K-State Tangles with (2/2) Iowa on Thursday Night

GAME #3
(rv/rv) K-State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) at (2/2) Iowa (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Thursday, November 16, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. | Carver-Hawkeye Arena (5,600) | Little Rock, Ark.

TELEVISION
FS1 & the FOX Sports app
Play-by-Play: Sloane Martin
Analyst: Stephanie White

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Online: kstatesports.com
Play-by-Play: Matt Walters
Analyst: Randy Peterson

SiriusXM Channel 84 & on the SiriusXM app

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com

SERIES HISTORY
5-1
• K-State leads the series, 5-1.
• The last meeting between the two schools came on Nov. 17, 2022, in Manhattan, an 84-83 Wildcat win.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 1-0 against Iowa in his career.
• The Wildcats are 74-60 against current members of the Big Ten Conference.

MANHATTAN, Kansas - K-State will face its first ranked opponent of the 2023-24 season, as the Wildcats visit (2/2) Iowa on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Thursday's game will be K-State's first road game against an Associated Press top-2 foe since 2021-22 at top-ranked South Carolina.

• Thursday's game can be seen live on FS1 and the FOX Sports app, as Sloane Martin (play-by-play) and Stephanie White (analyst) will have the call.

Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women's basketball
1. Wooden You Believe It
• The K-State duo of Gabby Gregory and Ayoka Lee have been named to the 2023-24 Wooden Award Watch List. The pair are also candidates for the Naismith Trophy.
2. Block Party
• K-State has opened the season with 16 blocked shots in two games (8.0 bpg). The 16 blocks are the most by a K-State team since 2019-20 and the third-most through two games in the Jeff Mittie era. The Wildcats lead the Big 12 and rank fifth in the nation for blocks per game.
3. Lee Races to Rarity
• Senior center Ayoka Lee recorded a 32-point, 10-rebound game while shooting 81 percent from the field in 22 minutes. She is the first NCAA Division I player to reach these numbers in a game since at least 1999-00.
4. Lee Nearing Top-5 on K-State Scoring List
• Senior center and 2024 Leslie Award and Naismith Trophy candidate Ayoka Lee moved into sixth on the K-State career scoring list with 1,707 points. Lee needs 27 points to move into fifth (Laurie Koehn, 2001-05; 1,733).
5. Welcome Walker
• In just two games at K-State, redshirt freshman guard Zyanna Walker has surpassed her total output in her five games at Louisville in the 2022-23 season (23-13).

Number to Know
46

• K-State registered the most combined blocks and steals in a single game in the Jeff Mittie era, as the Wildcats achieved 29 (18 steals, 11 blocks) in the season-opening win over Presbyterian.
• According to HerHoopStats, Monday's game marked the third time since at least the 2009-10 season in which K-State registered 10 or more blocks and 10 or more steals in the same game.
• On the opening day of the season, K-State and South Carolina (12 steals & 11 blocks) were the only two teams in the nation with 10 or more blocks and 10 or more steals in a game.
• K-State is 20-1 under head coach Jeff Mittie when achieving a combination of 20+ steals and blocks in the same game.

At a Glance: Iowa
• (2/2) Iowa has raced out to a 3-0 start in 2023-24 with an electric offense. The Hawkeyes are averaging 92.0 points in their three games, including a 94-53 win at Northern Iowa on Nov. 12.
• On the sideline, Iowa is led by 24th-year head coach Lisa Bluder. The 1983 graduate of Northern Iowa led the Hawkeyes to the 2023 NCAA National runner-up finish. She owns a career record of 853-391 (.686) in her 40 seasons of coaching and is 497-249 (.666) during her time in Iowa City.
• The Hawkeyes are led on the floor by three-time All-American Caitlin Clark.
• Clark, a guard from West Des Moines, Iowa, is averaging 32.0 points per game, 9.0 assists and 8.3 rebounds. At Northern Iowa, Clark finished with 24 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for her 12th career triple-double.

Last Time Out
K-State 77, at Little Rock 39 (Nov. 11, 2023; Little Rock, Ark.)
• K-State ended an 11-game road losing streak with a 77-39 win at Little Rock.
• Kansas State tallied a 46-12 advantage in the paint and a 14-2 lead in second chance points.
• The Wildcats shot 55.9 percent (19-of-34) from the field in the first half, building a 46-16 lead at halftime.
• Ayoka Lee led the Wildcats with 32 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.. Zyanna Walker added 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.

