Poindexter's OT heroics lifts No. 5 Kansas State over No. 4 Kentucky
Published
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- — Temira Poindexter hit a corner 3-pointer with 56 seconds left in overtime — her eighth 3 of the game — and fifth-seeded Kansas State dodged four misses by No. 4 seed Kentucky in the closing seconds to beat the host Wildcats 80-79 in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Kentucky star Georgia Amoore missed a jumper with 21 seconds left, a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining and then a baseline layup at the buzzer. Amelia Haslett also missed a 3 that would have put Kentucky ahead at Rupp Arena.
Poindexter missed her first six shots but finished 8 of 15 beyond the arc to score 24 points. Serena Sundell added 19 points, including a turnaround jumper with 8 seconds left to force overtime, and Ayoka Lee scored 16.
Kansas State (28-7) advanced to face either JuJu Watkins and top-seeded Southern California or No. 9 seed Mississippi State in the Sweet 16 in Spokane, Washington.
Clara Strack led Kentucky (23-8) with 22 points. Amoore scored 18 points on 7-of-23 shooting.
Amoore hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Kentucky a 69-67 lead with 32 seconds left in regulation. After Sundell's basket, Kentucky's Dazia Lawrence could not get a clean look before time expired.
Takeaways
Kansas State: Sundell had 11 points in the first quarter to steady the visiting Wildcats after Kentucky jumped out to an early 7-0 lead.
Kentucky: The host Wildcats built small leads but could never extend their advantage to double digits.
Key moment
Key rebounded her own missed jumper to make a layup that gave Kentucky a 66-61 lead with 2:11 to play. Kansas State responded with 3-pointers by Jaelyn Glenn and then Poindexter in a 40-second span.
Key stat
Kentucky came in averaging seven blocks per game, but it was Kansas State denying shots with 13 blocks, including two on 3-point attempts in the second quarter. Those fueled a 12-3 run that propelled Kansas State to a 33-31 halftime lead.
Up next
Kansas State will have to wait until late Monday night to learn its regional semifinal opponent. Kentucky will have to replace Amoore, a second-team All-American, and Lawrence, a key contributor and another transfer.