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For the fourth straight game, Kansas State Wildcats women faced a ranked opponent. The magic that led to a road win in Morgantown over West Virginia Mountaineers failed to come home with the Wildcats however. A massive burst overlapping halftime by the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns proved too much for Jeff Mittie’s crew to overcome in a 75-64 loss at Bramlage.
Once again, Kayla Goth led the way for the Wildcats (9-6, 1-3 Big 12), posting 17 points for her 14th double-figure game in 15 outings. Peyton Williams added a dozen, and Rachel Ranke had 10; it was the 10th game in double figures for both. Shaelyn Martin narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and nine assists.
Lashann Higgs led Texas (12-1, 3-0 Big 12) with 26 points. The Longhorns trailed 20-15 midway through the second quarter, but reeled off a 32-10 run over the last half of the second and first part of the third. That left the Wildcats in a 17-point hole which they were only able to halve by the final buzzer.
Next up: a Wednesday night visit to Ames to face the Iowa State Cyclones (7-8, 1-3 Big 12). With a little luck, perhaps the ladies can get back on the right foot.
Additional recap: Andrew Hammond at the Capital-Journal.
Speaking of Iowa State, when they make the return visit to Bramlage on February 3 the Wildcats will be hosting a pregame clinic and panel discussion for young girls. That doesn’t involve just the women’s basketball team; the other women’s sports will also be participating. Current Wildcat players and coaches will be joined by Wildcat legend Kendra Wecker and former K-State Director of Student-Athlete Development Cori Pinkett
K-State continues its look at its women’s basketball history with part two of Corbin McGuire’s oral history of the 2007-08 Big 12 champions.
As far as the men go, the sudden absence of Kamau Stokes in the second half of Saturday’s loss to Texas Tech has an explanation: he got hurt. Stokes injured his foot when he landed badly late in the first half, and never returned from the locker room after the break. Kellis Robinett at the Star/Eagle has the story, focusing on how Cartier Diarra feels about being thrust into the lineup; at the Capital-Journal Ken Corbitt zooms in more on how Diarra performed in Lubbock.
Finally, this week’s Wildcats in the NFL segment features a bunch of guys who didn’t play, so really what was the point? (Three Wildcats will, however, see action next week as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings come off their first-round byes; B.J. Finney, Emmanuel Lamur, and Terence Newman should get some screen time on Sunday.)