The Wildcats dominate the Bearcats in the first-round of the Big 12 tournament

A K-State basketball player shoots the ball. Courtesy: Zoe Taylor

The Big 12 logo with a purple hue. Courtesy: Sam Lowther

The K-State womens basketball team huddles together on the court.

K-State women's basketball players cheer from the bench. Courtesy: Sam Lowther

A K-State women's basketball player drives towards the goal. Courtesy: Zoe Taylor

A K-State women's basketball player dribbles the ball. Courtesy: Sam Lowther

A K-State women's basketball player shoots the ball. Courtesy: Sam Lowther

A K-State women's basketball player shoots a layup. Courtesy: Zoe Taylor

A K-State women's basketball player shoots a layup. Courtesy: Sam Lowther

On Wednesday, March 4th, the #12-seeded Kansas State Wildcats (15-16) played the #13-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats (11-19) in the first-round of the Big 12 tournament. K-State took control of this game early and sent the Bearcats home winning 91-66. For both the men's and women's tournaments, the Big 12 unveiled a brand new LED glass court. This game marked the first time an official competition in the United States was played on one. The court can fully animate, display real-time graphics, and instantly change team branding. 

1st Quarter:

K-State came out firing in the first quarter, scoring an impressive 25 points while only giving up 14 points. Taryn Sides dominated on offense, hitting three shots from beyond the arc and going 4-5 from the field, scoring 11 total points. Brandie Harrod led K-State with 3 rebounds, while Ramiyah Byrd for the Bearcats came away with 4 boards. During the last 4:52 of the quarter, the Wildcats went on a 14-2 run, while the Bearcats turned the ball over 7 times. K-State ended the quarter on an 8-0 scoring run, and two made free throws from Harrod. At the end of the first quarter, the score stood K-State 25, Cincinnati 14. 

2nd Quarter:  

Second-half scoring was split evenly at 15 for both teams. Nastja Claessens for the Cats came up clutch with a couple of timely threes. She ended the quarter with 8 points, scoring a game-leading total of 12 points at the break. For the bearcats, Mya Perry led the team in scoring with 9 points, going 3-5 from three and 3-11 from the field. K-State was superior in shooting, going 41% from the floor while Cincinnati managed 30%. Cincinnati, however, dominated the glass out-rebounding K-State 27-18 in the first half. The quarter ended with K-State up 40 to Cincinnati’s 29.

3rd Quarter:

The Wildcats kept their foot on the gas in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Bearcats 27-13. K-State’s Jordan Spieser was on fire, shooting 3-4 from beyond the arc and 4-5 from the floor. Caliyah DeVillasee led the Bearcats in scoring this quarter with 7 points. The Cats continued to outshoot the Bearcats 48% to 35%. At the end of the 3rd, the score showed K-State 67, Cincinnati 42. 

4th Quarter: 

The Cats wrapped this game up by winning 91-66. Both teams scored 24 pts in the final quarter. For the Cats, Claessens, Sides, and Speiser all finished the game with double-digit points, and Gina Garcia finished the game with 10 assists. K-State finished the game shooting 51% from the field and 53% from the three-point line.  

Moving Forward:

With the win, K-State will move on to the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. They will face off against a familiar opponent, #5-seeded Texas Tech (25-6). K-State is now 25-28 in all Big 12 tournaments and has advanced at least one round in 22 of the previous 29 championships. The game tips off Thursday, March 5, at 11 AM at the T-Mobile Center.