KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 16th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats overcame 21 turnovers to get a 65-62 win over West Virginia in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Women’s Tournament.
The Wildcats committed six turnovers in the first quarter which resulted in a 21-9 deficit halfway through the first quarter.
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Ayoka Lee anchored the comeback by scoring six of the next K-State points to cut West Virginia’s lead down to 23-17 at the end of the first quarter.
WVU increased their lead to 27-19 but K-State ended the half with a 15-4 run to take a 34-31 lead to the half.
KSU ended the half with 10 turnovers.
K-State opened the third quarter with a 10-1 run and extended their lead to 49-40 with less than four minutes left in the quarter.
Turnovers became a problem again for the Wildcats as four turnovers helped anchor a 9-0 run that helped WVU cut the lead to 49-48 heading into the fourth quarter.
Two big three-pointers from Gabby Gregory, her first points of the night, helped give KSU a 57-51 lead early but WVU’s Jordan Harrison paced the team with her paint scoring.
A Serena Sundell basket gave KSU a 65-61 lead in the final minute.
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After a review of West Virginia’s last possession gave K-State the ball with five seconds left at 65-62, two missed Lee free throws gave the Mountaineers a final possession with 2.2 seconds to go.
WVU’s JJ Quinerly missed a three to end the game.
Lee led the Wildcats with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks while playing the majority of the fourth quarter with four fouls.
Sundell finished the night with 14 points (6-7 FG) and eight assists. Gregory recorded 11 points (3-4 3FG), five rebounds, and four assists.
Kansa State will face Texas on Monday at 4 p.m.
