MANHATTAN, Kansas (K-State Athletics) – For the seventh time in the last nine seasons, Kansas State women’s basketball will make a postseason appearance as the Wildcats have accepted a bid to play in the 2023 Postseason WNIT and will host Wichita State in the first round on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Tickets for K-State’s first round matchup with Wichita State are available now, by calling the K-State Athletic Ticket Office at (800) 221-CATS, visiting www.kstatesports.com/tickets or by stopping by the K-State Athletic Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum. Tickets are priced at $15 for chair backs, $10 for adult general admission and $5 for youth and senior citizens. All K-State students will receive free entry by showing a valid K-State ID at the door.
This will be K-State’s seventh appearance in the Postseason WNIT and the first since reaching the round of 16 in the 2018 WNIT. With K-State’s bid into the Postseason WNIT, the Wildcats are one of nine Big 12 schools to earn a women’s basketball postseason appearance in the 2022-23 season (six NCAA; three in WNIT).
The Wildcats are 16-5 in its previous six WNIT Tournament appearances in 1999, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2018. The Wildcats captured the 2006 WNIT title for the first postseason title in school history in front of a sell-out crowd of 13,340 fans.
K-State (17-16, 5-13 Big 12) will be opposed by the Shockers (18-14, 6-10 American) on Thursday in Bramlage Coliseum. K-State and Wichita State will meet for the 50th time and the first time since Dec. 12, 2014. This will be the third postseason meeting between the schools and the first since March 2, 1981. The Wildcats are 52-13 all-time against teams from the American Athletic Conference, with the last meeting against an AAC program coming on December 4, 2022 against Houston, a 73-59 K-State win.
Wichita State, making the program’s fifth WNIT appearance and first since 2012, is led by senior forwards Jane Asinde and Trajata Colbert. Asinde, a 2023 All-Conference Third Team selection, is averaging 13.2 points per game, 10.0 rebounds per game and 2.0 blocks per game this season. Colbert, also a 2023 All-Conference recipient, is averaging 12.4 points and 7.8 rebounds.
The Wildcats have been paced during the 2022-23 season by All-Big 12 First Team selection Gabby Gregory and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recipient, Serena Sundell. Gregory and Sundell are the 10th tandem in program history to combine for 1,000 or more points in a season, as the duo have registered 1,050 points this season.
In the 2022-23 season, Gregory established career season-highs in every statistical category including: scoring (595; 18.76 ppg), field goals made and attempted (185-of-459), three-point field goals made and attempted (74-of-238), free throws made and attempted (151-of-179), rebounding (174; 5.4 rpg), assists (62; 1.9 apg) and steals (23; 0.7 spg).
The product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring (18.6 ppg), third in free throw percentage (.844), sixth for minutes played per game (34.42), seventh in field goal percentage (.403) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.31), 15th in rebounding (5.4 rpg). She also is second in the Big 12 with 18 games of 20 or more points.
Gregory is one of six players in the nation averaging 18 or more points, five or more rebounds and two or more 3-point field goals made per game. She is the first player in K-State history and one of four in the nation with 575 or more points, 150 or more made free throws and 70 or more connections from beyond the arc.
She ranks second in school history for free throws made in a season (151) and has set the school record for free throws made by a senior in a season. She is seventh in school history for free throws attempted in a season (179).
Sundell expanded upon her debut season in 2021-22 with an exemplary 2022-23 campaign, as she has carded career season-highs in a number of categories including: scoring (455; 13.8 ppg), field goals made (144), field goal percentage (.486), free throws made and attempted (148-of-188), rebounding (163; 4.9 rpg), blocks (26; 0.8 bpg) and steals (61; 1.8 spg). Sundell’s 168 assists this season ranks second in school history in a sophomore season.
The native of Maryville, Missouri, ranks 12th in scoring in the Big 12, fourth in assists (5.10 apg), fifth in steals, eighth in assist/turnover percentage (1.51), ), 10th in blocks per game (0.79 bpg), 10th in minutes played per game (33.23) and 12th in free throw percentage (.787).
With her two-season total of 806 points and 344 assists, Sundell is the first Wildcat in program history to register 800 or more points and 325 or more assists by the conclusion of their sophomore season.
Sundell’s career assist total of 344 ranks 12th on the K-State career assists list. She has led K-State in assists in 53 of her 66 career games.
Sundell ranks third in school history for free throws made in a season with 148. Sundell’s 188 free throw attempts ranks fourth in school history for a single season and the most by a guard in program history. Her 188 free throw attempts are the most by a Wildcat since Nicole Ohlde attempted 196 free throws in the 2003-04 season.
The winner of the Kansas State-Wichita State game will play the winner of the Wyoming-Texas A&M-Corpus Christi matchup on either March 18, 19, 20 or 21 at a site to be determined.
