WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State wraps up a brief two-game homestand Friday when Western Illinois makes the trip to Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers and Leathernecks will tip at Noon CT on Shocker HD. The game is Wichita State's annual Schoolhouse Rocks with the Shocks kid's game. Area elementary schools are invited for a matinee contest.
On the Air
Friday'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 can also be seen on GoShockers.com through the Shocker HD portal.
WSU/WIU Connections
Western Illinois head coach JD Gravina is no stranger to the Sunflower State. Gravina received one of his two master's degrees from Emporia State in 2007 and spent two seasons on the staff at McPherson College just outside of Wichita.
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 286 wins at the Division I level and 413 overall (includes junior college). Adams added another first with Wednesday's win over Missouri State. The victory was the first coaching victory in Charles Koch Arena. Her next milestone is win No. 300, which is just 14 victories away.
Catching up with the Leathernecks
Western Illinois comes into the matchup sporting a 6-2 record. The Leathernecks own wins against UMKC (90-71), Illinois College (122-40), Williams Woods (96-57), Illinois (77-67) and Chicago State twice (83-45 and 71-54). Their two losses came to Northern Illinois (96- 94) and Milwaukee (77-67). Western Illinois ranks in the top 10 in several NCAA categories: 2nd in assists, steals and free throws made, 3rd in free throw attempts, 3-pt field goals made and turnover margin, 4th in 3-pt field goals per game and attempted, 5th in turnovers forced, 8th in assists per game and 9th in assist-turnover ratio. Emily Clemens ranks second in assists and third in steals in the NCAA.
Wichita State-Missouri State Leftovers
Wichita State won its second straight game and shot 50 percent from the field the second time in as many games. Senior F
Rangie Bessard scored a team-high 19 points and now is 5 points shy of 1,000
for her career... Junior F
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage scored a career-high 16 points. Lozada-Cabbage now has four games of 10 or more points this season after having only two all of last season... Senior G
Diamond Lockhart dished a season-high six assists.
The Series with Western Illinois
Wichita State and Western Illinois have met on the hardwood 22 times dating all the way back to the first meeting on Jan. 14, 1984. The Shockers and Leathernecks squared off every year from 1984-93. The Shockers have won the last six meetings and hold a 14-8 lead in the overall series. Wichita State is 8-3 all-time vs. Western Illinois in Wichita, and has won the last three matchups in Charles Koch Arena.
Last Meeting
Wichita State won the most recent meeting between the two schools back on Dec. 21, 2008 in Wichita, 65-46. Daria Frazier led the Shockers with a game-high 18 points and Marisah Henderson recorded her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 assists. Marcy Sudbeck chipped in 12 points. As a team, Wichita State shot 47.4 percent from the field, including a 53.8 percent mark from beyond the arc. The Shockers held Western Illinois to just 36.8 percent and missing 13-of-16 attempts from three-point range.
About the Leathernecks
Located in Macomb, Ill., Western Illinois University has an enrollment of 10,373 as a member of the The Summit League. Western Illinois returns eight letterwinners, including four starters off last year's squad that finished 26-7 and 13-3 in The Summit League. The Leathernecks earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the league. Western Illinois has three players that rank in the top five in The Summit League for scoring. Clemens ranks second in the league with 16.4 points per contest, while Morgan Blumer (14.9) and Taylor Higginbotham (14.6) rank fourth and fifth, respectively. Clemens was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Watch List. Clemens is coming off a season in which she helped lead the Leathernecks to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 22 seasons. She led The Summit League in points (18.9), assists (7.3), steals (2.6) and free throws made (202), and was also named the Preseason Summit League Player of the Year for the upcoming 2017-18 season. JD Gravina enters his seventh season as the head coach and 13th season overall as a head coach. Harper has a career record of 218-150.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 2-6 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 and Missouri State, 72-58. Senior F
Rangie Bessard leads Wichita State in scoring (17.3), rebounding (7.4) and blocks (6) through seven games. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins averages 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds and is shooting a team-best 55.8 percent from the field. Senior G
Diamond Lockhart also averages 8.4 points a contest. Bessard has scored in double-digits in seven of the team's first eight contests to open the season. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 52 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 52 games, she has led the team in scoring 34 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 63.6 points per game and allowing 67.8. Through eight games Shocker opponents are shooting 44.3 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making a shade over 40 percent (41.6%) of its shots, including 28.0 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 80.0 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in six of the first eight contests.
Bessard Closing in on 1,000 Points
Senior forward
Rangie Bessard needs just five 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 3-6 on the season
... widen the margin in the series with WIU, 15-8
... extend WSU's winning streak vs. WIU to seven straight
... make them 9-3 vs. Western Illinois in Wichita
... make them 348-218 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... run Adams' career coaching record to 414-252
... make Adams 287-215 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 573-654 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 2-7 on the season
... shrink the margin for WSU in the all-time series, 14-9
... drop them to 8-4 vs. Western Illinois in Wichita
... make them 347-219 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... snap a six-game winning streak vs. Western Illinois
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 413-253
... make Adams 286-216 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 572-655 all-time
Up Next
Wichita State travels to Springfield, Mo., to face Missouri State for the second time in just over a week. The Shockers and Bears will tip at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
