MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State used a season-high 34 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night to rally in the final frame to defeat West Virginia, 90-79, at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State has won three straight Big 12 games for the second time this season and five of their last six.
With the win, Kansas State became the 18th program in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to reach 950 or more wins as a program and the third from the Big 12 (Texas, Baylor) to reach this milestone.
Kansas State (18-10, 9-7 Big 12) featured four players in double figures led by All-America candidate Kayla Goth with a career-high 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Goth recorded 15 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter, which is a school record for points in a fourth quarter. She also dished out seven assists, pulled in five rebounds, pocketed four steals and blocked a shot in 40 minutes of action.
Goth is the 24th player in program history to score 30 or more points in a game and the first since Kindred Wesemann scored 34 against Oklahoma State on January 28, 2017.
Goth was joined by 20-point efforts from freshman guard Christianna Carr and junior forward and All-America candidate Peyton Williams. Carr tied her career-high with 21 points and led the Wildcats with seven rebounds.
Williams tallied 20 points, including a 10-of-10 effort from the free throw line, four blocks, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. This was Williams’s fifth game with 20 or more points this season.
The combined 51 points from Goth and Carr marks the 23rd time in program history that two teammates combined for 50 or more points in a game. The 51 combined points are the most from a K-State tandem since Brittany Chambers and Haley Texada combined for 54 against Texas Southern on March 21, 2013, in the first round of the 2013 WNIT.
K-State trailed by four, 60-56, entering the fourth quarter, as West Virginia (19-8, 10-6) ended the third quarter on a 19-2 run. The Wildcats went in front, 68-64, with a 12-4 run to open the fourth quarter. Rachel Ranke bookended the rally with a pair of three-pointers, as she ended the night with 11 points.
The Wildcats would keep the Mountaineers at arm’s length for the remainder of the final quarter, never allowing West Virginia to tie the score in the final seven minutes of the game.
After West Virginia pulled within two, 68-66, with 5:43 to play Goth would score seven straight points to give K-State a 75-70 lead with 4:15 to play.
With 3:19 remaining and K-State leading by four, West Virginia’s Naomi Davenport was whistled for a foul on a Carr shot attempt. Davenport then slammed the ball on the floor in frustration earning her a technical foul. Williams made both free throws from the technical, while Carr made one of two attempts to increase K-State’s lead to 78-71.
Goth then buried a pair of jumpers and was 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the final two and a half minutes of the game to seal the K-State win.
After a first half that saw the teams tied at 35, K-State shot out of the locker room at halftime with a 14-4 run and force a West Virginia timeout with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter, as K-State held a 49-39 lead. Carr capped the run with her third 3-pointer of the night, while Goth added five points.
The Mountaineers would fight back into the lead, 60-56, with a 19-2 run to end the third quarter. K-State went without a field goal for the final 5:27 of the quarter. Despite the drought, K-State still shot 58.3 (7-of-12) percent from the floor in the frame.
West Virginia was led by Tynice Martin with 27 points on 10-of-27 shooting, eight rebounds, and four steals. Davenport added 19 points and eight rebounds.
For the fifth time this season, K-State shot over 50.0 percent from the field for the game as they ended the night at 50.9 percent (28-of-55). The Wildcats were a season-high 28-of-34 (.824) from the foul line.
West Virginia was held to a 37.7 percent effort (26-of-69) from the floor and were 19-of-26 (.731) from the free throw line.
K-State held the edge in rebounding, 38-34, and a 32-28 advantage in points in the paint.
Kansas State will put a lid on its 2018-19 regular season home schedule on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats host Texas Tech at 1 p.m. Saturday’s game will be Senior Day, as K-State will honor its pair of seniors – Kayla Goth and Kali Jones – in a postgame ceremony. Fans with a men’s basketball ticket to that evening’s game against Baylor, can purchase a general admission ticket for just $3.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and will be available on the K-State Sports Network, for free at kstatesports.com and on the K-State Sports app.
– kstatesports.com –