As the number of games dwindle for Kansas State women’s basketball, the seniors in the white-and-purple uniforms were recognized after the second season matchup of the Sunflower Showdown.
“Nobody wants to lose to their rival on senior night,” K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. “ … We all wanted to compete at the highest level. We all wanted to coach at the highest level. There’s pain involved with that, sometimes in it, but it’s worth it.”
Gina Garcia started the Wildcats off by making a hook shot from the right side of the floor to match the Jayhawks’ first points of the game.
A made three-pointer from Nastja Claessens cut the deficit to 7-5, along with stopping the Jayhawks’ five-point run.
With her head on a swivel, Brandie Harrod found the ball in her hands and took it all the way to the other baseline for an easy two-point layup.
Kansas would go on several short runs, including one five-point run, along with three four-point runs. After the first 10 minutes of play, the Jayhawks led 19-15.
“We wanted to get that game because we felt that we didn’t play as well as we could when we went to Kansas,” Tess Heal said. “So this was a really important one for us, and it’s extremely disappointing.”
During the second quarter of play, both teams went on dry spells, allowing the opportunity to score, which was taken advantage of by both sides.
Kansas went on its run first, accumulating four points along with seven shortly after. Before the Wildcats found their groove, the Jayhawks led 33-19.
With 2:59 left before halftime, K-State went on a 14-0 run while Kansas went on a scoring drought over three minutes long. Getting the crowd to roar with excitement and energy, Heal finished the run with a three-point play as she drove down the left side of the lane, tying the game at 33-33 going into the break.
Heal led in points at half with 13 and would add onto that for 19 points on the day, her second game in a row with that mark. Claessens would also add to the scoreboard with seven points at half and 13 points at the buzzer, along with Harrod with 13 points on the day as well.
“We were average offensively today,” Mittie said. “We needed to be better. KU is a really good offensive team. We need to be able to match that, and we just weren’t able to.”
With three lead changes in the third quarter alone, both sides held each other close, being within one, two or three points of each other.
Jordan Speiser tied the game at 37-37 as she made a fadeaway jumpshot. The Wildcats had a low-scoring quarter, only making 14 points on 5-of-14 field goals.
Even with K-State’s offensive struggles, the Jayhawks stayed in control, 48-47, to end the third quarter.
At the start of the last 10 minutes of play, Speiser ended KU’s five-point run by sinking a three-point shot, trailing the Jayhawks 53-50.
Missing the layup but getting to the free-throw line, Harrod cut the deficit to one with 4:05 remaining in the game.
“I thought she [Brandie Harrod] battled all day long,” Mittie said. “Offensively, she was a factor. She’s making good improvements at the free-throw line, she was involved with a lot of plays today, and really, really had some good moments.”
After Kansas extended its lead to 73-64, Speiser knocked down another shot from the arc, bringing the Wildcat crowd back to life. But soon after, the Jayhawk offense exploded, shooting 57.1% and gaining a quarter-high 27 points.
Despite K-State’s efforts during the last several minutes, it wouldn’t be enough to overtake Kansas in the second Sunflower Showdown of the season.
“I think it was a winnable game,” Heal said. “I think we were right there. A couple plays go differently, we rebound the ball a little bit better. I don’t feel like they came out and were just substantially better than us. I think we let ourselves down a little bit.”
The Wildcats are on the road to Baylor at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23. This matchup will be tough for the ‘Cats, but a good determinant of whether they will play in the postseason.
