ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands – For the second consecutive game a balanced effort led Wichita State to a hard fought win at the Paradise Jam, as the Shockers defeated the Clemson Tigers, 63-48, at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center Saturday afternoon.
Wichita State (4-2) finished the Paradise Jam with a record of 2-1, while Clemson (3-4) went 0-3. Alex Harden was named to the Paradise Jam Island Division All-Tournament Team.
Alie Decker and Michaela Dapprich each scored a team-high 14 points. Decker finished 5-for-8 from the field and 4-for-6 from behind the arc. Jamillah Bonner went for 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Kelsey Jacobs added 10 points and four boards.
Nikki Dixon recorded a double-double for Clemson with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite a slow shooting start to begin the second half, WSU finished the game 24-for-50 (48 percent), including 7-for-16 from downtown (44 percent). Clemson connected on 21-of-52 field goals, good for 40 percent, but only 2-for-12 from three-point distance.
The Shocker defense forced 18 turnovers and converted those into 20 points. Clemson only 
dished out six assists as a team, compared to 17 for Wichita State.
Clemson began the second half on a 6-0 run to close the gap to 34-23. WSU missed its first seven shots of the half to allow the Tigers to keep within striking distance. A jumper from Bonner finally snapped the cold spell at the 13:54 mark.
After Clemson pulled within 10, the Shockers extended the lead back out to 17 after two scores from Dapprich and a long two from Kelsey Jacobs in the corner.
Bonner and Dapprich both led WSU with eight second half points.
For the second straight game the Shockers used a quick start to build a double-digit lead. Just over five minutes into the game WSU had already built a 15-5 lead thanks to a pair of threes from Michaela Dapprich and a couple field goals from Bonner.
The Shockers also got a nice boost from Jaleesa Chapel off the bench as she knocked down two mid-range jumpers late in the shot clock. Midway through the half WSU led by as many as 20 (29-9).
Six Shockers scored at least four points in the opening half to lead a very balanced attack. Decker led Wichita State with nine points en route to a 34-17 lead at the break. All nine of her points came from beyond the arc as she went 3-for-4. Bonner and Dapprich each scored six points, while Bonner added three assists as well.
WSU shot 50 percent (13-for-26) from the field, including an efficient 55 percent from behind the three-point line, hitting 6-of-11 shots. The defense was again suffocating by holding the Tigers to just 35 percent from the field, 0-for-6 from three-point range and forcing 12 turnovers.
Nyilah Jamison-Myers led Clemson with six points in the first half.
Wichita State returns to Charles Koch Arena on Friday, Dec. 5, when the Shockers host Arkansas Pine Bluff at 12:05 p.m. CST for the annual School House Rocks with the Shocks game.
Purchase all your Shocker merchandise at the official Wichita State Team Store.
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