WICHITA, Kan.?Senior Marcy Sudbeck recorded her third straight double-double en route to a thrilling come-from-behind Shocker victory, 54-51.

Trailing by eight with nine minutes to play, Wichita State's fight never waivered.  A 17-2 run powered the Shockers past the Roadrunners, sealing the deal on a hard-fought victory. A game where the home team found itself clawing its way out of a hole to prove its ability to battle, and prove it they did.

With 23 seconds to play, sophomore Val Siemens drained a pair of free throws to bring the game to its final score, 54-51.

Kicking off the evening's nail biter,the Roadrunners jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the opening five minutes following a Ryba Pawlaczyk three-pointer. A strong Shocker defensive effort caused a shot clock violation on the Roadrunners, turning the momentum back in the Shockers' favor.

A pair of back-to-back threes from Siemens and freshman Haleigh Lankster gave the Shockers the 12-9 lead, and sparked a back and forth scoring rally. Another Roadrunner make from behind the arc returned the lead to UTSA.

Midway through the first half, scoring lulled as each team struggled offensively with the Shockers taking the brunt of the load. Despite shooting just 22 percent at the six-minute mark, the Shockers' defense kept the game tight. Wichita State also allowed few second-chance shots, winning the rebounding effort 26-23 in the first half, and 52-36 overall.

A layup from senior Daria Frazier, and a second shot clock violation forced by the Shockers pulled the home team within five, 23-18, with less than a minute to play in the opening half. A heads-up fast break pushed the ball down the floor to Frazier. She connected for the layup, narrowing the deficit to23-20 at the break.

A rebounded missed free throw resulted in a three from Jacie Hoyt to kick off the second half. The sophomore briefly gave the Shocks a 24-23 advantage before a Monica Gibbs jumper returned the lead to UTSA. Back-and-forth field goals ensued, making the teams' poor shooting in the first half a distant memory. In the first four minutes of the second half, the teams combined to shoot 77 percent from the floor.

Unfortunately, the hot hand cooled for the Shockers as the Roadrunners went on a 12-5 run less than halfway through the final half. Again, the Shockers answered, keeping themselves in it. The Shocks sunk a three to pull the team within five. A pair of made free throws from sophomore Jadhon Kerr tightened the gap, 36-33.

The Roadrunner offense, led by sophomore Jordan Stark, was relentless. Stark hit a pair of threes to extend UTSA's lead back to eight with nine minutes to play. The guard finished the evening with 19 points, including five threes.

Wichita State continued to dominate the boards, out rebounding UTSA 15-7 with less than seven minutes to play. A trey from Siemens, who finished with 10 points, once more brought the Shocks within five, and the Shockers turned it on. Siemens' three landed amidst an 11-0 Shocker run, giving the resilient Shockers their first lead in nearly 15 minutes.

One they wouldn't surrender.

The Shockers are next in action on Sunday, Nov. 23. WSU hosts Iona at home at 2:05 p.m.

-Wichita State-