K-State Opens 56th Season on Monday Night - Kansas State University Athletics

GAME #1
Presbyterian (0-0, 0-0 Big South) at K-State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Monday, November 6, 2023  |  6:30 p.m. |  Bramlage Coliseum  |  Manhattan, Kan.

TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
Call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets
• Postgame meet and greet with the team in the Shamrock Zone

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Brian Smoller
Analyst: Missy Heidrick
Sideline: Sophie Smith

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Online: kstatesports.com
Play-by-Play: Matt Walters
Analyst: Kindred Orpin

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com

SERIES HISTORY
0-0
• K-State and Presbyterian will meet for the first time.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie will face Presbyterian for the first time.
• The Wildcats are 0-1 all-time against current members of the Big South Conference, losing to Radford in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Dec. 3, 1988.


MANHATTAN, Kansas - K-State begins its 56th season on Monday night, as the Wildcats host Presbyterian in Bramlage Coliseum at 6:30 p.m. Monday's game is the earliest season-opener in program history.

• Monday's game can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, as Brian Smoller (play-by-play), Missy Heidrick (analyst) and Sophie Smith (sideline) will have the call.

Starting 5
Five names, numbers or storylines about K-State women's basketball
1. Cats Picked 4th in Big 12 Preseason Poll
• K-State was chosen for fourth in the 2023-24 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll. This is the second time (2020-21) K-State has been selected to finish fourth by the league's coaches. 
2. Trio Named Preseason All-Big 12
• K-State's Gabby Gregory (unanimous selection) and Ayoka Lee were 2023-24 Preseason All-Big 12 selections, while Serena Sundell was an honorable mention recipient.
3. Mittie Set for 10th season
• K-State head coach Jeff Mittie is prepared for his tenth season in Manhattan. He owns a 164-127 (.564) record and seven postseason appearances with the Wildcats.
4. Gregory A Rarity in K-State History
• Fifth-year senior and 2023-24 Drysdale Award candidate Gabby Gregory was the first player in program history to register 625 or more points, 160 or more free throws and 80 or more 3-point field goals made. She was one of four players in the nation during the 2022-23 season to achieve these numbers.
5. Always Sunny with Sundell
• Junior guard and 2023-24 Lieberman Award candidate Serena Sundell set the school record for assists in a sophomore season (184) and was the sixth-highest in school history for a single season. She also set the school records for free throws made and attempted in a season (165-of-206; .801).

Number to Know
2,120

• K-State returns 84 percent (2,120 points) of its points from the 2022-23 season.
• Of the 2,120 points scored last season, K-State returns its top four scorers (Gabby Gregory, 648 points; Serena Sundell, 501 points; Jaelyn Glenn, 406 points; Brylee Glenn, 300 points). 
• The Wildcats scored 2,524 points in the 2022-23 season, the fifth time in program history in which the Wildcats scored 2,500 or more points in a season. 
• K-State's point total ranked as the fifth-highest in program history and the most under Jeff Mittie. The point total was the highest since the 2002-03 season.
• The 2,524 points last season marked the first time since the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons in which K-State tallied consecutive seasons with 2,000 or more points.

2023-24 Player Milestones to Watch
Ayoka Lee
• Needs 339 points to reach 2,000 career points; would be the fourth player in program history to reach the mark
• Needs 113 rebounds to reach 1,000 career rebounds; would be second player in program history to reach the mark
• Needs one double-double to reach 50 for her career and become the second player in school history (Kendra Wecker) to reach 50 career double-doubles
• Needs four double-doubles to break the school record for career double-doubles (Kendra Wecker, 52).
• Needs 201 rebounds to set the school record for career rebounds
• Needs 48 blocked shots to set the school record for career blocks

Gabby Gregory
• Needs 67 points to reach 1,500 points in her collegiate career
• Needs 352 points to reach 1,000 points scored in her K-State career

Serena Sundell
• Needs 148 points to reach 1,000 career points
• Needs 140 assists to reach 500 career assists; would be the fifth player in school history with 500 or more career assists

Jaelyn Glenn
• Needs 63 steals to reach 200 career steals; would be the 10th player in program history to reach 200 or more career steals

