Kansas State Women's Basketball Set for Clash With North Carolina in Cancun

The Kansas State Wildcats are gearing up for their upcoming biggest challenge of the season. On Friday morning, K-State continues action at the 2025 Cancun Challenge. They are about to face their first-ranked opponent in No. 12/10 North Carolina. The showdown tips off at 10 a.m. CT at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. The team is about to set the stage for a fascinating matchup between a red-hot Wildcat offense and a nationally ranked ACC contender.

Record-Setting Offensive Momentum for the Kansas State Wildcats

Fans can stream the game live on FloCollege. Meanwhile, the radio broadcast will run on the K-State Sports Network with Brian Smoller and Randy Peterson on the call. The all-time series between the two teams is tied at 1–1, and Jeff Mittie also carries a 1–1 record against the Tar Heels in his coaching career. Overall, K-State is 10–15 against current members of the ACC.

NEXT UP 🌴 @CancunChallenge

🔗 https://t.co/GVytZPsJmY pic.twitter.com/ELwruofpqv
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) November 28, 2025

Kansas State (5-3) enters this game with plenty of momentum after its explosive 95–92 victory over Columbia on Thursday. It was a performance that delivered the program's highest scoring output at a neutral site since at least the 1999–00 season. And they also created the highest combined score in a regulation game for K-State since at least the 2009–10 season.

Three-point shooting completely took over the game. K-State broke a school record by hitting 17 three-pointers on just 26 attempts. They finished with a blazing .654 percentage from beyond the arc.

According to program data, no NCAA Division I team this season has recorded a higher three-point percentage when making 17 or more threes in a game. K-State also stands alone nationally this season as the only team to shoot 65 percent or better on 25 or more three-point attempts.

Junior guard Taryn Sides was the star of the night with a career performance that fuelled K-State’s perimeter success. She scored a career-high 30 points, captured on 10-of-14 shooting. That also included a career-best eight three-pointers. Her night also included six assists and three rebounds.

Bench Strength and Strategic Advantages Take the Spotlight

Against Columbia, the Wildcats used a new starting lineup featuring Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod, Taryn Sides, Jenessa Cotton, and Nastja Claessens for the first time. Claessens has been in strong form following her time with the Belgian Senior National Team. She also averaged 15.0 points on a .594 shooting percentage and pulled down 4.3 rebounds over her last three games.

Ball movement has been essential to K-State’s identity. They matched their season high with 25 assists against Columbia. And historically, the Wildcats are 116–8 (.935) when recording 20 or more assists. Bench production has been equally dependable, with 32 bench points in their last outing and seven games this season with 20 or more points from the reserves.

Freshman Brandie Harrod also continues to emerge as a force. She ranks fourth nationally among freshmen in offensive rebounds with 26 and leads all Big 12 freshmen. K-State’s winning formula historically thrives on scoring and long-range success. They also own a 135–23 (.854) record when scoring 70 or more points since 2014–15 and a 47–7 (.870) record when making 10 or more three-pointers.

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