K-State Against Ranked Opponents
• The Wildcats are 87-238 (.268) against teams ranked in the Associated Press (AP) poll including a 56-69 (.448) mark against AP ranked teams in Manhattan.
• The Wildcats were 2-5 in the 2022-23 season against AP top-25 opponents.
• The Wildcats captured its first win over an Associated Press top-5 foe since the 2011-12 season by defeating fourth-ranked Iowa, 84-83, on Nov. 17, 2022 in Manhattan. K-State is 23-112 (.170) all-time in games against AP top-10 opponents including a 14-34 (.292) mark in games played in Manhattan.
• This was the highest ranked opponent K-State has defeated in Bramlage Coliseum and the highest to fall in Manhattan since Dec. 4, 1982, when the Wildcats downed second-ranked Old Dominion.
• The win over Iowa marked the second top-10 win for the Wildcats in two seasons, as K-State downed 10th-ranked Baylor on Jan. 2, 2022.
• K-State is 15-61 (.197) against AP ranked opponents in head coach Jeff Mittie's nine seasons.
• K-State faced a school-record 12 Associated Press (AP) top-15 opponents in the 2021-22 season. The Wildcats were 2-10 against AP ranked opponents last season.

Magic Number is 70 Points
• Since the 2014-15 season, K-State is 93-18 (.838) when scoring 70 or more points in a game.
• K-State averaged 70.1 points per game in the 2022-23 season on a .402 field goal percentage. The 70.1 points per game last season was the highest since K-State averaged 71.4 in the 2004-05 season.
• The Wildcats scored 70 or more points in a game 21 times (16-5) including a season-high 93 against Northern Arizona on Nov. 25 during the Paradise Jam.
• The 21 games with 70 or more points scored are the most in the Jeff Mittie era and the highest since the 2001-02 season (23).
• Kansas State opened the 2022-23 season with seven straight games of 70 or more points for the first time in program history.

Sharing is Caring
• K-State continues to be an unselfish squad at the start of the 2023-24 season.
• The Wildcats have 35 assists (17.5 apg) and own an assist to turnover ratio of 1.7. K-State has tallied an assist percentage of 64.8 through its first two games.
• In the 2022-23 season, the Wildcats handed out 516 assists (14.3 apg) and recorded an assist on 61.4 percent of made field goals.
• K-State ranked sixth in the league in assists per game and assist to turnover ratio (0.96). According to HerHoopStats.com, K-State ranked 43rd in the nation and third in the Big 12 in assisted shot rate.
• Since assists became an officially tracked stat in 1981-82, K-State has registered an assisted shot rate of 60.0 percent or higher at the end of a season 23 times in its history.
• The Wildcats tallied 20 or more assists in three games in the 2022-23 season: against Central Arkansas on Nov. 7 (23), against Utah Tech on Nov. 20 (21) and against Morgan State on Dec. 21 (20).
• Over the last 16 years, the Wildcats are 81-7 (.920) when handing out 20 or more assists.

Wildcats' Defense Forges Identity
• K-State has continued to be a force on the defensive end during head coach Jeff Mittie's 10 seasons on the bench.
• In the 2023-24 season-opener, K-State held Presbyterian to 35 points on a .298 field goal percentage. This marked the fewest points allowed by the Wildcats since holding UT Martin to 30 points on November 12, 2021.
• During the last 21 seasons, K-State is 131-3 (.978) when holding an opponent to 49 points or less including a 50-0 mark in the Mittie era. During Mittie's tenure K-State has held 15 opponents to 40 or fewer points.
• In the 2022-23 season, K-State held opponents to 67.3 points per game and a field goal percentage defense at .402.
• The Wildcats held seven teams below 50 points in the 2022-23 season including a season-low of 38 points by Clemson in the 2022 Paradise Jam on 26.1 percent shooting, with an 11.1 field goal percentage and nine points in the second half.
• The Wildcats held 10 opponents to a field goal percentage of 35.0 percent or less including a season-low of 20.3 percent against UTRGV on Nov. 20.

