After 21 years, Kansas State has risen to the #4 spot, and they have maintained that position even without injured star centre Ayoka Lee.
The Wildcats defeated No. 13 Baylor 58-55 on Monday night, extending their winning run to 13 games. Eliza Maupin, Gabby Gregory, and Serena Sundell each scored 16 points, while K-State’s zone defence helped limit Baylor to only 16 points in the second half.
Coach Jeff Mittie of K-State observed, “We were having a lot of trouble guarding them man-to-man.” “We switched to a 1-2-2 zone and went zone. This year, we hadn’t played all that much. Some of our rotations were fascinating. probably perplexed Baylor, as it did me twice.
In the final six seconds, Baylor (15-3, 4-3 Big 12) tried two 3-pointers that would have knotted the game. When Jada Walker believed she had been fouled, she had a wild shot, but K-State attempted to do just that and no foul was called. Jaelyn Glenn stopped Dre’Una Edwards’ game-winning jumper following a timeout.
Nicki Collen, the coach of Baylor, stated, “We didn’t need to be in that situation.” “We forced ourselves into a one-possession game with insufficient time.”
The Wildcats (19-1, 8-0) achieved their highest ranking since 2003 after rising three spots in the latest Associated Press poll earlier on Monday. Due to a lot of early turnovers, they were behind by 13 points at the half and hadn’t taken the lead until Maupin’s 3-pointer with 7:19 remaining in the game.
It gives us a lot of confidence as a squad, Mittie remarked. “We’re finding a different way and playing without our anchor.”
After an MRI discovered an ankle fracture, Lee missed her second game. She underwent surgery on Friday, and it is anticipated that she will be sidelined for at least the second half of February.
With 12 points from Bella Fontleroy and 11 from Edwards, Baylor suffered its first home loss of the year. Including their first three games in the recently constructed Foster Pavilion, the Bears had a 10-0 record.
The Bears’ Aijha Blackwell finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, but her layup with 4:34 remaining gave them a 55-52 lead was their last basket before they missed their next seven shots.
The Bears shot 6 of 26 the remainder of the game after making 15 of 26 before halftime.
They were blocking it up, so we couldn’t pound it in from the inside, according to Edwards. “We simply need to knock down shots,”
With 3:27 remaining, Sundell’s layup put Kansas State up to stay.
After the teams’ second game in three days, Mittie stated, “Both teams were pretty fatigued at the end, exerted a lot of energy.”
brave display of football on the road for Kansas State, which had seven giveaways in nine possessions just before halftime. The Wildcats have now defeated four Top 25 opponents this season, joining Baylor, Colorado, and South Carolina in that feat. Each of UCLA and UConn has five. After starting 14-0, the Bears have lost three straight games.
With 3:15 remaining in the third quarter, Sundell’s free throw brought Kansas State within 44-41. That followed Fontleroy’s deliberate foul. When Brylee Glenn reached in and shoved the Baylor player, Fontleroy was on the floor with the ball underneath her after Sarah Andrews missed a three-point shot. After reviewing the replay, officials ruled that the foul was intentional.
On Saturday, Kansas State will host BYU at home. The Wildcats will aim to win 14 straight games for the first time since 2008–09.
