Katrina Merriweather and the Bearcats (8-3) welcomed in #11th ranked Kansas State for their first ever big 12 conference game. The Bearcats entered this one on a six-game winning streak, while the nationally ranked Wildcats are 12-1 on the season with their only loss coming to Cailtin Clark and Iowa.
The Wildcats improved to 13-1 on the season after defeating the Bearcats 66-41. The Wildcats flipped the switch early as the game was tied at 11 entering the second quarter. However, Jeff Mittie and the Wildcats held the Bearcats to just three points on 1-16 shooting in the second quarter. That was the difference maker in this game as they couldn’t find a way to overcome that 14-point halftime deficit.
Jillian Hayes with another efficient night as she led the Bearcats with 14 points and 9 rebounds, on 4-7 shooting. “She is a good player.” Kansas State Head Coach Jeff Mittie said. “I liked her coming in on film. I thought when they went small, that could have given us some problems because of their ability to move Jillian around. She is a great player, a really competitive player, you can see her positioning on the offensive glass and how great of a job she does there. She is a really active player that is very tough to defend. I thought she hurt us in the second half with her rebounding.”
The Rundown
The Bearcats would strike first after Malea Williams found herself racing downhill for the easy layup, scoring the first points of the Bearcats Big 12 era. Jillian Hayes would create a costly turnover in the opening minutes, but the way she responded to the turnover was exactly what the Bearcats needed. Hayes, would go on to score the next four points for the Bearcats, tying the game at with 4:51 remaining.
Both teams would look to find some momentum on the offensive side of the ball after slow shooting starts, where the Bearcats were caught in a 2 for 11 shooting slumps while the Wildcats were just 2 for their last 9 before Gabby Gregory buried her first three-point attempt of the afternoon in hopes of building momentum.
However, A’riel Jackson would knock down a crucial three pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 11 after the first quarter. As both teams struggled to find their groove offensively as both teams shot just 30% from the floor through the first ten minutes. The Bearcats were able to dominate the glass early despite no Destiny Thomas, as they outrebounded the Wildcats 12-9 in the first quarter. The Bearcats perimeter defense was also a huge point of emphasis as they held Kansas State to just 1-8 from behind the arch to start the game.
The Wildcats would start to find their stride as they took a 15-11 lead over the Bearcats following a Sundell three-point play. The Bearcats were looking to establish the ball inside to Jillian Hayes after Kansas State center Ayoka Lee picked up her second foul early in the second quarter. A huge impact of this game as Lee, is the heart and soul of the Wildcats squad, due to her size and physicality in the front court.
The Wildcats would extend their lead to double digits following the made corner three from Gregory, forcing Katrina Merriweather to call timeout in hopes of slowing down the Wildcats. However, the Wildcats kept their foot on the gas as they outscored the Bearcats 18-3 in the second quarter, that featured a 14-1 run to end the second quarter.
The Wildcats took a 29-14 lead into the break as they held the Bearcats to just 1-16 shooting in the second quarter, with the lone field goal coming from Jillian Hayes. The Bearcats had the Wildcats where they wanted them after Lee picked up her second foul early in the second quarter, but just couldn’t get anything going offensively as they shot just 17% from the floor in the first half.
Lee, Entered the game averaging nearly 21 points and eight rebounds on 68% shooting for the Wildcats, but the Bearcats were able to use their size and take her out of the equation in the first half, holding her to just two points and six rebounds. That was a substantial impact for the Wildcats, but the Bearcats simply had no answer for Gregory, as she had a game high 15 points on 4-6 shooting to end the first half.
Lee would start to get going for the Wildcats to start the third quarter after four quick points. However, the Wildcats opened up the flood gates as they continued to pour it on the Bearcats after Taryn Sides buried a made three points shot to make this a 43-19 game. The Wildcats continued to prove why they were one of the top teams in the country here today as they physically made it impossible for the Bearcats to get anything going on end of the court.
The Bearcats would start to find some light in the fourth quarter after A’riel Jackson scored a quick four points after slashing the Wildcats defense in efforts to get to the rim. The Bearcats were just simply outmatched this afternoon as the Bearcats were just never able to regain their footing after the first quarter. The Wildcats were simply just dominating the Bearcats today, and by the time the Bearcats regained the ir footing in the fourth quarter the damage was already beyond repairable.
The Wildcats would hold on and again, hold the Bearcats without a field goal for nearly seven minutes to close things out. The Wildcats would cruise to an 13-1 record after defeating the Bearcats 66- 41 as they played spoiler to the Bearcats big 12 conference opener.
The Bearcats travel to Morgantown, West Virginia on Wednesday as they take on West Virginia. However, Katrina Merriweather noted they have no updates as of right now regarding the status of Braylyn Milton, Mya Jackson and Destiny Thomas for that matchup. “I am not sure on their status for Wednesday yet. We hope they can come back by Wednesday.” Merriweather said. “We have had the next woman mentality up all season.”
