Dramatic comebacks have been a vital staple for the Wildcats in the last few games, and that was the case in the women’s basketball matchup against the Longhorns in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.
The game, which was crucial for positioning in the Big 12 Conference tournament, saw the Wildcats leave with a 60-54 win over Texas.
Redshirt freshman center Ayoka Lee recorded yet another double-double. Senior forward Peyton Williams finished one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Angela Harris led all guards with 15 points.
The first quarter was fairly even, finishing with both teams tied at 19-19. It was in the second quarter that the Wildcats started to gather momentum, taking a 31-29 lead moving into the half.
In the first half, Kansas State shot 41 percent from the floor, including 27 percent from three.
It was a shining first half for young players on both teams. Lee led K-State with 10 points and for the Longhorns, sophomore center Charli Collier led with 13.
In the third quarter, the Longhorns started to steal the spotlight, getting hot with shooting going 50 percent from the floor. Texas rallied, outscoring the Wildcats 18-14. The Longhorns took a 45-38 advantage late in the third.
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The Wildcats’ slump didn’t last long. They responded with a 7-2 run, finishing off the third behind by only one bucket at 47-45.
K-State, who has struggled to hold onto momentum for the whole game this season, struggled in the third. The Wildcats shot only 37 percent from the floor, but didn’t let the game get too far away from them.
With five minutes remaining in the game, the Wildcats brought the score to another tie at 52. From there, K-State took a 55-54 lead with less than two minutes on the clock. In the final minute of the game, they pulled away to defeat the Longhorns 60-54.
The Wildcats shot 33 percent from three, behind three of eight from Harris — points that ended up being crucial for K-State’s victory.
The women’s basketball team will host Iowa State at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday before back-to-back road games. Wednesday’s game is available on ESPN+.
