MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior defensive end Jordan Willis has accepted an invitation to play in the 68th Annual Reese’s Senior Bowl, held on January 28, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, the organization announced Monday.

Willis, the 2016 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American by multiple outlets, will be the seventh Wildcat to play in the game since 2012. Each of the last two years, a former K-State player who participated in the premier college scouting event has been a high draft pick: Tyler Lockett – a third-round pick in 2015 by the Seattle Seahawks – and Cody Whitehair – a second-round selection in 2016 by the Chicago Bears.

A product of Kansas City, Missouri, Willis led the Big 12 and ranked ninth nationally during the regular season with a school-record tying 11.5 sacks as part of his 16.5 tackles for loss on the year. Willis has 26.0 career sacks to rank third in school history, while his 39.5 career TFLs rank ninth in K-State history and mark the first time a Wildcat has cracked the top 10 since 2001.

Entering his final game as a Wildcat, Willis has recorded a sack in 11 of the last 16 games dating back to his junior year and a TFL in 14 of the last 16.

A team captain for the 2016 Wildcats, Willis has helped lead K-State to an 8-4 record, including a 6-3 mark in the Big 12 to finish fourth in the league standings. Kansas State faces Texas A&M (8-4, 4-4 SEC) in the 2016 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium on Wednesday, December 28.

— K-State Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Connecticut only managed to make two big runs against Kansas State on Sunday.

It took both of them to win.

Katie Lou Samuelson scored 26 points, Napheesa Collier had 22 and the top-ranked Huskies rode the momentum of a 17-0 surge in the first half and a 10-0 charge in the second to a 75-58 victory over the Wildcats at sold-out Bramlage Coliseum.

Samuelson hit six 3-pointers and Kia Nurse added 13 points for the Huskies (9-0), who ran their winning streak to 84 straight games, six shy of their 90-game stretch from 2008-10. It was also their 27th consecutive road win.

“We passed the ball to Lou a lot, so that always helps, when you pass it to Katie Lou,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said, trying to explain the game-changing runs that pushed his team to victory.

“We were able to get out in transition and get Kansas State’s defense moving before they could settle into a defense,” Auriemma said. “That was the game plan. And in the first quarter, we forced some turnovers, we rebounded the ball, ran our transition game, and our players are very good at finding Katie Lou.”

Breanna Lewis had 18 points for the Wildcats (9-1), who were off to their best start since 2008.

“I definitely had jitters. I’ve never had an opportunity to play in front of so many people,” said Karyla Middlebrook, who scored 11 for Kansas State. “But I don’t use that as an excuse for the two early turnovers I had. You have to turn those jitters into positive energy to help the team.”

Kansas State actually led 4-2 in the opening minutes before UConn ripped off a 17-0 charge that forced Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie to burn two timeouts. Samuelson did most of the damage, knocking down three 3-pointers, as the Wildcats missed seven consecutive field-goal attempts.

“They move the ball better than any team in the country,” Mittie said. “They do a great job of getting the basketball to Lou, she has a great high release and she’s a great shooter.”

The Wildcats finally got things under control, and even made a charge of their own to get within 45-31 at the break. But when they closed to 51-40 on a 3-pointer by Kaylee Page with about seven minutes left in the third quarter, the Huskies answered with 10 straight points.

That spurt, along with their big first-quarter run, was too much for Kansas State to overcome.

UConn shot nearly 50 percent from the field (30 of 61) and had a big advantage on the boards, while the Wildcats struggled to deal with the Huskies’ pressure. They turned it over 16 times.

“I thought our group in the third quarter created some turnovers, created some opportunities,” Mittie said. “Unfortunately we missed some opportunities to get it to single digits.”

SELLOUT CROWD

“When I heard it was sold-out,” Auriemma said, “I thought, `That’s the way it’s supposed to be. They have a really good team, we’ve never been out this way before. So you know what? We’re going to go in there and it’s going to be an unbelievable environment.”

