GAME #6 | Gulf Coast Showcase
(18/17 North Carolina (5-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. (16/22) K-State (5-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, November 25, 2023 | 4 p.m. (CT) | Hertz Arena | Estero, Fla.
TELEVISION
FloHoops (subscription)
Play-by-Play: John Vittas
Analyst: Maren Walseth
Sideline: Amber Bepko or Bailey Smith
RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Sunny 102.5fm
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Randy Peterson
LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
SERIES HISTORY vs. North Carolina
0-0
• K-State and North Carolina have never played each other.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 0-1 against North Carolina in his career.
• The Wildcats are 8-11 against current members of the ACC.
ESTERO, Florida (K-State Athletics) – (16/22) K-State will face (18/17) North Carolina for the first time in the semifinal round of the Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. (CT). The Wildcats are 5-0 for the second straight season.
• The games of the Gulf Coast Showcase can be seen on FloHoops (subscription required). The games can also be heard on the K-State Sports Network.
Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women’s basketball
1. Sunny With Sundell
• Lieberman Award candidate and junior guard Serena Sundell tallied a diverse line with a season-high 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. This was Sundell’s second career game with 20 or more points, five or more rebounds and two or more blocked shots.
2. Artistry in Paint
• K-State scored a season-high 48 points in the paint against Western Kentucky. The 48 points were the most in the paint since recording 48 against Oklahoma State on Jan. 4, 2023.
3. Cutting Off the Distance
• K-State is allowing its opponents to shoot just .181 (15-of-83) from 3-point range this season. In the last three games, its opponents are shooting just .138 (8-of-58) from long range.
4. Lee Fifth on K-State Career Scoring List
• Senior center Ayoka Lee has scored 1,765 points in her career and needs 41 to move into fourth on the K-State career scoring list (Ashley Sweat, 2006-10; 1,805).
5. Double-Double in Trouble-Trouble
• Ayoka Lee needs one double-double to tie the school record for double-doubles in a career (Kendra Wecker, 52).
Number to Know
50.0
• During its win over Western Kentucky, K-State shot a season-high 51.7 percent (31-of-60) from the field.
• This was the highest field goal percentage for K-State since shoting 60.4 percent against Baylor on Feb. 15, 2023.
• Since the 2014-15 season, K-State is 31-4 (.886) when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field.
• K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in two of four quarters against the Lady Toppers, including a season-high 76.9 percent in the second quarter.
• This season, K-State has shot 50.0 percent or better in seven quarters.
Last Time Out
(16/22) K-State 77, Western Kentucky 61 (Nov. 24, 2023; Estero, Fla.)
• K-State started the Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase with a 77-61 win over Western Kentucky.
• The Wildcats outscored the Lady Toppers, 25-9, in the second quarter.
• K-State shot a season-high 51.7 percent from the field.
• The Wildcats were led by Serena Sundell with a season-high 21 points.
K-State Among the Rankings
• Kansas State joined the Associated Press (AP) top-25 poll for the first time this season on Nov. 20.
• The Wildcats debuted at 16th, which is the highest debut for K-State since being ranked fifth in the 2003-04 preseason poll.
• This is the program’s highest ranking in the Jeff Mittie era (2014-present). It is the highest ranking for the program since the late stages of the 2008-09 season, when the Wildcats were ranked 16th.
• As an AP ranked team, K-State owns a 227-87 (.723) record. In its history, K-State has now been ranked for 175 weeks in the AP poll.
• The Wildcats debuted this week in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll at 22nd. This is the highest K-State has been ranked in the Coaches Poll since being ranked 22nd on Jan. 16, 2012.
K-State Against Ranked Opponents
• The Wildcats are 88-238 (.270) against teams ranked in the Associated Press (AP) poll including a 56-69 (.448) mark against AP ranked teams in Manhattan.
• The Wildcats were 2-5 in the 2022-23 season against AP top-25 opponents.
• The Wildcats captured its second-ever win over an Associated Press number two ranked foe and first since the 1982-83 season by defeating second-ranked Iowa, 65-58, on Nov. 16, 2023 in Iowa City. K-State is 24-112 (.176) all-time in games against AP top-10 opponents including a 14-34 (.292) mark in games played in Manhattan.
• This was the highest ranked opponent K-State has defeated on the road.
• According to ESPN Stats & Info, K-State became the first NCAA Division I women’s basketball program in the last 25 years to be unranked and defeat the same Associated Press top-5 team in consecutive seasons.
• According to Stats Perform, K-State is the sixth team to defeat the AP second-ranked team on the road since 1999-00.
• The win over Iowa marked the third top-10 win for the Wildcats in three seasons, as K-State downed fourth-ranked Iowa on Nov. 17, 2022, and 10th-ranked Baylor on Jan. 2, 2022.
• K-State is 16-61 (.208) against AP ranked opponents in head coach Jeff Mittie‘s 10 seasons.
We Are An Ag School
• Fans and media may notice a stuffed four-legged friend on the K-State bench this season.
• During the summer, the K-State coaching staff encouraged the team to get gaps which are three consecutive stops on defense and to do this seven times in a game.
• Before the season, head coach Jeff Mittie asked Serena Sundell, Gabby Gregory and Ayoka Lee to make this their own and to embrace the three straight defensive stops. Enter Gap Goat.
• Gap Goat, who can be followed on Instagram (@GapGoat7), is hoisted aloft when the Wildcats register three consecutive defensive stops. Gap Goat lives at the Ice Basketball Training Center and comes to Bramlage and on road trips to get gaps.
• Gap Goat’s apparel includes a K-State jersey and gold chains with one chain featuring a goal number seven pendant.
• Gregory chose a goat because it is her favorite animal.