GAME #7 | Gulf Coast Showcase Final
(5/6) Iowa (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. (16/22) K-State (6-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Sunday, November 26, 2023 | 6:30 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 102.5 FM
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Randy Peterson
LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
SERIES HISTORY vs. Iowa
6-1
• K-State leads the series, 6-1.
• The last meeting between the two schools came on Nov. 16, 2023, in Iowa City, a 65-58 Wildcat win.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 2-0 against Iowa in his career.
• The Wildcats are 76-60 against current members of the Big Ten Conference.
ESTERO, Florida – (16/22) K-State will face (5/6) Iowa for the second time this season and the third time in two seasons in the final of the Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. (CT). The Wildcats are 6-0 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 registered her sixth career game with 15 or more points, five or more rebounds and five or more assists with her effort against North Carolina (16 pts/5 rebs/5 assts).
2. Bench Boost
• K-State’s bench has added a punch to the offense this season, scoring 144 points (24.0 ppg) including 20 or more points in every game this season. In the two games of the Gulf Coast Showcase, K-State is averaging 22.0 points from its bench.
3. Cutting Off the Distance
• K-State leads the Big 12 and is fifth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense at .165 (17-of-103). In the last four games, its opponents are shooting just .128 (10-of-78) from long range.
4. Lee Fifth on K-State Career Scoring List
• Senior center Ayoka Lee has scored 1,779 points in her career and needs 27 points 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 has tied the school record for double-doubles in a career (Kendra Wecker, 52). Lee is tied for sixth in Big 12 history for career double-doubles.
Number to Know
384
• Junior guard Serena Sundell moved into eighth on the K-State career assist list with 384 helpers.
• With 16 assists, the 2023-24 Lieberman Award candidate would become the seventh player in program history with 400 or more career assists.
• The product of Maryville, Missouri, owns 44 career games with five or more assists. She has led K-State in assists 59 times in her 75 career games.
• Sundell’s 5.1 assists per game ranks second in school history for a career.
Last Time Out
(16/22) K-State 63, (18/17) North Carolina 56 (Nov. 25, 2023; Estero, Fla.)
• K-State held back North Carolina in the semifinals of the Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase with a 63-56 win.
• This was K-State’s second win over an AP top-25 opponent this season.
• The Wildcats had three players in double figures: Serena Sundell with 16 points, Gisela Sanchez with 15 points and Ayoka Lee with 14 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 228-87 (.724) 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 89-238 (.272) against teams ranked in the Associated Press (AP) poll including a 56-69 (.448) mark against AP ranked teams in Manhattan.
• The Wildcats are 2-0 this 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 17-61 (.218) 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.
The post #16 K-State Meets #5 Iowa in Gulf Coast Showcase Final appeared first on News Radio KMAN.
