WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State begins a brief two-game homestand Wednesday night when former Missouri Valley Conference foe, Missouri State comes to Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers and Bears will tip at 7 p.m. on the MSU TV Network/ESPN3.
On the Air
Wednesday's game can be heard online at GoShockers.com/listen with the voice of Shocker Women's Basketball Steve Strain calling the action. Strain begins his fourth season broadcasting games for the women's program. The game will also be available nationwide via ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app.
WSU/MSU Connections
Wichita State and Missouri State were Missouri Valley Conference members from 1976-2017 before the Shockers joined the American Athletic Conference in July. Wichita State and Missouri State have met on the court more times than any other Shocker opponent.
Win No. 1
Head coach
Keitha Adams has more than 200 Division I coaching wins under her belt, but Sunday's win over UC Irvine was a first. The Kansas native recorded her first win in the Black & Yellow. She now has 285 wins at the Division I level and 412 overall (includes junior college). Her next milestone is win No. 300, which is just 15 victories away.
Catching up with the Bears
Missouri State comes into the matchup sporting a 1-4 record. The Bears defeated Central Missouri (62-36) with losses to Ball State (70-58), #16/23 Missouri (69-59), #8/9 Baylor (100-58) and Penn (65-60). Missouri State has faced a tough slate to open the season with two ranked opponents. Liza Fruendt returns to lead the Bears in scoring at 16.6 points per game. She also leads the team in assists and steals to go with 4.2 rebounds per game. Aubrey Buckley averages 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. MSU has scored 59.4 points on average as a team on 36.3 percent shooting. They are connecting on 35.4 percent of their three-point attempts and 72.5 percent of free throws.
Wichita State-Thanksgiving Leftovers
Wichita State went 1-2 at the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament, giving head coach
Keitha Adams her first win as a Shocker. In Wichita State's win over UC Irvine, the Shockers set season highs in points (76), field goals made (34), field goal percentage (57.6%) and assists (20). Wichita State outscored the Anteaters 26-10 in the third quarter to blow the game wide open after holding just a five point lead at halftime. Senior F
Rangie Bessard was named to the all-tournament team. Junior G
Cesaria Ambrosio made her first career start in Wichita State's contest vs. Illinois. She played a season-high 32 minutes and finished with eight points, seven assists and three rebounds.
The Series with Missouri State
Wichita State and Missouri State have met on the hardwood 84 times dating all the way back to the first meeting on Nov. 26, 1976. The Shockers and Bears squared off every year from 1976-2017. The Bears have won the last four meetings and hold a 49-35 lead in the overall series. Wichita Stateis 19-18 all-time vs. Missouri State in Wichita, but Missouri State has won the last two matchups in Charles Koch Arena.
Last Meeting
Missouri State won the final meeting between the two schools as Missouri Valley Conference members - a 65-60 win in Wichita on Feb. 5, 2017.
Keke Thompson led the Shockers with a team-high 16 points and also added three rebounds and three assists.
Rangie Bessard added 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. As a team, Wichita State was held to 35.5 percent shooting. Lexi Hughes led all scorers with 22 points and Liza Fruendt chipped in 15 for the Bears.
About the Bears
Located in Springfield, Mo., Missouri State University has an enrollment of 26,216 as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Missouri State returns seven letterwinners, including four starters off last year's squad that finished 16-15 and 12-6 in the MVC. The Bears lost in the first round of WNIT to Iowa. Missouri State was picked to finish second in the MVC this season and has a veteran roster despite the fact that only five Lady Bears are upperclassmen. MSU boasts five players with at least 30 career starts, and the senior class of Aubrey Buckley, Liza Fruendt, Audrey Holt and Lee Ann Polowy have combined for 333 career games and more than 2,100 points since arriving on campus. Junior Danielle Gitzen and sophomore Alexa Willard are among the players with 30-plus starts. Fruendt is the MVC Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 18.2 points 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in league games last year, while Buckley averaged 9.2 points and a team-high 5.2 boards for the full 2016-17 season. Kellie Harper enters her fifth season as the head coach and 14th season overall as a head coach. Harper has a career record of 240-190.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 1-6 to start the 2017-18 campaign after losses to Creighton (61-66), Oklahoma State (67- 91), South Dakota (48-62), No. 13/18 Tennessee (56-68), New Mexico (62-76) and Illinois (67-68). The Shockers defeated UC Irvine, 76-53. Senior F
Rangie Bessard leads Wichita State in scoring (17.0), rebounding (7.9) and blocks (6) through seven games. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins averages 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds and is shooting a team-best 54.9 percent from the field. Bessard has scored in double-digits in six of the team's first seven contests to open the season. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 51 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 51 games, she has led the team in scoring 33 times. Bessard picked up her first double-double of the season vs. South Dakota (15 points, 11 rebounds) and 15th of her career. Wichita State is averaging 62.4 points per game and allowing 69.1. Through seven games Shocker opponents are shooting 44.9 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making a shade over 40 percent (40.6%) of its shots, including 25.0 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 77.3 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in five of the first seven contests.
Bessard Closing in on 1,000 Points
Senior forward
Rangie Bessard enters the season needing just 24 points to reach 1,000 points in a Shocker uniform. Bessard is looking to become the 20th Shocker to reach the 1,000 point mark. The Rosharon, Texas, native is coming off an all-conference junior campaign where she averaged 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Alex Harden
was the last Shocker to reach the milestone in 2015. She left Wichita as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,708 points.
A Shocker Win Would...
... make them 2-6 on the season
... shrink the gap in the all-time series with MSU, 36-49
... snap a four-game losing streak in the series
... make them 20-18 vs. Missouri State in Wichita
... make them 347-218 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... run Adams' career coaching record to 413-252
... make Adams 286-215 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 572-654 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 1-7 on the season
... widen the margin for MSU in the all-time series, 50-35
... drop them to 19-19 vs. Missouri State in Wichita
... make them 346-219 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... be their fifth straight loss in the series vs. MSU
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 412-253
... make Adams 285-216 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 571-655 all-time
Up Next
Wichita State wraps up a quick two-game homestand with a Friday matinee against Western Illinois. The two teams will tip at 12 p.m. CT in the Shockers' annual Schoolhouse Rocks with the Shocks kid's game.