Lee a Double-Double Machine
• Ayoka Lee continues to be a double-double machine in her K-State career.
• The product of Byron, Minnesota, registered her 50th career double-double with a 32-point, 10-rebound effort in 22 minutes at Little Rock. Lee was the first player in NCAA Division I since at least the 1999-00 season to register a game with 32 or more points, 10 or more rebounds while shooting 81 percent or better in just 22 minutes.
• Lee's career double-double total stands at 50, which ranks second in school history and eighth in Big 12 history for career double-doubles. She ranks sixth in the nation among active NCAA Division I women's basketball players.
• She was the fastest player in program history to 50 career double-doubles. Lee has 10 career double-doubles with 30 or more points and 10 or more rebounds, which stands as the most such games in program history.
• Lee is averaging 0.56 double-doubles per game in her career, which is the highest rate in school history. Among active NCAA Division I Power 5 Conference players, Lee ranks fourth in career double-doubles per game.
• Lee completed the 2021-22 season with a school record 20 double-doubles. Earlier in the season, Lee tied her own school record for consecutive double-doubles with six straight. She was 11th in the nation and was second in the Big 12 during the 2021-22 season for double-doubles.
• Lee's 20 double-doubles set a school record for double-doubles in a junior season, surpassing the previous record of 15 by Nicole Ohlde in the 2002-03 season. She was one of six players in Big 12 history with 20 or more double-doubles in a season.
• Lee is the second player in program history with three or more seasons with 10 or more double-doubles (Kendra Wecker, 2001-05; 4) and is the only player in program history with two or more seasons with 15 or more double-doubles.
• Of the 20 total double-doubles during the 2022-23 season, six efforts reached 30 or more points and 10 or more rebounds.
• At South Dakota State on Dec. 11, Lee tallied 38 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. This was her 12th career game with a double-double and five or more blocks, improving on her own school record.
• According to HerHoopStats.com, Lee was the third player since 2009-10 to register a final stat line of at least 38 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks (Elena Delle Donne, 2012; Brittney Griner, 2013).
• In her redshirt freshman season of 2019-20, the center from Byron, Minnesota, achieved a rare single-game milestone, as she became the first player in program history with 20 or more points and 20 or more rebounds in the same game, achieving the feat against Oklahoma on January 25, 2020 (23 points, 20 rebounds).

Lee Efficient from the Field
• Ayoka Lee continues to put the ball in the hoop at a high rate and is among the top-five on the K-State career field goal percentage list.
• In her career, Lee has a field goal percentage of .581 (683-of-1175) and ranks third in program history for career field goal percentage. Among active NCAA career leaders for field goal percentage, Lee ranks 14th among all players. Her career field goal percentage ranks fifth in Big 12 history.
• Lee is the 10th player in program history with 600 or more field goals made in a career and the first since Breanna Lewis (2013-17). Lee ranks fifth in school history for career fields goals made.
• Lee owns 60 career games with a field goal percentage of .500 or better. She has made 10 or more field goals in a game 23 times in her career which is second in school history behind Tammie Romstad's record of 24.
• In the 2021-22 season, Lee shot .563 (296-of-526) from the field. Lee ranked 20th in the nation and led the Big 12 in field goal percentage. She was second in the nation in total field goals made (296) and ranked 17th for field goals attempted (526).
• Lee set a new school record for field goals made in a single season. She ranked fifth in school history for field goals attempted in a season. Her 526 field goals attempted were the most by a Wildcat since Brittany Chambers in the 2012-13 season.
• Against Oklahoma on Jan. 23, Lee set the Big 12 and K-State records for field goals made with 23. Of the 23 made field goals, 22 came inside the paint and needed only three total dribbles.
• According to HerHoopStats.com, Lee was the first player since at least the 2009-10 season to record a field goal percentage of 75.0 percent or better on 26 or more field goal attempts.
• Against Iowa State on Jan. 11, Lee made 18 field goals which was fourth in school history and tied for the fifth-most made field goals in Big 12 history in a single game.
• Lee has attempted a career-high 30 field goals twice. This was the fourth-most field goals attempted in a game in school history.

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Players Mentioned

Gabby Gregory

Ayoka Lee

Zyanna Walker

Kansas State University Athletics