BIG PICTURE

UConn proved again that its depth isn’t an issue, only playing six while building its commanding lead early in the game. The Huskies left Saniya Chong at home after she took an elbow during their win over Notre Dame and experienced concussion-like symptoms. “Hopefully she’ll be OK,” Auriemma said.

Kansas State appeared to let its nerves win in the first quarter, when turnovers and poor shooting conspired to put the Wildcats in a 25-8 hole. But they also showed some composure in battling back, which is sure to encourage Mittie as he continues to build the program.

UP NEXT

UConn heads back to the XL Center to play No. 12 Ohio State on Dec. 19.

Kansas State wraps its three-game homestand against Princeton next Sunday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas State slowly, methodically broke down Washington State on Saturday night.

It probably shouldn’t have been a surprise.

The Cougars were already playing without forward Jeff Pollard, who has mono, and Viont’e Daniels, who is dealing with the effects of a concussion. But then the news hit earlier in the day that Derrien King intends to transfer at the semester, leaving coach Ernie Kent’s even more short-handed on the road.

“Any time a player leaves, it hurts your team,” Kent said after the Wildcats rolled to a 70-56 victory at the Sprint Center, “and yet you’re in an era of transferring and he made the decision to do that.”

It left Washington State with eight guys to match up with a deep, balanced bunch of Wildcats, though, and the Cougars certainly looked tired by the time the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Wesley Iwundu had 15 points and eight rebounds, Barry Brown had 14 points, Dean Wade contributed 11 and Xavier Sneed finished with 10, all those scoring options helping Kansas State (9-1) overcome a lousy first-half shooting performance to win its 16th consecutive non-conference home game.

It was also the Wildcats’ third straight win over the Cougars.

“We were trying to do stuff all on our own,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “Our defense was solid again, but we didn’t do the things we needed to do offensively in the first half. Much better in the second.”

Indeed, Washington State (5-5) controlled almost the entire first half, never trailing until the final couple of minutes. But Kent’s team fell behind 28-26 headed into the locker room, and kept slipping farther behind during the second half, when the Wildcats heated up from the perimeter.

They were 2 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half. They were 7 of 13 in the second.

“I think offensively we just came out slow, everybody was trying to probably put up the ball to see how it was going to go,” Brown said. “In the second half we just made the right play, made the simple passes and we were able to make some shots.”

Josh Hawkinson had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars. Charles Callison also scored 10.

In truth, there weren’t many bright moments in the first half for either team — at one point, they combined for one field goal over a five-minute stretch. Turnovers were also a problem with the teams giving it up five times during that same abysmal period.

But once the Wildcats assumed their first lead with 43 seconds left before halftime, they never trailed again. Their lead approached 20 points midway through the second half before coasting down the stretch.

“I thought the game was a tale of two halves,” Kent said. “We played I thought some really good basketball, probably our best basketball of the year in the first half and kept our composure. I thought Kansas State in the second half did a great job to keep their composure.”

STATS AND STREAKS

The Wildcats’ Kamau Stokes had just four points on 2-for-10 shooting. He was 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. … Washington State’s starting guards, Malachi Flynn and Charles Callison, were a combined 4 for 15 from the field. … Kansas State had a 30-16 scoring advantage in the paint.

BIG PICTURE

Washington State probably knew it would be a struggle when it had a tough time beating Carroll College in an exhibition game. But the Cougars’ only wins since mid-November have come against Utah Valley and Idaho, with losses to Loyola, San Jose State and New Orleans along the way.

Kansas State has built a glossy record thanks to an atrocious nonconference schedule. The Wildcats’ only tough game came in Brooklyn, when they lost 69-68 to Maryland. And things don’t get a whole lot tougher with games against Colorado State and Gardner-Webb before Big 12 play.

UP NEXT

Washington State heads home to play Santa Clara next Saturday.

Kanas State plays the Rams next Saturday in Denver.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State had a difficult time in the first three quarters of Wednesday night’s game against UT-Arlington, but used a 17-9 final quarter to register a 62-49 win. With the win, K-State becomes the 20th NCAA Division I program to win 900 or more games and the second in the Big 12.

