KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jordan Speiser, Nastja Claessens and Taryn Sides led 12th-seeded Kansas State to a program-tying and Big 12 Tournament-record 17 3-pointers and the Wildcats beat 13th-seeded Cincinnati 91-66 in a first-round game on Wednesday.
The Wildcats will play fifth-seeded Texas Tech in Thursday’s second round.
Speiser made six 3-pointers and Sides five in each scoring 20 points. Claessens also hit five 3s and scored 18 points. The Wildcats (16-16) were 17 of 32 from the arc. The Wildcats tied the school record of 17 3-pointers made against Columbia on Nov. 27. The previous tournament record of 14 had been reached three times. Gina Garcia had 10 assists.
Mya Perry made four 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lead the Bearcats (11-20). Destiny Thomas added 13 points and Caliyah DeVillasee 10.
Claessens scored 12 points and Sides 11 as Kansas State took a 49-20 lead at halftime with the Wildcats having made eight 3-pointers. Speiser went 3 of 4 from the arc and scored 11 points in the third quarter when the Wildcats made seven 3s and outscored the Bearcats 27-13. Kansas State led by as many as 29 in the final quarter.
A 3-pointer by Sides gave the Wildcats the lead for good with about five minutes left in the first quarter and began a 14-2 period-ending run.
Cincinnati had just 23 made field goals on 69 attempts (33%).
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