The women’s basketball game on Nov. 18 began with slow offensive performances from both Troy University and Kansas State, with a combined 13 three-pointers missed between the teams in the first quarter. The first 10 minutes proved to be a defensive slugfest as well, as the ‘Cats committed seven turnovers in the first quarter alone.
Guard Jordan Spieser hit the first three of the night to end the first quarter, as the Wildcats led 15-12. Following this, the offense started to show energy in the second quarter, with guards Gina Garcia and Taryn Sides each getting a steal and an early bucket..
During the second quarter, K-State nearly saw a double-digit lead, but wouldn’t hold it long. Troy continued to fight, and the game became physical as both teams tried to force fouls in the paint, leading to a good amount of free throw attempts.
“There was a lot of chaos in that first half,” K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. “So proud of our group for fighting through it.”
Free throws were a big reason the Wildcats maintained the lead, as K-State shot a perfect 9-9 from the line in the first half. Troy’s offensive rebounding helped keep the game winnable, but K-State’s defense wouldn’t allow many second-chance points. Going into halftime, the Wildcats led 35-28.
“I think we got pretty good free-throw shooters overall,” Mittie said. “They work at it.”
Guard Brandie Harrod got the Wildcats going in the second half, scoring four points early on. A three from forward Nastja Claessens and a couple of layups from Garcia helped put the Wildcats ahead 50-36. A big lead looked to be brewing for K-State, as the offense began to show more life.
Claessens was away from the team for a week, playing for the Belgium national team. She returned towards the beginning of the week.
“I’m running on five hours of sleep right now, so I’m a little tired,” Claessens said. “I got here in Manhattan at 2 a.m. Monday morning.”
Two fast break points off turnovers near the end of the quarter showed that K-State was in the driver’s seat. The Wildcats were nearly up by 20 points, leading 59-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
“I felt like the game didn’t really have any rhythm to it,” Mittie said. “In some areas, though, we’re seeing our young players get better and better.”
The Trojans kept trying to develop a three-point shot, and at one point, Troy was 1-22 from the arc. This, mixed with K-State’s offense heating up, allowed the Wildcats to pull out the win 81-59.
Speiser led the team in scoring and had a double-double, totaling 13 points and 10 rebounds. Harrod followed her with 12 points of her own. Guards Tess Heal and Sides were both shy of a double-double as well.
The Wildcats will hit the road following three home games in a row to face off against Green Bay on Nov. 22.