This is the fourth time in the 49-year history of the program that K-State has started a season with a 9-0 record. Head coach Jeff Mittie is 9-0 for the first time since the 1994-95 season, when he guided NCAA Division II school Missouri Western to a 9-0 start.

Kansas State had three players reach double figures led by Naismith Trophy candidate Breanna Lewis’s 15 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, two steals and two assists. This was her second straight double-double and third this season.

Joining Lewis in double figures were sophomore guard Kayla Goth with 12 points and senior guard Kindred Wesemann with 10 points.

UT-Arlington (5-2) was paced by Rebekah VanDijk with 14 points and rebounds and Aysia Evans with 13 points off the bench.

Kansas State shot 46.7 percent (23-of-49) from the field and held UTA to a 37.7 (20-of-53) effort. The teams combined for 53 turnovers in the game, with K-State recording a 26-19 advantage in points off turnovers.

For the ninth straight game, the Wildcats had the advantage on the boards, 33-26.

K-State featured five different players registering points in the opening quarter, building a 13-10 lead. The Wildcats registered an 11-4 lead with 4:22 remaining in the first quarter, but the Lady Mavericks closed the period on a 6-2 run. The teams combined for 15 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of action.

UT-Arlington tied the game at 13-13 with 8:40 to play in the half. Wesemann buried a 3-pointer to start a 9-1 K-State run to take a 22-14 lead with 4:27 left. Shaelyn Martin scored the final four points of the quarter for the Wildcats to send K-State into the locker room with a 26-21 lead.

Kansas State held UT-Arlington to a 36.0 percent (9-of-25) from the field in the opening half, while shooting 45.5 percent (10-of-22). The teams combined for 30 turnovers in the first half, 15 each.

With a 7-2 run to begin the third quarter, Kansas State took its largest lead of the game at 33-23 with 8:38 to play in the frame. Lewis started with a layup and Eternati Willock followed with a three-point play, as she was fouled on a jump shot. Goth capped the run with a transition layup.

An 11-3 run by the Lady Mavericks, led by Cierra Johnson’s five points, brought UT-Arlington to within two, 36-34, with 4:10 left in the third. Kansas State rebuilt its advantage to nine, 43-34, with 2:47 remaining. Wesemann buried her second 3-pointer of the night, while Willock capped the run with a jumper in transition. Willock finished with nine points, three rebounds and three steals.

In the final quarter, Kansas State dashed out to a 17-4 run over a nine-minute stretch in the fourth quarter to build a 62-44 lead. Goth started the run with a layup and followed with an offensive rebound and putback. Lewis added a pair of layups and Karyla Middlebrook beat the shot clock with a running jump shot during the scoring burst.

Kansas State will continue its three-game home stand on Sunday, as the Wildcats host No. 1/2 Connecticut at 1 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State coach Bruce Weber admitted he didn’t have his team totally ready to face Prairie View on Tuesday night.

But it worked out because the Wildcats got help from long distance.

Kansas State knocked down 11 3-pointers and the Wildcats cruised to a 74-55 win over Prairie View A&M Tuesday night.

While Prairie View struggled from the field, the Wildcats were 11 of 20 from distance and hit five 3-pointers in the second half.

In a game where the Wildcats’s offense was sluggish, Weber still found time to bask in his 400th career victory.

“There’s a lot of positives,” Weber said. “You know, 20 assists again, for the third straight game. Last year we might’ve had to piece three games together to get 20 assists. Shooting the ball well from three, Dean (Wade) is slowly but surely figuring things out and being more active.”

Wade scored a season-high 19 points, hitting 6 of 8 from the field, and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Kansas State (8-1), which remains undefeated at home. Barry Brown and DJ Johnson each finished with 12 points and Kamau Stokes finished with 11.

The Wildcats shot 54.3 percent from the field for the game (25 of 46).

Prairie View (2-7) kept it close in the first half, even taking the lead at one point, but turnovers and poor shooting allowed Kansas State to pull away in the second half.

Daquan Cook led the Panthers with 18 points. Zachary Hamilton added 14.

