K-State entered the halftime break against South Dakota State facing its first halftime deficit of the season at 27-21, and found itself in desperate need of an answer for the visiting Jackrabbits.

The Wildcats shot just 24 percent in the first half, and with just 20 minutes to play against a pesky South Dakota State squad, faced a challenge ahead of them.

But after a struggling throughout most of the season, the K-State bench had just the answer the Wildcats needed to escape Bramlage Coliseum with a 56-51 win over South Dakota State.

"Everybody kind of stood up and found a way to make a play," KSU coach Deb Patterson said.

A little more than five minutes into the second half, senior guard Kelsey Hill came off the bench and made one of those critical plays by draining a 3-pointer from the left side late in the shot clock to spark a 9-2 run. The run

gave the Wildcats their first lead since jumping out to a 2-0 lead to open the game.

"It was needed," Hill said. "I just kind of relocated, and I was able to get it down. It definitely helped us get going, I think the energy started picking up a little bit."

Hill finished the game with a season-high six points on 2-4 shooting off the bench, all coming from 3-point territory.

"When Kelsey made that 3, I felt that was one of the biggest sparks in a game that didn't even have a warm ember for us," Patterson said. "And then all of a sudden, she hit that shot, and it really injected life into us. I thought that was a really big play. Hats off to her for taking that long shot."

In a game where sophomore guard Brittany Chambers — K-State's leading scorer — struggled from the floor, the bench showed Patterson it could provide a crucial momentum shift of its own.

"It was obvious, I didn't have a great shot tonight," said Chambers, who finished the game with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting.

"Last year, we didn't have that, it's really comforting, and it's just people stepping up and making big plays."

Prior to Tuesday's match up with South Dakota State, the Wildcat bench had been ice-cold from the field, shooting just 22 percent from the field and just 1-of-28 from 3-point territory this season.

On Tuesday, though, the bench responded and scored 10 points, making 3-of-8 from behind the arc and providing just the answer the Wildcats needed. Brianna Kulas made the other 3-pointer for the Wildcats, while backup forward JuliAnne Chisholm added a free throw.

Photo- The Manhattan Mercury