The No. 3 Lady Bears dominated last night at the Ferrell Center against Kansas State to take the win, 87-52.
With the night honoring those who have served and who currently serve in the military, the Lady Bears extended their win streak to 9.
“It was just a game where our team was ready,” said head coach Kim Mulkey. “Everything we saw defensively, were things we prepared our kids for. I thought we shot it extremely well.”
The Lady Bears (22-1, 9-1) were coming off a tough road win against West Virginia this past Saturday appeared to have brought the momentum with them
Junior post Khadijiah Cave came up big for the Lady Bears in the first quarter, scoring six points ad recording two rebounds to help the Lady Bears stay on up.
The Lady Bears going on a 17-6 run in just under the first 9 minutes of play, gave the Lady Bears control, which would not be lost.
The Wildcats (14-7, 4-6) who have struggled in conference play this season hoped to turn things around, but we held off by the Lady Bears bench who were were dominant offensively and defensively.
“I thought we were very focused and ready to play. I challenged them after our last home game against Texas Tech which we were sloppy,” Mulkey said.
“I thought tonight their triangle and two that they started the game in slowed us down a bit.”
Although the Lady Bears were unable to capitalize on open layups, they still found a way to be up 17-8 going into the second quarter.
The Lady Bears forced the Wildcats to 6 turnovers and held them to a 26.7 field goal percentage in the first quarter.
Wildcat junior forward Breanna Lewis, who leads the Wildcats with 16.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, was held to 10 points points and three rebounds on the game.
“She was 4 for 9 early. She didn’t take bad shots, I thought she had pretty good looks, but they have size in there, they have bodies in there.” Said Wildcat head coach Jeff Mittie.
The Lady Bears continued to find open players in the paint, outscoring the Wildcats 20 -8 in the paint to end the half on top, 44-19.
Junior guard Alexis Jones continued to impress with 11 points and three rebounds in the first half.
“I think Jones is a fantastic talent, and tonight she shot the ball so well from the perimeter,” Mittie said.
Coming back from the half, the Lady Bears continued to play in sync, adding on to their lead.
Although up by 42 with seconds left in the third quarter, the Lady Bears continued to be aggressive and dive for loose balls.
The Wildcats continued to struggle to stop the Lady Bears from connecting with the net. Good ball movement and open looks allowed the Lady Bears to shoot at 80 percent from the field in the third quarter.
Although never giving up, the Lady Bears presence in the paint was too much for the Wildcats to handle, which resulted in the Lady Bears up 75-33 going into the fourth.
With all the Lady Bears seeing playing time and the finish line in site, the Lady Bears cruised past the Wildcats to take the win, 87-52.
“When they are all playing and all playing well, it makes my job a lot tougher because I have to make sure I have the right combinations on the floor,” Mulkey said.
Jones went an impressive 5-5 from the field, 3-3 from behind the arc, and 2-2 from the free throw line.
“She didn’t force anything.,” Mulkey said. “She’s controlling her turnovers better. She was feeling it, and she was letting it fly.”
The Lady Bears bench came up big, scoring 39 points compared to the Wildcats 24 bench points.
“When you get your opportunity to play, do what you do best,” Mulkey said.
The Lady Bears continue in Big 12 play against Kansas 2 p.m Saturday at the Ferrell Center.
