In the season opener, the K-State women’s basketball team defeated Fort Hays State 81-68, in an exhibition match up at Bramlage Coliseum Tuesday.
The Wildcats were led by senior Ashley Sweat, who scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Freshman guard Brittany Chambers scored 12 points on 2-of-3 three-point shootings. The Tigers were led by guard Kayla Klug, who scored 16 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting.
With one of the youngest teams in head coach Deb Patterson’s 14-year tenure at K-State, Tuesday’s exhibition game served as a chance for fans to see what kind of team the Wildcats will be this year.
Fans had to keep waiting, with a 10-minute power failure on the press row delaying the tip-off. Once the game got started, Patterson threw her freshmen into the mix immediately, with guard Taelor Karr getting the start and guards Mariah White and Brittany Chambers seeing extended minutes off the bench.
“I thought we showed some small segments of quality play,” Patterson said of her freshmen players. “I liked what they brought in spots during the game, and certainly those will be the things we work hard to build on.”
The mood after the game from Patterson was of disappointment as she praised the visiting Tigers for their strong second half. After taking a 42-26 lead at halftime, the Wildcats were outscored in the second half 42-39 by Fort Hays State.
“Fort Hays State gave a great battle tonight,” Patterson said. “Overall, I felt they were mentally a very tough basketball team. To be on the road, and be playing a Big 12 opponent and by and large, to dominate that opponent in the second half was great play by their basketball team.”
All of the freshmen guards scored in double figures for the Wildcats, with White dribbling through traffic to score several layups, and Chambers shooting well from beyond the arc. Only three Wildcats, who played in the game, failed to reach double figures, which showed balance for the K-State offense.
However, senior forward Ashley Sweat stressed that the Wildcats are far from where they want to be and that their youth will take time to develop.
“We’re obviously very raw right now,” Sweat said. “Especially on defense you see, in the second half, 7-of-13 from the three point line. That’s completely unacceptable for us.”
In the first half, the Wildcats developed a strong halftime lead by going to the low-post with Sweat and sophomore Jalana Childs.
In the second half, the Tigers started to heat up, shooting the ball well and chipping into the Wildcat lead. The Tigers cut the lead to nine with less than three minutes to play, but would get no closer.
Up next for the Wildcats is another exhibition game against Pittsburgh State on Nov. 9.