In a nail-biting double-overtime showdown, the No. 7 Kansas State women's basketball team suffered a close 96-93 loss to Iowa State, despite a commendable effort from Ayoka Lee who marked her return with a 20-point game. The Wildcats, now standing at 21-4 overall and 10-3 in the Big 12, witnessed their third defeat in the last four outings, now trailing first-place Oklahoma by two games in conference standings.
The game was a rollercoaster of momentum swings. K-State overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to lead with just 17 seconds left in regulation, only for Iowa State to claw back into the game, thanks to their perfect 14 of 14 free throws in overtime. The win marked the Cyclones' sixth consecutive home win against the Wildcats.
Head coach Jeff Mittie did not mince his words in a postgame radio interview, lamenting the ‘disappointing game' and his team's reluctance to engage in “the tough stuff.” A critical moment came when, down by three with seven seconds to go, a misexecution of a planned three-point play epitomized the Wildcats' struggles, driving home Mittie's frustration with his team's recent performances and practice attitudes.
“The margin between really good and not so good sometimes is pretty slim, especially if you’re not going to do the tough stuff,” Mittie said, per Zach DeLoch of The Mercury. “ … How many wide-open layups did we miss in the first half? Those kinds of opportunities are either lack of focus, lack of being ready or whatever. And we missed a bunch.”
Lee's brilliance, scoring 20 points along with seven blocks and six rebounds after being sidelined since Jan. 13 due to surgery, was a silver lining. However, Ayoka Lee's efforts, alongside Serena Sundell's 20 points and contributions from Brylee Glenn, Gabby Gregory and Gisela Sanchez, were not enough to secure a win. The Wildcats' shooting efficiency and defensive efforts were overshadowed by Iowa State's remarkable free-throw shooting (31 of 36) and K-State's critical missed opportunities at the line in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter.
“It felt like we weren’t ready,” Jeff Mittie said. “We wanted some easy things. Once again, that’s the disappointing part for this. There were some good things that went on, but that’s disappointing.”
The first half proved costly for K-State, shooting just 27% and allowing the Cyclones a 52% shooting performance along with a dominating rebounding display. Despite a spirited third-quarter comeback to level the scores and momentarily lead in the final quarter, Iowa State's strategic foul line scoring kept them in the game and ultimately led them to the win.
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