WICHITA, Kan.- The Wichita State women's basketball team (8-12, 3-7) snapped a three-game slide with a 68-65 win over Missouri State (7-13, 2-8) Saturday evening inside Charles Koch Arena.

 

Five Shockers ended in double figures on the night, as senior Antionette Wells led the way, posting a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Kyrie Kinder followed with 14 points and Lexee McDonnell chipped in 11. Kiki Stephens and Daria Frazier added 10 each.

Tahnee Balerio had a game-high 27 points for the Bears. Tiff Terwelp added 13 and led the team in rebounding with nine. Melissa Busby ended with 10 points. 

Both teams started slow offensively as the squads traded baskets early on, with three ties in the first eight-plus minutes, before Missouri State jumped out to a seven-point lead thanks to six-straight points by Balerio that gave the Lady Bears a 15-8 lead with just over 11 minutes left in the first half.

Kinder's three-pointer with 8:15 left ended a six-minute drought for the Shockers, during which Missouri State raced out to a 13-point lead fueled by a 12-0 run that included 10 of Balerio's points and a basket by Taylor Silas.

Kinder's three sparked a 12-2 Shocker run, capped by Kinder's second three-pointer of the night to cut the Lady Bear lead to just 23-20 with 3:49 left.

Neither team could manage any points in the final 2:58 of the first frame, giving the Lady Bears a 23-22 advantage at the break.

The Shockers opened the second half on a quick 8-2 run, pushing out to a 30-25 lead, their largest lead to that point, following Wells' layin with 16:12 left in the game. 

The Lady Bears closed the Shocker lead to within two, 36-34, following a Balerio basket with 13:33 left, but Wichita State answered with a 7-0 run to push out to a nine-point lead, 43-34, following an 18-footer by Marcy Sudbeck with 11:30 left in the second.

MSU closed to within three, 46-43, at the nine-minute mark after a Busby three-pointer, but the Shockers always had an answer, as a Wells basket and another Kinder three-pointer put WSU up by eight, 51-43, with just under eight minutes left.

The Lady Bears used a mini 5-0 run to close within three, 55-52, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play by Terwelp with 4:23 left. 

The teams played a thrilling final three minutes, with each squad mirroring the other basket for basket. The Lady Bears closed the lead to just two points on three different occasions but the Shockers never looked back with free throws by Whitney Rice, Stephens, and McDonnell extending their lead back to six. 

MSU kept threatening on a three pointer by Balerio. Wells added a free throw for WSU to make it 66-62 with six seconds remaining, before Balerio was fouled on another 3-point shot. Balerio sank all three baskets to bring it within one with three seconds left, but McDonnell hit two free throws of her own to hold off the Bears, 68-65.

Wichita State shot 41.4 percent on the night and held MSU to 35.2 percent shooting. The Shockers out-rebounded the Bears 52-38.

The Shockers are back in action with a 2 p.m. game against Indiana State on Saturday, Feb. 10. WSU wraps up their homestand on Monday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. versus Illinois State.  

 -Wichita State-