Kansas State eliminated from Big 12 title mix after women’s basketball loss to Baylor
Kansas State’s first home loss of the season was a costly one.
The Wildcats fell out of contention for a Big 12 regular-season championship in women’s basketball following a 79-62 defeat against the Baylor Bears on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum.
No. 14 K-State entered this game with a 17-0 home record and legitimate hope of catching No. 17 Baylor and/or TCU in the conference standings. Instead, it suffered its first loss in nearly a calendar year inside the Octagon of Doom. Now, the Wildcats (25-5, 13-4 Big 12) may need a strong finish to host games in the NCAA Tournament after the Bears (25-5, 15-2 Big 12) beat them with impressive outside shooting.
The difference in this game was simple. Baylor made 11 shots from 3-point range. K-State drained just two.
Aaronette Vonleh led the Bears with 24 points. She didn’t make any shots from beyond the arc, but Sarah Andrews made four shots while Aliyah Matharu and Yaya Felder both made three.
Serena Sundell led the Wildcats with 20 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to stay competitive. The Bears never trailed and led by as many as 19.
K-State center Ayoka Lee did not play in this game with a sore foot. That is a concerning development for the Wildcats. She missed eight games with a broken foot and then played just five minutes on Saturday against KU. Jeff Mittie is hopeful that she can return to the court soon, but her injury status does not appear to be improving at the moment.
Baylor was also shorthanded on Monday, as leading scorer Darianna Littlepage-Buggs missed the game.
The Bears will play TCU in a game filled with Big 12 championship implications on Sunday.
Up next for the Wildcats is a road game against Iowa State that will not have high stakes as both teams look to close out the regular season.