Dec. 12, 2010

Final Stats

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Guard Taelor Karr had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Kansas State jumped to a 20-3 lead in the first seven minutes en route to a 61-41 nonconference women's basketball win over UC Davis on Sunday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum.

The defeat snapped a three-game winning streak for the Aggies who are 6-2. Kansas State, which has won all seven of its home games this season, is 8-1 after downing UC Davis for the second straight year. Vicky Deely had 12 points, including a trio of three-pointers, for the Aggies while forward Branshea Brown had 13 points and guard Brittany Chambers tallied 10 for the Wildcats.

The Aggies entered the game ranked No. 8 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 while Kansas State is second among others receiving votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25. They are one of 10 teams from the Big 12 Conference either ranked or receiving votes in the national poll.

UC Davis, which hadn't played since beating Saint Mary's on Dec. 1, fell behind by double-digits in the first half for the third straight game. However, unlike its 11-0 deficit to the Gaels which was turned around for a nine-point win, Kansas State held the Aggies in check.

UC Davis was held to 26.8 percent from the floor during the game, making 15 of 56 overall. It was also just 21.1 percent (4 of 19) from three-point and 46.7 percent (7 of 15) from the line, each of the three shooting marks representing season-lows. Kansas State, meanwhile, didn't help the Aggies' cause by shooting 53.8 perent (14 of 26) in the first half nad 45.7 percent for the game.

UC Davis rallied from its early deficit to trail just 35-22 at halftime but the Wildcats scored the first six points of the second half for a 19-point cushion.

"I thought the beginnings of both halves were the keys to the game," said Aggie coach Sandy Simpson. "We just dug ourselves too big a hole early on."

Chambers was the catalyst early for the Wildcats who scored the opening basket on a fastbreak layup from Carr but then ro de eight straight points - including back-to-back treys - from Chambers and a three-point play from Brown to take a 13-0 lead just over four minutes into the game.

Kasey Riecks' three-pointer got the Aggies on the scoreboard with 14:33 left but five points from Karr - capped by one of her game-high three treys - was part of a 7-0 Wildcats run that made it 20-3 with 13 minutes left.

UC Davis clamped down defensively and held Kansas State to just two points over the next nearly seven minutes, getting to within 12 points on Deely's three-pointer that made it 22-10 with 7:18 left. A pair of free throws from Heidi Heintz with 1:30 to go brought the Aggies within striking distance at 32-22 but Kelsey Hill's 25-foot three-pointer provided a 35-22 halftime deficit..

The Aggies didn't get any closer during the second half, facing their biggest deficit at 56-33 with five minutes remaining. UC Davis made just 1 of 10 from the field after intermission.

Heintz had seven rebounds for UC Davis which was out-boarded 45-32 overall.

UC Davis will remain in Kansas when it faces Wichita State on Tuesday at 5 p.m. (Pacific). It'll be the first-ever meeting between the Aggies and the Shockers.