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| Kansas State freshman guard Brittany Chambers goes up for a shot against Fort Hays State during the Wildcats’ 81-68 exhibition win on Tuesday night at Bramlage Coliseum. Staff photo by Rod Mikinski. |
Despite that youth and actually being outscored in the second half, K-State was still able to come out on top in this one, winning its first of two exhibition games, 81-68.
"I think obviously you can look at the team and see how different it is and we talked about before the season started that we all needed to bring different things to the court that can affect the outcomes of the games," said senior forward Ashley Sweat, who finished with a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds. "We are going to be hit with adversity all season because we are inexperienced. Everyone that came to the game can see that we are a very raw team, especially on defense. There is a lot of room for improvement."
K-State led 42-26 at halftime, and pushed that lead to as many as 21 early in the second half. The Wildcats, however, struggled to sustain their surge and allowed the Tigers to cut into the deficit, getting as close as 11 with nine minutes to go in the game and then to nine points with less than three minutes remaining.
Fort Hays State did much of its damage late with 3-pointers, making 7-of-13 behind the arc — including three from Kayla Klug, who finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
"I thought that we regrouped at halftime and played a lot better in the second half," FHSU head coach Tony Hobson said. "We executed better, which gave us better shot opportunities. As a result, we turned it into a lot more competitive game. At halftime, we talked about winning the second half."
The Wildcats, who sot 48 percent from the field, had six players score in double figures, including all three freshmen guards Mariah White (10), Taelor Karr (10) and Brittany Chambers (12).
"I think more than anything, it was great for them to get a little bit of game experience," said coach Deb Patterson, who is in her 14th season at KSU. "Going into the game, we saw spots of their strengths and I think they expanded on those a little tonight. I think they just need to get used the speed and intensity of the game. A huge problem for us tonight was just the tempo of the game."
Karr got the start at point guard and was 4-of-9 from the field with three rebounds, four assists and three steals.
"I think Taelor did a nice job for it being her first start," Patterson said. "For someone who has not had a lot of game experience at that position and at this level, I thought she brought some quality possessions to the floor. I like it when our point guards are aggressive offensively and make an impact."
She wasn't the only one though as White finished 4-of-5 from the field with 10 points, all off drives to the basket, while Chambers made 4-for-7, including a pair of 3-pointers, to finish with 12 points.
Jalana Childs, a sophomore forward, also got into the starting lineup and finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds — seven offensive. Senior guard Kari Kincaid was 3-for-8 with 10 points and four rebounds, including just 1-of-5 on 3-pointers.
Nonetheless, K-State made its share of mistakes too as the Wildcats turned the ball over 18 times and wore down late on defense. The Tigers shot better than 51 percent from the field in the second half, compared to 31 percent in the first half.
"We are not ready. That is why we schedule these games," Sweat said. "You can practice and practice, but you have to play because it is when you get tired you get start to slip up. We are all still trying to get a feel for each other. That's something that comes day in and day out of practice. We have a long ways to go before we are prepared."
K-State started the game slow, leading just 9-6 early. But a 14-6 run that covered more than five minutes midway through the half helped push the Wildcats out to a 34-20 advantage with 3:36 remaining.
Patterson used a variety of lineups during the game, mixing and matching her nine players on the roster with nobody playing less than nine minutes. More than anything Patterson said the exhibition is useful in creating different situations and building chemistry with a team made up of so many new faces.
"We certainly gave some players the opportunity to make a statement during their time in the game," she said. "I think we saw some signs of small segments that had some quality play, but we are a long way from saying that we are remotely playing well. I think our young players got some quality minutes and I like what they brought in spots and certainly those are the things that we will work hard to build on."
The Wildcats return to action on Monday when they host Pittsburg State at 7 p.m. K-State opens the regular season on Nov. 14 against Indiana State at 5 p.m., following the Wildcats' football game and before the KSU volleyball match that night at 7.
Video highlights can be watched here!
