MANHATTAN, Kan. — Serena Sundell and Zyanna Walker led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points each as No. 7 Kansas State beat Kansas 69-58 on Saturday in front of the Wildcats' largest home crowd of the season.
K-State (18-1, 7-0 Big 12) used a big first quarter to open a double-digit lead and then held off every Kansas rush.
“We just had to settle down,” Sundell said. “I was telling everybody in the huddle, ‘We’re in charge of this game. We’ve been in control. Let’s find our shot. Get a good stop defensively and just settle down.’"
Much of the talk in the postgame was about adjustments to who wasn't there, as K-State was playing without All-American Ayoka Lee and Kansas lost Taiyanna Jackson in the first quarter.
“(The players) know that when (Lee) is out of the game, we play differently,” K-State coach Jeff Mittie said.
Jackson lost a few teeth in a crash with Brylee Glenn and didn't return.
“You have to try to get them back in as soon as possible or there can be long-term nerve damage,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. “A young person’s long-term health is much more important than a half of basketball.
"In the second, third and fourth quarters in this game, I think that we demonstrated a great deal of character that we can build on.”
The atmosphere definitely impressed both coaches. Mittie said the crowd helped his team respond when Kansas made the game close in the fourth quarter.
“So many times crowds cheer when you make big plays, but this crowd was different” he said. "They cheered when we needed to make a big play."
Schneider was impressed as well by the roughly 9,602 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
“I’ve been a head coach for 26 years, and I thought that that was the best road student section of a game that I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “So credit to their students.”
Zakiyah Franklin had 18 points for Kansas (9-9, 2-5). The Jayhawks also got 12 points each from S'Mya Nichols and Holly Kersgieter.
Kansas State got 13 points from Glenn.
THE TAKEAWAY
Kansas: The Jayhawks hung tough. Even though they fell behind early, they never let the game get away.
Kansas State: The Wildcats will have to rely on their depth without Ayoka Lee for the next four weeks. Lee had surgery on her left ankle Friday. She is averaging 19.8 points with a .677 field-goal percentage and 8.2 rebounds. She ranks second in the nation and leads the Big 12 in field-goal percentage.
UP NEXT
Kansas: Hosts Iowa State on Wednesday night.
Kansas State: Visits No. 12 Baylor on Monday night.
