Willock started the run with a layup and a free throw. Wesemann then buried her third 3-pointer of the game to bring the Wildcats to within one, 43-42. Williams then carded four straight points and Kayla Goth buried a pullup jumper in transition to force an Auburn timeout.
K-State held a 52-48 lead entering the fourth quarter and Wesemann’s fourth 3-pointer of the night gave the Wildcats a 57-52 edge with 6:43 remaining. Auburn responded with a lightning quick 10-0 run to snare a 62-57 lead.
A Martin 3-pointer with 4:49 to play brought K-State to within two, 62-60, and was the start of the decisive 10-1 run. Three free throws and a layup by Lewis sent K-State in front 65-63 and Williams added two more free throws for a 67-63 lead with 1:48 left.
A Montgomery three-pointer narrowed the game to 67-66 with 1:27 to play, but Lewis followed her own miss and put the carom in to give K-State a 69-66 lead to just over a minute to play. Martin sealed the margin of victory with her late free throws.
Kansas State will make its first attempt at head coach Jeff Mittie’s 500th career win on Sunday, as K-State will travel north to face Omaha at 2 p.m., at Baxter Arena.
