Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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Jones slaps hands with junior Brit Jacobson and freshman Angie Finkes before the Big 12 game in Kansas City, Mo. K-State lost to Colorado in the finals. The Cats had dominated the tournament to that point, beating Oklahoma, Texas Tech and KU. (Photo by Steve Hebert) BASKETBALL Front row: Tally Tiesing, Bridgett Bonds-Williams, Deb Patterson, Kamie Ethridge, Sue Serafini. Back row: Bob Tiesing, Amy Short, Brit Jacobson, Sara Munson, Jenny Coalson, Angi e Finkes, Nicky Ramage, Andria Jones, Kaya Hester, Missy Decker, Kjersten Larson, Dave Ackerman. HIGHLIGHTS: • Senior forward Andria Jones was named first team All-Big 12 Conference. • Senior point guard Missy Decker was named honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference. • The Cats ' wins over Colorado and Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament were the first time the four seniors had beaten the Buffaloes and the Jayhawks. • The Cats ' average home attendance of 2,863 ranked 27th nationally and fifth in the Big 12 Conference. • The Cats finished the year with an 11-1 home record, their best since the 1986-87 team went 13-0 in Ahearn Field House. guard Brit Jacobson and Jones became the Cats ' 22nd and 23rd 1,000-point scorers. • The game vs. Kansas Feb. 22 attracted a record crowd of 9,736, the largest ever to watch a K-State women ' s game. OVERALL RECORD: 19-12 BIG 12 RECORD: 9-7 Memphis W 68-60 at Bradley W 71-49 at Nicholls State W 64-44 at Grambling State W 72-62 at Ohio L 65-75 at Texas-El Paso L 61-67 at Idaho W 72-53 Wichita State W 63-59 at Nevada W 69-63 at Florida L 67-89 at Kansas L 54-70 Texas W 68-67 at Nebraska L 47-53 at Texas Tech L 61-76 Iowa State W 62-54 Texas A M W 73-61 at Colorado L 58-71 Missouri W 77-42 at Oklahoma State W 58-50 at Oklahoma W 49-47 Nebraska W 47-45 at Iowa State L 40-54 Colorado W 68-62 Kansas L 48-62 at Missouri W 64-60 at Baylor L 76-81 Oklahoma W 81-56 Texas Tech W 76-68 Kansas W 73-58 Colorado L 44-54 St. Joseph ' s L 70-52 women ' s BASKETBALL SEASON 295

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BANKED shots During the second half, senior forward Andria Jones fights off Texas A M ' s Kim Linder Jan. 25 at Bramlage Coliseum. Jones, who averaged 18.5 points per game, revenged her season low of eight points in the Iowa State game Jan. 22 by sinking 28 points in the Texas A M game. Jones ' performance helped the Cats claim a 73-61 victory over the Aggies. (Photo by Steve Hebert) Freshman center Angie Finkes tries to get the ball from KU ' s Tamecka Dixon in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., March 6. The Cats rebounded after losing to the Jayhawks twice in the season by winning the game and advancing to the championship game March 8. The Cats lost to Colorado in the final game, but still advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they went up against St.Joseph ' s in the first round at Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Photo by Steve Hebert) (Continued from page 292) to step up and make the free throw. This is a really big step for the program and the players. Freshman center Angie Finkes had her first start in the Texas game, and was the high scorer in the road game Jan. 15 against Nebraska. Jones, scoring an average 19 points a game, was held to six in her first single-digit scoring game of the season. Patterson said the 47-53 loss to the Huskers was the result of poor ball-handling. You turn the ball over 33 times, and you ' re not going to win, Patterson said. It ' s hard to find anything good out of this ball game because all of our weaknesses were exposed. The Cats avenged that loss with a 47-45 victory Feb. 12 over the No. 23 Huskers in Bramlage. This was a great win for us, Patterson said after the game. This Nebraska team is very good and very dangerous. We played great defense tonight, and it got us a win. On Feb. 19, the Cats beat Colorado 68-62 for the first time in the schools ' last 16 meetings. The Cats committed a season-low 11 turnovers, and Patterson said that win was more important than the Texas win. Relative to where we ' re at, the Texas win positioned us where we ' re at today, Patterson said. This Colorado win is so significant at this point in the season. The Cats ' season record of 16-10 overall and 9-7 Big 12 record earned them a fifth seed in the first Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. A victory March 4 over Oklahoma, 81-56, and a second-round victory over No. 15 Texas Tech, 76-68, set the Cats up for their third meeting of the season with KU. With the Hawks handing the Cats their biggest losses of the season in their two previous games, Patterson said the game gave the team another opportunity to challenge the No. 1 team in the league. We haven ' t matched up very well against Kansas in the past, Patterson said before the game. We ' ve fallen short the last two times, so we ' re excited about this opportunity. In the Big 12 Tournament semi-final game, their first semi-final game since 1990, the Cats defeated the Hawks 73-58, and the team advanced to the finals to meet Colorado for the third time of the season. This was a tremendous victory for our program, Patterson said. It ' s a tribute to the quality of effort, excellence and commitment people have made during the season. To compete for the Big 12 championship is an awesome achievement and opportunity for us. The Cats fell to the Buffaloes 54-44 in the Big 12 championship game, and finished the tournament with a 20-12 overall record and 12-8 conference record. Upon returning from Kansas City, the team received its first NCAA Tournament invitation in 10 years. This is a great, great day for Kansas State athletics, Patterson said. It ' s a super, super feeling to know that we ' ve put Kansas State women ' s basketball back on the map. The Cats received a No. 10 seed in the east division and traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to meet No. 7-seed St. Joseph ' s March 14. The Cats ' Cinderella story came to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Al though they lead 30-28 at the half, the Cats fell to the Hawks of St. Joseph ' s 70-52. 294 women ' s BASKETBALL SEASON

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Deb Patterson came to K-State from Vanderbilt University in April 1996. She helped build an 11-game home winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum, including knocking off three ranked opponents. Patterson said she appreciated the fan support the Lady Cats received throughout the season. (Photos by Brandon White)