At a Glance: Presbyterian
• Presbyterian will make a two-game road trip through the state of Kansas to begin the season, as the Blue Hose will face K-State on November 6 and Wichita State on November 8.
• The Blue Hose return all 13 letter winners from the 2022-23 season and were voted second in the Big South preseason poll.
• On the sideline, the Blue Hose are led by sixth-year head coach Alaura Sharp. In her time with Presbyterian, Sharp owns a record of 55-87 (.387).
• On the floor, Presbyterian features two preseason All-Big South selections in sixth-year Bryanna Brady (first team) and sophomore Tilda Sjokvist (second team).
• Brady was a 2023 All-Big South selection and averaged a team-high 13.4 points and hauled in 6.2 rebounds per game.
• Sjokvist led the squad and led all Big South freshmen with 3.4 assists per game.

What is a Blue Hose?
• From gobluehose.com:
"The nickname "Blue Hose" began in the early 1900's, when sportswriters referred to the Presbyterian College athletic teams as the "Blue Stockings" because of the blue socks they wore. Writers used the terms "stockings" and "hose" interchangeably over the years.

They often shortened "stockings" to "hose" in newspaper headlines.

Coincidentally enough, former college PR guy Ben Hay Hammet's 1982 centennial history of PC noted that blue-stocking Presbyterians also referred to "Presbyterians with strong puritan leanings."

"At any rate," Hammet wrote, "the sports nickname was shortened to 'Blue Hose' in 1954- presumably under the assumption that it sounded somewhat fiercer to carry onto the field of athletic battle."

The student body adopted the nickname as the official school nickname in the 1950's.

"Blue Hose" has survived all these years, taking on even more meaning. Today the name signifies fierce Scottish warriors, further adding to Hammet's take on the term. This interpretation also reflects the college's Scottish heritage."

Last Time Out
at K-State 79, Pittsburg State 65 (Nov. 3, 2023; Manhattan, Kan.)
• K-State shot 50.8 percent (32-of-63) from the field, as the Wildcats closed out their exhibition schedule with a 79-65 win.
• The Wildcats handed out 21 assists and outscored the Gorillas in the paint, 48-18.
• Ayoka Lee, making her first appearance in a game in 592 days, led the Wildcats with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting and seven rebounds. Gisela Sanchez added 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench and Gabby Gregory tallied 12 points and four rebounds.

K-State in Season Openers
• The Wildcats have been dominant in season-openers since the team's first season in 1968-69. Kansas State is 46-9 (.836) in season openers and have won 21 of the last 23 season openers, including 12 straight.
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 25-6 (.806) in season-openers, including a 9-0 mark at K-State.

K-State in Home Openers
• Kansas State has won 29 of its last 31 home openers in Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats are 46-9 (.836) all-time in home openers and 31-4 (.886) in openers in Bramlage. 
• Head coach Jeff Mittie is 29-2 (.935) in home openers in his previous 31 seasons.

Remember the Month of November
• In its 56 seasons of action, K-State has accumulated a record of 154-52 (.748) in the month of November. The Wildcats have won 42 of its last 52 games in the month of November.
• Under head coach Jeff Mittie, K-State is 40-10 (.800) in November games.
• The Wildcats have ended the 11th month with a .500 or better record in 12 straight seasons, including a 6-0 mark in 2016-17. Overall, K-State has registered a .500 or better record in November 43 times in its history.

They Got Their Eye on Them
• K-State women's basketball placed three players on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) national positional awards watch lists. Fans can vote for these honors daily at hoophallawards.com.
• Junior guard Serena Sundell was chosen for the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list, given annually to the top point guard in the nation. This was the first time Sundell was named to the list.
• Senior guard Gabby Gregory was selected to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list, given annually to the nation's top shooting guard. Gregory was a top-10 selection for the Drysdale Award in 2023.
• Senior center Ayoka Lee was named to the Lisa Leslie Award watch list, given annually to the top center in the nation. This is the third time in her career that Lee was named to the Leslie Award watch list. In 2022, Lee was a finalist for the honor.
• K-State was one of 11 teams in the nation and one of three in the Big 12 (Baylor, Texas) this season to place three players on three different positional award watch lists.
• Gregory and Lee were also named to the 2023-24 Jersey Mike's Naismith Women's Player of the Year watch list.