Senior guard Haley Texada and sophomore forward Breanna Lewis had 14 points apiece and senior forward Ashia Woods and junior guard Bri Craig each had 13 points as K-State knocked off UTEP 72-43 in the Hardwood Tournament for Hope.
The Wildcats held the Miners to 18 of 67 shooting, including just 14.3 percent from 3-point range. UTEP was led by Johni Wells and her 13-point performance.
K-State will face Santa Clara in its second game of the three-day tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico tonight at 5:00 p.m.
Three-point shooting puts the Wildcats in cruise control in the first half as head coach Jeff Mittie’s squad knocked down seven shots from deep in the first half.
Craig and Lewis guided K-State to its 43-15 halftime lead, contributing 4 of 5 and 5 of 5 shooting, respectively. The junior guard contributed 12 of her 13 points in only 11 minutes
For the fourth-straight game, K-State outscored its opponents in the paint with a 32-24 advantage.
The Wildcats shot over 50 percent from the field in the first half, which also included nine points off of seven Miners’ turnovers.
Woods became K-State’s third scoring threat in the second half, contributing nine of her 13 points. Overall, they handed out 18 assists on their 25 field goals.