BIG PICTURE

Prairie View A&M: The Panthers now have lost four straight.

Kansas State: Kansas State remains undefeated at home and is 9-1 all-time against opponents form the SWAC.

STAT OF THE NIGHT: With the victory, head coach Bruce Weber now has 400 career wins. Before his latest stop at Kansas State, Weber coached at Illinois and Southern Illinois.

FRESHMAN STANDOUT: Xavier Sneed scored eight points coming off the bench.

HE SAID IT: Bruce Weber on winning his 400th game: “I’m very fortunate and very blessed to be in the game a long time as a head coach and assistant coach. Being a part of a lot of great teams — I still remember my first win. That group helped set the tone at SIU and no one thought we’d win any games. I remember the first win here. A lot of good things, a lot of great things. I told the guys after the game that I’m happy about winning 400 but I’m focused on wining 401.”

UP NEXT

Prairie View A&M: The Panthers continue their seven-game road trip at Texas State

Kansas State: This will be the last true home game for the Wildcats until December 21 as they host Washington State in Kansas City on December 10.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Riding a 5-1 record over the final half of the 2016 season, including three straight wins to secure its fifth eight-win season since 2010, K-State Nation is heading to Houston for the first time since 2006 as Kansas State Athletics Director John Currie announced today that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play in the 2016 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl on Wednesday, December 28.

The game, which dates back to 2006 when K-State played in the inaugural bowl matchup, pits the Big 12 and the SEC and will be played at NRG Stadium at 8 p.m. CT, with a nationwide television audience watching on ESPN. The Wildcats’ opponent from the SEC will be announced later this evening.

“I am very proud of our team and coaches for another terrific season and earning our seventh-straight bowl invitation,” said Currie. “With season ticket holders from 44 different states and a national fan base that features more than 250,000 friends and alumni across the country, including more than 3,000 in the Houston area, we are excited to showcase our football program and Kansas State University in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl against an SEC opponent. I know our fans are excited to again showcase their unprecedented support, which includes 33-straight sellouts at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, in one of America’s largest cities while our football student-athletes, coaches and staff are provided a first-class experience.”

The Wildcats (8-4) will be playing in their 20th bowl game in school history and 18th under Bill Snyder as the Cats are 7-10 all-time in bowls under the legendary and hall of fame head coach. Following 11-straight bowls from 1993-2003 under Snyder, the Cats have now gone bowling in each of the last seven seasons and will be making the program’s second appearance in the Texas Bowl.

“Congratulations to Coach Snyder, his staff and our student-athletes for being selected to the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl,” said President Richard Myers. “We are very excited to be headed to Texas and representing the Big 12 Conference. This provides a fitting end to a successful season, and we look forward to our fans continuing a great K-State tradition by turning Houston purple.”

K-State heads into bowl season as one of the hottest teams in college football, winning five of its last six games, including the final three. The Wildcats’ road to the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl began with a tough road loss at No. 8 Stanford and followed with five wins over the next seven games, including Big 12 wins over Texas Tech, Texas and Iowa State. Following a tough fourth-quarter loss to Oklahoma State, K-State won at Baylor for the first time since 2002 and also kept the Governor’s Cup trophy in Manhattan for the eighth straight season under Snyder with a 34-19 win over in-state rival Kansas. The Wildcats wrapped up their regular season with a dominating 30-6 victory at TCU.

In addition to a Big 12-leading 29 selections to the Academic All-Big 12 team and the No. 1 football Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the Big 12, excitement in Wildcat football was also evidenced by six sellout crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium this season, which ran K-State’s consecutive sellout streak to 33 games.

“We are proud of the young men in our program for the way they improved throughout the season and very pleased to represent Kansas State University and the Big 12 Conference in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl,” said head coach Bill Snyder. “The Texas Bowl is a first-class bowl organization with a rich history, and we appreciate the entire bowl staff for their efforts and support of our program.

“We have a wonderful fan base, and so many people that save up their nickels and dimes throughout the course of the year, and the only vacation they take is the one after our (regular) season is over. They love to attend bowls and it’s why we have such great attendance year in and year out at bowl games. They are fully invested in our program and this means a great deal to them.”

