In a game that could have easily been a Final Four-worthy matchup, Kansas State women's basketball defeated a good Kentucky team in Lexington to advance in the NCAA tournament. In a telling back-and-forth affair, the second-round game went to overtime, in which either team would have deserved to advance.
It was Temira Poindexter, however, who stepped up in OT as she had through the 80-79 win over UK. In the battle of the mascots, the royal purple Wildcats seemingly could always count on the senior to knock in timely shots.
Her opposing counterpart, Georgia Amoore, also had a good shooting night. The Kentucky player's 18 points equally came at opportune moments, particularly late, when it looked for a moment like she would be able to will her team to victory and extend her collegiate career.
Instead, each time Amoore or someone else made a clutch bucket for coach Kenny Brooks's group, Poindexter responded. Poindexter finished with 24 points, all of which came from beyond the arc. Sometimes players try to take advantage of a green light that is a complete mirage. In the case of the KSU forward, though, she deserved to have the brightest of streetlights around the Memorial Coliseum.
Her 8-of-15 from three at 53% showed why coach Jeff Mittie never had an issue with the Kansas State players' shot selection. Nothing was forced, and everything was in rhythm. Particularly on catch-and-shoot looks, the basket looked larger for her than for most others on the court.
While this game resulted in KSU advancing and was a team effort, Poindexter's hot shooting afternoon proved to be the difference, particularly in critical moments of the game. In a Kentucky-friendly crowd, she managed to quiet the cheers of the home supporters each time she went eye-for-eye throwing her scoring prowess.
Kansas State women's basketball overcoming early foul trouble
The outside effort was needed. Not only in the sense of scoring points but their star center, Ayoka Lee, got into early foul trouble and sat close to fouling out throughout the second half. Coach Mittie has done well adjusting rotations and reincorporating Lee, as her foot injury has caused her to miss significant time.
Once again, faced with trying to compete with one of the top programs in the nation, Kansas State needed to turn to others to get the result and advance. Before halftime, Lee had picked up her third personal. Only moments into the fourth, she then picked up her fourth. This put an increased emphasis on Poindexter and Serena Sundell in particular to fill in the void with their teammate on the bench.
While one KSU player was leading the charge from range, Sundell showed an equal ability to step up and get crucial baskets when her team needed it as well. Her low post ability to get to her spot and score proved to be equally important in a tight game that could have gone either way.
Kansas State will now wait for the winner of USC and Mississippi State. Lee is a frontcourt presence that any opposing team will have a hard time dealing with when on the court. If early calls force her to the bench again, coach Mittie has shown an ability to not only pivot but also create havoc for defenses with a versatile offense.