Kansas State Women’s Basketball Nearly Completes Comeback in 80-73 Loss to Utah
In this story:
Down by 19 points entering the fourth quarter, Kansas State stormed back with a furious offensive burst and cut the deficit to just four before Utah held on for an 80-73 win. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 9-9 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play, while Utah improved to 13-4 and 4-1. However, the final margin barely tells the story of a game that flipped emotionally in the final ten minutes.
Kansas State Wildcats Delivered a Historic Performance Even After a Loss
Tess Heal was exceptional from start to finish, scoring a game-high 25 points on an eye-catching 11-of-13 shooting performance. The Melbourne, Australia native etched her name deeper into program history.
Final pic.twitter.com/ckNHbaULFb
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) January 10, 2026
She became just the fourth Kansas State player since the 1981-82 season to score at least 25 points while making 11 or more field goals and shooting 84.0 percent or better from the floor. She is also the first Wildcat to accomplish the feat since All-American Ayoka Lee did so on Dec. 16, 2023, against North Florida.
Saturday marked Heal’s 29th career game with 20 or more points and the 82nd time she has reached double figures. She added two three-pointers, giving her 27 career games with multiple triples, and moved her career scoring total to 1,643 points. Heal has now led Kansas State in scoring in four straight games and five times this season, with Saturday standing as her first 20-point performance of the year.
Heal had plenty of help as the Wildcats mounted their comeback. Junior forward Nastja Claessens scored 13 points to go along with four rebounds and three steals, recording her fourth straight double-figure scoring game and her 10th of the season. Sophomore guard Izela Arenas was a major spark off the bench, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting while adding three steals.
Kansas State’s bench made a significant impact, outscoring Utah’s reserves 39-27. Arenas’ energy and Claessens’ steady presence helped swing momentum when the Wildcats needed it most.
A Fourth-Quarter Surge for the Ages by Clenching Milestones and What’s Next
The comeback began after Utah opened the fourth quarter with a Reese Ross layup that stretched the lead to 62-41. From there, Kansas State caught fire. The Wildcats ripped off a stunning 21-5 run, trimming the deficit to 67-63 with 3:07 remaining.
During that stretch, Kansas State was perfect offensively, shooting 10-of-10 from the field over the first seven minutes of the quarter. Heal poured in 11 points during the run, Arenas added five, and Claessens chipped in four. The Wildcats finished the fourth quarter with a season-high 32 points on 81.3 percent shooting. That marked the program’s highest-scoring fourth quarter since scoring a school-record 34 points against Central Arkansas on Nov. 9, 2021.
Kansas State shot 46.9 percent from the floor and 27.6 percent from three, finishing 8-of-29 from deep. Taryn Sides hit two three-pointers to move into a tie for 13th in program history with 153 career triples and climbed to 22nd on the career assists list with 260. Freshman Gina Garcia handed out five assists. She became just the 12th freshman in program history to reach 80 assists in a season, now sitting at 89.
After a midweek break, Kansas State heads south once again, traveling to Texas Tech for a 1 p.m. matchup this weekend.
More from Kansas State On SI
Stay up to date with the Wildcats by bookmarking Kansas State On SI and follow us on Twitter.
Shayni Maitra is a sports girl through and through writing about everything from locker room drama to game-day legends in the NFL and NBA. She’s covered the action for outlets like College Sports Network, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, NB Media, and PinkVilla, blending sharp takes with a deep love for storytelling. Whether it’s college football rivalries, Olympic gold-chasers, or the off-field chaos that keeps Twitter alive, Shayni brings the heat with heart—and just the right amount of humor.