Wildcats Fall Short in Final Seconds Against South Dakota

Coach Jeff Mittie holds out his hands and is expressing frustration with the call on the court.

A K-State Women's Basketball player shoots a freethrow. Courtesy: Zoe Taylor

Taryn Sides dribbles the ball down the court. Courtesy: Zoe Taylor

An assistant coach yells from K-States bench. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

A K-State basketball player drives into the lane for a layup. Courtesy: Ashton Todd

A K-State basketball player shoots the basketball over a South Dakota defender.

The Kansas State Wildcats suffered a heartbreaking loss against the South Dakota Coyotes. Jeff Mittie’s Wildcats fell 72-71. For K-State, this is their first loss of the season, as well as the most points given up to any team so far. 

1st Quarter (15-16)

In the first quarter, Gina Garcia, Janessa Cotton, and Ramiya White all led the cats with four points each. Janessa Cotton led in turnovers for the Cats with two, as there were five total turnovers for the Wildcats in the first quarter. For South Dakota, Tory Schlagel led in points with 8. There were 5 total turnovers for the Coyotes in the first quarter. It was sloppy play, but K-State kept it close, down 1 point. 

2nd Quarter (28-34)

In the second quarter, Tess Heel and Taryn Sides led with four points each. K-State went 0-5 from beyond the arc and 3-4 from the line. The turnover battle killed the cats, as they had a total of 7 turnovers, compared to just 2 for the Coyotes. K-State struggled to find momentum late in the 2nd quarter, down by 6. For K-State, 20 of their first-half points came from the line as South Dakota was foul-happy all night. 

3rd Quarter (53-47)

In the 3rd Quarter, K-State had a game-high 25 points. Taryn Sides dropped 10 points with 2 threes and went 3-5 from the field. K-State continued to struggle from deep as they went just 3-15 for the game. 17 points came off the bench, and that continued to be a key factor in keeping this game close. For South Dakota, Molly Joyce led the Coyotes in the 3rd quarter with 6 points, going 2-2 from the field and the line. K-State ended this quarter up 6 and looking to finish the game strong. 

4th Quarter (71-72)

The 4th Quarter was filled with action and lead changes. The Cats took the lead 7 times while the Coyotes took the lead 8 times. Taryn Sides once again led the Cats in points with 5. Seven of K-State’s 18 points this quarter came from the line, as they had 32 total points from free throws. With 8.3 seconds left, Patience Williams for South Dakota made a 3-pointer, putting the Coyotes up by 1. With just 1 second left on the clock, Gina Garcia attempted a reverse layup and missed. K-State fell short for the 1st time this season with a 71-72 loss. 

The Kansas State Wildcats will look to bounce back against Texas A&M in Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday, November 16th at 1 P.M.