With four of K-State’s five starters in double figures on Monday night, the Wildcats cruised to an 84-40 win over UIC inside Bramlage Coliseum. K-State has won nine straight home games against non-conference opponents.
K-State (2-0) was led by sophomore Christianna Carr with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting including a 4-of-9 effort from beyond the arc. She also pulled in six rebounds.
Sophomore Rachel Ranke poured in 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting including a 4-of-8 performance from 3-point range. She also hauled in six rebounds and pocketed two steals.
Playing in just her second collegiate game, redshirt freshman Ayoka Lee tallied her first career double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
Making her first career start, sophomore Laura Macke was a rebound shy of her first career rebound. Regardless, the forward from Baileyville, Kansas, registered career-highs of 11 points and nine rebounds.
K-State dashed out to a 10-point lead, 15-5, as all five starters recorded at least one basket in the first five minutes. The run by the Wildcats would hit 15-0, as K-State built a 20-5 lead with 1:50 remaining in the first frame. UIC (0-3) chipped at the K-State lead with five unanswered points to end the period, as the Wildcats held a 20-10 lead.
In the second quarter, Carr and Ranke caught fire from beyond the arc as the duo combined to score 15 of K-State’s 17 points in the frame. Carr buried three 3-point field goals, while Ranke tallied a pair to help the Wildcats to a 37-21 lead at the half.
To open the second half, UIC scored on a layup with nine minutes to play. K-State then went on a suffocating 16-0 run to build a 53-23 lead with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter. Ayoka Lee went to work in the post and registered five of K-State’s 16 points.
In total for the third quarter, K-State would outscore the Flames, 30-13, and build a 67-34 advantage entering the final stanza. The 30 points in the third quarter was one off the school record for points in a third quarter (31, vs. Oklahoma State, Jan. 13, 2018) and were the most points scored in a quarter this season by K-State.
K-State continued its stifling defense into the fourth quarter, holding the Flames to a 1-of-13 effort from the field and a total of six points.
The Wildcats ended the night shooting 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the field including a 40.7 percent effort from 3-point range (11-of-27). K-State held UIC to 24.6 percent shooting (15-of-61). Aiding to the offensive performance were 21 assists on the 28 made field goals. The Wildcats were paced by Angela Harris with six assists and Cymone Goodrich tied her career-high with five.
Kansas State outrebounded UIC, 59-28, including 43 defensive boards. The 59 rebounds were the most since K-State hauled in 61 against Mississippi Valley State on December 1, 2006.
Defensively, K-State notched a season-high 11 blocked shots and pocketed nine steals. The 11 blocked shots were the third-most since head coach Jeff Mittie became the K-State head coach in 2014-15.
