MANHATTAN — Kansas State forward Kendra Wecker’s jersey was retired to the rafters of Bramlage Coliseum Saturday for Senior Night, a fact Kansas players should be happy about.

For four straight years, Wecker’s Wildcat senior class has exerted total dominance over the Jayhawks, and Saturday was no different.

A 73-46 victory against Kansas marked the eighth consecutive victory for Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown and gave the Wildcat seniors their fourth straight series sweep.

The Wildcats, 20-6 (11-4 Big 12), took the lead on their first possession and never fell behind, leading 38-18 at the break.

Strong starts by seniors Kendra Wecker and Laurie Koehn, in their final game at Bramlage Coliseum, carried Kansas State to the early lead. Wecker finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Koehn added 19 on 5-of-10 shooting from three-point range.

“These kids have had great careers,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “Both those kids did a nice job for Kansas State.

Seizing on the emotion of Senior Night and the home crowd of 11,254, Kansas State’s senior class jumped on top of Kansas early.

Wecker connected on her first five shots, Koehn hit open shots and the Wildcats ran wild in transition. With 6 minutes left in the first half, the Jayhawks were staring down the barrel of a 33-9 deficit.

“We just got down on ourselves,” senior guard Aquanita Burras said.

The Jayhawks scored five points in the opening minutes and only seven of 26 attempts fell for the Jayhawks in the first period.

Kansas shot slightly better after halftime and closed out the contest with 30 percent shooting.

Burras led Kansas with 11 points — the lone Jayhawk in double figures.

The normal inside-outside combination of juniors Crystal Kemp and Erica Hallman fell flat and produced only 13 points.

Photo by Rylan Howe

Senior guard Aquanita Burras defends against Kansas State senior forward Kendra Wecker. Burras. Had one steal and led the Jayhawks with 11 points.

Hallman hit one of seven shots while Kemp went 2-of-11.

Even with Kemp’s 12-rebound game, the Jayhawks were defeated handily 42-32 in team rebounds.

“We didn’t have an inside presence,” Henrickson said.

The Jayhawks cut the lead to 15 after a Burras steal and a Hallman free throw, but the comeback never materialized.

The brief Kansas run was answered swiftly by Kansas State, and the outcome was soon cemented. The Wildcats scored on seven of their next eight possessions and the Jayhawks converted on only one in the same stretch.

“That’s K-State,” Burras said. “Everything they shot went in.”

A 15-point advantage was quickly widened to 31, and the rout was on.

This performance was far from predictable after Kansas played No. 6 Baylor tightly in its previous game only to lose by 10.

“What is a shock to us is to come out and struggle so much offensively and defensively,” Henrickson said.

Henrickson is looking for her squad to rebound in the final regular season Big 12 Conference contest tomorrow with Iowa State in Ames, Iowa.

— Edited by Jennifer Voldness