Strong Second Half Pushes Kansas State Over Princeton, 60-42

Sunday, December 18

Manhattan, Kan.

2:00 p.m.

Princeton University

4-6

Kansas State

10-1

Princeton

Kansas State

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Strong Second Half Pushes Kansas State Over Princeton, 60-42

December 18, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MANHATTAN, Kansas – The Kansas State Wildcats used a strong second half push to defeat the Princeton Tigers, 60-42, at the Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

Sophomore Gabrielle Rush set a new personal high with 12 points. Senior Jackie Reyneke also had new career highs with eight rebounds and two steals in the loss.

Matched up at six-all, Rush launched a three-pointer from the left wing to put the Tigers in front at the 4:06 mark of the first quarter. On the next trip down the floor, junior Leslie Robinson knocked in a bucket from the elbow to expand the Princeton lead to five (11-5). The Tigers led 13-8 after the first 10 minutes, featured by a defensive effort that held the Wildcats without a basket for almost six minutes.

The scoreless streak for the Wildcats stretched into the second quarter as a bucket (16-10) from senior Taylor Brown led to a Kansas State timeout with 7:03 remaining in the half. The home unit made a quick spurt, getting within two before a long-range basket from Rush set the score at 19-14. An 8-3 run by the Wildcats tied the contest at 22-all with 1:46 left, but Rush's third trey of the half gave Princeton a 25-22 advantage at the intermission.

An 8-2 push out of the break put Kansas State in front for the first time since the first quarter, 30-28. The Wildcats continued to move forward, running their advantage out to double-digits before taking a 42-34 lead into the final stanza. The Wildcats went 6-of-10 (60 percent) from the floor in the frame.

Rush's fourth three-pointer of the game cut the Tigers' deficit to single digits (47-39) with 6:28 to go in the game, but the home team responded with the next six points and did not let the Tigers get any closer, taking the victory.

Kindred Wesemann led the Wildcats with 15 points while Kaylee Page had 12 points off the bench. Breanna Lewis added eight points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Princeton won the rebounding battle for the seventh straight time (43-40). Kansas State took 29 free throws while the road team only had 13. The Tigers assisted on 11 of their 15 baskets.

Head coach Courtney Banghart's team fell to 4-6 this season while Kansas State is now 10-1 overall. The Tigers host one final game in 2016 with the Wagner Seahawks coming to Jadwin on Wednesday (Dec. 21). Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.