WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State begins a three-game homestand with a visit from UMKC Saturday afternoon in Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers and Kangaroos will tip at 2 p.m.
On the Air
Saturday's game can be heard through GoShockers. com via the Shocker HD portal 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 through Shocker HD at GoShockers.com/watch.
WSU/UMKC Connections
UMKC head coach Jacie Hoyt returns to Charles Koch Arena to face her alma mater. As a student-athlete at Wichita State from 2006-09, Hoyt was a team captain under Jane Albright and started every game at point guard during her final two seasons. In 2008-09, she ranked fourth in the MVC in assists. She earned the 2009 Iron Shocker Award. Hoyt was also a standout in the classroom, earning a spot on the MVC, WSU Athletic Director and WSU Dean's Honor Rolls.
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 last 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 Roos
UMKC comes into the matchup sporting a 1-7 record. The Roos defeated Lincoln (98-41) with losses to Western Illinois (71-90), Nebraska (60-80), Tulsa (52-76), Iowa State (45-61), Illinois State (53-64), Kansas (48-63) and Oral Roberts in OT (73-76). Aries Washington leads UMKC in scoring at 19.0 points per game to go with 5.5 rebounds. Kristen Moore and Samantha Waldron round out the double-figure scorers at 11.9 and 10.0 points, respectively. Moore leads the team in rebounding (6.6). UMKC has scored 62.5 points on average as a team on 36.4 percent shooting. They are connecting on 28.5 percent of their three-point attempts and 66.4 percent of free throws.
Wichita State-Missouri State Leftovers
Wichita State gave up a season-high 94 points and was outrebounded for just the third time season... Missouri State now leads the all-time series 50-36... Senior F
Rangie Bessard had a game-high 21 points, marking her fourth 20-point game of the season and 17th of her career... Senior G
Diamond Lockhart recorded her first 20-point game of the season and second of her career... Freshman G
Fanny Hakanson made her collegiate debut, finishing with 2 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 15 minutes.
The Series with UMKC
Wichita State and UMKC have met on the hardwood 10 times dating all the way back to the first meeting on Jan. 27, 1983. The Shockers had won the last six meetings until the Kangaroos snapped the streak in 2016 in Wichita. Wichita State is 4-2 all-time vs. the Kangaroos in Wichita.
Last Meeting
Wichita State and UMKC met last season in Wichita, the first meeting since 2009. The Kangaroos came into the Roundhouse and escaped with a 56-54 win.
Rangie Bessard scored a team-high 20 points and former Shocker
Kayla Williams added 17.
Keke Thompson scored five points, but grabbed nine boards and dished six assists. As a team, Wichita State shot 37.7 percent from the field, including a 7-of-23 mark from beyond the three-point line. The Shockers allowed UMKC to shoot 46.7 percent. Samantha Waldron finished with a game-high 22 points to lead three UMKC players in double-figures.
About the Kangaroos
Located in Kansas City, Mo., the University of Missouri-Kansas City has an enrollment of 16,944 as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. Missouri State returns five letterwinners, including four starters off last year's squad that finished 10-19 and 4-10 in the WAC. The 'Roos return four starters from last year's team, including WAC All-Second Team selection senior guard Samantha Waldron. Senior guard and Kansas City native Aries Washington leads the 'Roos offensively, scoring an average of 17.4 points per game on 26-of-58 shooting from the field. Redshirt junior forward Kristen Moore averages 12.0 points per game and leads the team in both rebounding and assists with 6.4 rebounds per game and 10 assists on the season. Rounding out the 'Roos key returners is redshirt-senior guard India Johnson who averages 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. UMKC added three newcomers to its 2017-18 rosters including two freshmen in Kennedy Perry and Taylor Larson and junior college transfer Janee Arnold out of Butler County Community College. Jaycie Hoyt enters her first season as the head coach. The Wichita State grad spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Kansas State.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 2-8 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), Illinois (67-68), Western Illinois (65-78) and Missouri State (71-94). The Shockers defeated UC Irvine, 76-53 and Missouri State, 72- 58. Senior F
Rangie Bessard leads Wichita State in scoring (17.9), rebounding (7.1) and blocks (7) through 10 games. Senior G
Diamond Lockhart ranks second on the team at 9.3 points per game. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins averages 8.8 points and is shooting a team-best 55.7 percent from the floor. Bessard has scored in double-digits in nine of the team's first 10 contests to open the season. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 54 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 54 games, she has led the team in scoring 36 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 64.5 points per game and allowing 71.4. Through 10 games Shocker opponents are shooting 43.9 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making a shade over 40 percent (41.9%) of its shots, including 27.5 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 79.5 percent of its attempts from the free throw line, which ranks 10th nationally. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in seven of the first 10 contests.
Bessard Reaches 1,000 Points
Senior forward
Rangie Bessard scored 20 points vs. Western Illinois to surpass 1,000 points in a Shocker uniform. Bessard became 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 3-8 on the season
... snap a two-game losing streak
... widen the gap for WSU in the all-time series, 9-2
... make them 5-2 vs. UMKC in Wichita
... improve their all-time record in Charles Koch Arena to 348-219
... run Adams' career coaching record to 414-254
... make Adams 287-217 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 573-656 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 2-9 on the season
... extend their losing streak to three in-a-row
... shrink the margin in the all-time series vs. UMKC, 8-3
... drop them to 4-3 vs. the Roos in Wichita
... run their record in Charles Koch Arena to 347-220
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 413-255
... make Adams 286-218 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 572-657 all-time
Up Next
Wichita State welcomes Alcorn State, Chicago State and Oral Roberts to Charles Koch Arena for the Shocker Winter Classic, Dec. 15-16. The Shockers will play Chicago State Friday and Alcorn State Saturday.