— K-State Athletics —

OMAHA, Nebraska – Kansas State took its hot start to the season on the road for the first time this season and responded with a 70-57 over Omaha at Baxter Arena on Sunday. The win was head coach Jeff Mittie’s 500th career victory in his 25th season of coaching.

Mittie’s career coaching record now stands at 500-262. He is the 29th active NCAA Division I head coach to register 500 or more career wins. In three seasons at K-State, Mittie is 46-27 including two postseason appearances.

Kansas State (8-0) was led by the senior tandem of Breanna Lewis and Kindred Wesemann. Lewis notched her second double-double of the season and her 14th of her career with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 12 rebounds. Wesemann reached double figures for the eighth time this season with 13 points and five rebounds.

Omaha (4-4) was led by Mikaela Shaw and Remy Davenport with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

Kansas State shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field and held Omaha to a 31.7 percent (19-of-60) effort. K-State was strong from the foul line, converting at an 85.0 percent clip (17-of-20).

For the eighth straight game, K-State held the edge on the glass, 41-28. K-State has won 29 straight games when outrebounding its opponent.

K-State jumped in front with a 10-5 lead, as Lewis scored six straight points. Omaha closed out the opening frame on a 10-2 run to hold a 15-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Omaha built a 23-16 lead with 7:29 to play in the first half, as Ellie Brecht knocked down her first 3-pointer of the afternoon. Kansas State held the Mavericks to five points for the remainder of the quarter, ending the second with a 19-5 run.

Wesemann knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during the run, while Lewis added seven. Lewis ended the first half with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Kansas State fired out of the halftime locker room and increased its lead to 42-30 with 7:14 to play in the third quarter. Shaelyn Martin and Lewis tallied all seven points amongst themselves during the early 7-2 run.

The Wildcats held a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter, 52-42, and would increase the advantage to 17, 60-43, with 6:31 to play following a fastbreak layup by Karyla Middlebrook. Omaha chipped away at the K-State lead and would get as close as 10, 65-55, with 1:58 remaining. Wesemann knocked down her third 3-pointer of the game with 1:41 left to end the Mavericks’ comeback attempt.

Kansas State returns to Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 7, to face UT Arlington at 7 p.m.

— K-State Athletics —

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Jesse Ertz and Kansas State rushed to the end of coach Bill Snyder’s 25th regular season, and to another bowl game.

Ertz ran for a career-high 170 yards with a touchdown and Justin Silmon had 133 yards rushing with two touchdowns as the Wildcats won 30-6 at TCU on a drizzly Saturday.

“We just did what we do. I don’t think there was any secret or anything new we threw at them,” said Ertz, the junior quarterback who also had an 83-yard scoring pass. “I’m just looking to go 9-4 and finish out strong.”

Coach Bill Snyder got his 201st victory in 25 seasons with the Wildcats (8-4, 6-3 Big 12), who next will play in their 20th bowl game — the 19th under Snyder. Kansas State appears headed to the Houston Bowl to play an SEC team after winning five of its last six games.

“To finish it out strong … get that eighth win, it was very important for us,” Silmon said.

Kansas State ran for 336 yards, its sixth consecutive 200-yard game on the ground. The Wildcats have 17 rushing TDs their past four games.

TCU (6-6, 4-5) will play in its 14th bowl with Gary Patterson, even after finishing the regular season without a winning record for only the third time in the coach’s 16 full seasons and being held without a touchdown in a game for the first time since 2006.

“Really across the board we got thrown around by everybody,” Patterson said. “We’ve got to grow up on offense. Until they do that, we won’t win many games against good people.”

The Wildcats went ahead for good when Ertz broke free for a 32-yard TD run in the second quarter to make it 10-3.

Right after halftime, Ertz threw a quick slant to Byron Pringle, who caught the ball near Kansas State’s 30 and took off sprinting down the middle of the field on the 83-yard catch-and-run score. He escaped a defender diving at his ankles before going the final 20 yards.

