Following a 49-22 second-half route of Middle Tennessee State, No. 13 Kansas State women’s basketball secured a 74-48 in the second annual Bill Snyder Basketball Classic on Saturday.
“It was a great first half because one of the questions on us was would we grow in the area of playing really tough defense when things aren’t going well,” head coach Jeff Mittie said to K-State Athletics. “It’s easy to play when the ball is going into the basket and when shots are going in, you have a little more energy in your body. We didn’t do that when we played Duke. We let the struggles offensively affect how hard we played. I was pretty proud of them at halftime. That was the kind of fight I needed to see.”
K-State starts with an 11-1 record for the second straight season as the only blemish came at the hands of No. 9 Duke on a neutral site.
“Last year at one time this team was ranked No. 2 in the country,” MTSU head coach Rick Insell said. “They have the same team back and they brought in [Temira Poindexter]. They’re a better basketball team. I think they’re going to run away with their conference, to be honest with you. It’ll be up to them. If they get beat, it’ll be them.”
K-State early season prowess has skyrocketed the team to No. 3 in the NET rankings, a metric that considers game results, strength of schedule, game location, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses. The Wildcats are joined by reigning national champion South Carolina and Texas in the top 3. K-State slots ahead of historic programs in UConn and UCLA.
“It’s not necessarily the best team that wins the national championship,” Insell said. “It’s the team that’s playing the best in that period of time. If Kansas State can put together six to eight games where they’re running the offense, playing their defense, and switching it up, they have a chance.”
K-State was led by All-America center Ayoka Lee with 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, but the key to the Wildcats’ success has been the depth of contributors. Seniors Temira Poindexter and Jaelyn Glenn notched double-figures at 15 points each in the contest. Poindexter collected six rebounds, while Glenn tallied five 3-pointers and added four rebounds and three steals.
That list doesn’t include All-Big 12 senior guard Serena Sundell and sophomore point guards Zyanna Walker and Taryn Sides. Sundell and Walker both rank in the top 15 in the nation in assist to turnover ratio. K-State in the only team in the nation with two individuals in the top 25.
Sundell is No. 6 in the country in assists per game while Walker in No. 44. K-State is the only team with two in the top 50. Sides is No. 2 nationally in 3-point percentage at 55.56%.
After hosting New Mexico State on Wednesday, conference play will tip-off against Cincinnati at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22 at Bramlage Coliseum.
