In truth, though, K-State simply ran into an opponent that was bigger, quicker and had more options. No. 5 seed K-State fell 80-63 to No. 4 seed Louisville at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
It marks the first Sweet 16 appearance for Louisville, while K-State fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive time. The Wildcats also lost at this juncture in 2003, ’04 and ’05. Those losses were far more disappointing, though, for the program. This one was more a case of K-State getting as far as could be reasonably expected.
Tuesday, the Wildcats were outrebounded 37-22, outscored 40-22 in the paint and gave up 22 second-chance points while getting just six.
“We struggled in rebounding, we were outmatched physically,” said sophomore Ashley Sweat, who led K-State with 16 points. “But we’ve faced that before this year. We’ve usually found a way to fight through it. The heart of this team was so big, and that’s what we’ll have coming back next year.”
The book closes this year on a K-State team that finished 22-10 and won the program’s first outright Big 12 title. The Wildcats overachieved all season and then tried to do the same in the NCAA Tournament. But the loss of senior starter Kimberly Dietz to a knee injury in the Big 12 tournament was a huge blow for the Wildcats.
And even if Dietz had been in the lineup on Tuesday, K-State would have had a very difficult time stopping a team with a superstar in forward Angel McCoughtry and her strong supporting cast.
McCoughtry led Louisville, 26-9, with 24 points. Chauntise Wright, the Cardinals’ 6-foot-3 center, and Patrika Barlow, their speedy point guard, each had 13 points. Forward Candyce Bingham had 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
“That’s what a phenomenal talent like McCoughtry does — they attract so much attention,” K-State coach Deb Patterson said. “But this roster at Louisville is indicative of what you see with great basketball teams. They truly are balanced and deep in their talent.
“You just see the game is simplified for those around the All-American. That is a core group that is very tested, a very tough-minded team that plays in a great league.”
Louisville made it to the final of the Big East tournament, where it lost to NCAA overall No. 1 seed Connecticut. The Cardinals have seemed to gain momentum in March, and really nothing the Wildcats tried to do Tuesday stopped them.
Louisville got out to a 41-28 lead at the break and never let K-State make a run in the second half. Still, guard Shalee Lehning said the Wildcats did not let up.
“As you play the game, you always hope to win,” said Lehning, who finished with nine points, six rebounds and six assists. “All game, we kept on fighting. We wanted to walk off the floor with our heads held high.”
The Wildcats certainly can do that. They were projected for a middle-of-the-pack finish, at best, in the Big 12. Instead, they went from last place in 2007 to first in 2008 — the only team in Big 12 women’s history to do that. After playing in the WNIT the past two seasons, they returned to the NCAA field.
Dietz was the lone senior starter this season, and in her absence in the NCAA Tournament, junior guard Kelsey Nelson stepped forward. She followed a 20-point performance in the first round with 12 points on five-of-six shooting Tuesday.
“It’s hard to put into words the appreciation I feel for this basketball team,” Patterson said. “They really epitomize the team determination that we like to build our program upon at Kansas State.
“It’s so easy to check out emotionally at a time like this when you lose a player with the talent of Kimberly Dietz. And yet, everyone on the roster showed up and really brought great belief and determination.”
Lehning said she expects more of the same next season.
“I’m so proud of this team — we really pulled together,” she said. “This is something to build off.”
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