Simlon had both of his TDs after halftime, including a 5-yard score when he avoided two tacklers in the backfield and then bulled through another defender.

“I think maybe the second half might have as been as good a half as we have played,” Snyder said. “Defensively, we played well across the board throughout the ball game.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas St.: With Ertz effectively leading the way, the Wildcats continue to pound teams with their running game. Ertz has three 100-yard games and 99 in another in the last six games. Snyder said the Wildcats have gotten better overall each game.

TCU: Where has that fast-paced, high-scoring offense gone? TCU hadn’t been held without a touchdown in a decade, since a 12-3 home win over Texas Tech in 2006. The Horned Frogs also had only six points in their previous home game — They had an extra point blocked after a touchdown in a 31-6 loss to Oklahoma State two weeks ago.

HE SAID IT

“We’re going to have to grow up or go recruit. That’s what I told them I’m doing tomorrow, I’m going recruiting. Got to grow up. Can’t be shaking your head and putting your head down when you get beat. You got to grow up. That’s what 4-year-olds do. That’s not what men do. You got to grow up.” — Patterson.

BETTER THAN PREDICTED

Kansas State was the preseason pick to finish eighth in the Big 12. The Wildcats instead finished fourth. “Every year it seems like we come out and prove people wrong,” linebacker Trent Tanking said.

TAKEN AWAY

Both teams thought they had defensive touchdowns. TCU defensive end Josh Carraway scooped up what initially was ruled a fumble by Ertz and returned it 6 yards. Replay overturned the call to an incomplete pass. In the fourth quarter, officials ruled that TCU running back Kyle Hicks’ forward progress had been stopped before he fumbled and K-State took the ball to the end zone.

UP NEXT

Kansas State and TCU both wait to find out for sure Sunday where they will be going for their bowl games. While the Wildcats will likely return to Texas for their bowl game, the Horned Frogs could also be playing an SEC team in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — D.J. Johnson scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Xavier Sneed added 15 points to lead Kansas State to an 84-53 win over Saint Louis on Saturday.

The Wildcats won their second in a row following a 69-68 loss to Maryland on Nov. 26. Saint Louis now has lost four in a row.

Johnson dominated inside, hitting his first 10 shots from the field on the way to a 10-for-11 effort. Johnson had four of the Wildcats nine dunks.

Jermaine Bishop led Saint Louis (2-5) with 11 points.

Kansas State (2-1) used a 23-9 run over the final 11 minutes of the first half to break the game open. The Wildcats jumped out to a 13-5 lead on back-to-back baskets by Johnson. Sneed sank a pair of 3-pointers midway through the half to push the lead to 18-10.

Dean Wade added 13 points for Kansas State.

BIG PICTURE:

Kansas State: The Wildcats have scored 80 or more points in five of seven wins.

Saint Louis: Billikens coach Travis Ford, who coached at Oklahoma State, is 7-10 lifetime against Kansas State.

UP NEXT:

Kansas State: The Wildcats return home to host Prairie View A&M on Tuesday.

Saint Louis: The Billikens hit the road to face Wichita State on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kindred Wesemann scored 16 points and Kansas State made 12 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter to turn back No. 23 Auburn 71-66 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday night.

Auburn, ranked for the first time since the final poll of the 2008-09 season, used a 10-0 run, capped by four free throws by Katie Frerking, to take a 62-57 lead with 5:09 to play.

Shaelyn Martin’s 3 then started a 10-2 run for Kansas State for a 67-63 lead at 1:48. After Brandy Montgomery’s 3 made it a one-point game, Breanna Lewis followed her own shot and Martin made 1 of 2 free throws after an Auburn miss. The Tigers missed a pair of 3s before the teams traded turnovers and Martin capped the scoring with a free throw with five seconds left.

Lewis finished with 13 points and nine rebounds as the Wildcats (7-0) had a 39-26 rebounding advantage.

Frerking finished with 22 points and Janiah McKay added 15 for the Tigers (6-2), who had three players foul out.

— Associated Press —