Texas went into the first media timeout Wednesday well aware of the trouble they were in. Two weeks ago, K-State jumped out to an early advantage and never looked back en route to an upset win over the No. 25-ranked Longhorns.
But unlike that game in the Little Apple, Wednesday, Texas started making shots and K-State (15-10, 5-9) was unable to stop the shots from pouring in. The end result was a 76-58 victory for the Longhorns.
Foul trouble forced K-State’s hand early on. Sophomore forward Breanna Lewis and senior guard Ashia Woods picked up two fouls in the first 10 minutes of play. Lewis finished the half three fouls, but she and Woods were not limited in minutes in the first half.
However, with the early fouls, Texas was able to attack the K-State defense with ease. That opened the floor for Texas’ Brady Sanders, who hit four 3-pointers and added two free throws in the opening half to turn a 9-2 deficit into an eventual 30-20 lead. With Lewis in and out of the lineup, the Longhorns out-rebounded the Wildcats 21-11 in the first half, which lead to 11 second-chance points.
“They (Texas) missed a lot of shots early,” K-State head coach Jeff Mittie told K-State Sports after the game. “But when they get two or three chances, and when Breanna (Lewis) and Ashia (Woods) finish with four defensive rebounds on the night total, those numbers don’t set us up to be successful.”
Despite foul trouble, poor shooting and rebounding in the first half, K-State was lifted by solid contributions from sophomore forward Jessica Sheble and junior guard Deborah Meeks off the bench. Sheble and Meeks combined for seven points and three rebounds off the bench in the first half.
Texas continued its hot shooting in the second half, starting 5-7 from the field to dig the Wildcats into a deeper hole. K-State turnovers helped extend the home team’s lead as well. K-State finished the night with 19 turnovers, which Texas turned into 21 points and a double-digit victory.
“I did not think it was a good night for us defensively,” Mittie said. “I did not think our frontline or our guards rebounded or moved around and did what was necessary.”
Lewis finished with 13 points for the Wildcats, which is her fifth-straight game scoring in double-figures. However, senior Haley Texada stole the show for K-State with 17 points on 5-8 shooting including four 3-pointers.
Texas finished with four players in double-figures led by Sanders with 18 points and three others with 11 points. Neither team shot better than 46 percent from the field.
The Wildcats return home this weekend as they face the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Bramlage Coliseum.
