WICHITA, Kan. - Coming off two straight conference wins, Wichita State looks to make it three in a row when SMU comes to Charles Koch Arena Tuesday night. The Shockers and Mustangs will tip at 7 p.m. CT on Teacher Appreciation Night, where all local teachers, professors, faculty and staff receive free admission with a valid ID.
On the Air
Tuesday's game can be heard locally online through the Shocker HD portal on GoShockers.com with the voice of Shocker Women's Basketball Steve Strain calling the action. Strain is in his fourth season broadcasting games for the women's program. The game can also be seen for free on the American Digital Network.
Go Get It
Following Wichita State's road loss at UCF on Jan. 6, head coach
Keitha Adams noticed a lack of energy and sense of urgency in the team. In practice, she instilled the team's new motto for the rest of the season, "Go Get It". In the two games since, Wichita State is 2-0 and outrebounding its opponents by 6.5 with 11 more steals and 10 more blocked shots than the other teams.
Shocker Winter Classic Record Breaker
Wichita State broke the Charles Koch Arena and tied the school record for best field goal percentage in a single game on Saturday vs. Alcorn State. The Shockers finished the game 34-of-52, good for 65.4 percent. It shattered the Charles Koch Arena record and tied the program best set back on Feb. 19, 1982 vs. UAB.
American Win No. 1
Wichita State recorded its first-ever win in the American Athletic Conference on Wednesday, Jan. 10 with a 69-61 victory over Memphis in Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers then picked up their first road conference win at Tulane on Saturday by score of 64-56.
Catching up with the Mustangs
SMU comes into the matchup sporting a 7-10, 1-3 record. The Mustangs own wins over Nicholls State (68-61), Abilene Christian (65-44), UC Riverside (73- 51), CSU Bakersfield (41-29), Loyola Marymount (63-60), McNeese State (65-59) and ECU (65-51). SMU's losses came against TCU (58-64), Oklahoma (75-87), UT Arlington (55-58), Nevada (72- 80), North Texas (40-47), Alabama (44-59), Texas A&M (57-79), Houston (75-85), UCF (42-60) and Temple (52-55). McKenzie Adams leads SMU in scoring at 18.0 points per game. Kiara Perry ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.1 points and leads SMU with 7.9 rebounds per contest and 39 steals. Mikayla Reese leads SMU in assists (2.7 apg). SMU averages 59.4 points per game and allows 60.5 a contest.
Wichita State-Tulane Leftovers
Wichita State moved to 1-1 all-time vs. Tulane... The Shockers recorded season highs in blocked shots (12) and steals (16) and tied a season best with 20 forced turnovers... Wichita State was outrebounded for just the fifth time this season... Senior F
Rangie Bessard tallied game highs in points(18) and rebounds (9)... Junior G
Cesaria Ambrosio tallied a career-high 13 points... Senior G
Diamond Lockhart added 11 points... Junior F
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, seven rebounds, five blocks (career-high), four assists and three steals... Lozada-Cabbage has had back-to-back games with three steals.
Double-Double Up
Through the first five games of conference play, senior forward
Rangie Bessard is averaging just under a double-double. Bessard is posting 20.6 points and 9.8 rebounds, while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 82.1 percent from the free throw line. Bessard has produced a 20-10 double-double in three of the five American games. She is the only Shocker averaging double-figures in scoring in league action.
Bessard Earns Second Honor Roll Nod
Wichita State senior forward
Rangie Bessard was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for the week of Dec. 4-10. The Rosharon, Texas, native averaged a team-high 20.0 points along with 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field in Wichita State's two games. In Thursday's road contest at Missouri State, Bessard scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting. She followed that game with her second double-double of the season in Wichita State's win over UMKC. Bessard led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds. With her 19 points vs. UMKC, Bessard moved into 19th place on the WSU all-time scoring list - passing Keomi Johnson. This is the second weekly honor roll nod for Bessard this season.
A Tale of Two Lockharts
Wichita State senior guard
Diamond Lockhart has already surpassed the numbers she put up during all of her junior campaign. The Red Oak, Texas, native scored 105 points (3.4 ppg) on 40 made field goals and 109 attempts (36.7 percent) all of 2016-17. Through 18 games in 2017-18, Lockhart has scored 193 points (10.2 ppg), while making 75-of-182 (41.2 percent) shots from the field.
| Stat |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
| GP |
31 |
19 |
| GS |
17 |
19 |
| Minutes |
572 |
588 |
| FG Made |
40 |
75 |
| FG Attempts |
109 |
182 |
| Free Throws Made |
15 |
36 |
| Free Throw Attempts |
21 |
38 |
| Points |
105 |
193 |
| Rebounds |
59 |
70 |
| Assists |
38 |
58 |
| Steals |
23 |
26 |
The Series with SMU
Wichita State and SMU have met only four times prior to Tuesday's matchup. The series is all knotted up at two games apiece with the Shockers winning the last two meetings. The Shockers are 1-0 all-time vs. the Mustangs in Wichita - that meeting coming Dec. 3, 2011.
Last Meeting
Wichita State came all the way back from a 16-point deficit to defeat SMU, 61-59 in Dallas. Jessica Diamond paced the Shockers with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, while Kelsey Jacobs added 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Chynna Turner hauled in 10 boards. Wichita State erased a 13-point halftime deficit after shooting just 26.9 percent and turning the ball over 14 times, but fought back and shot 58 percent in the second with only five turnovers.
About the Mustangs
Located in Dallas, Texas, Southern Methodist University has an enrollment of 11,739 as a member of the American Athletic Conference. SMU returns seven letterwinners, including four starters off last year's squad that finished 19-15 and 7-9 in The American. The Mustangs finished tied for fifth in the league a season ago. SMU was picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches poll of The American in 2017-18. The SMU roster features six seniors this season, including four returning starters. Alicia Froling started all 34 games a season ago, leading the team in points (14.3) and rebounds (10.0). McKenzie Adams started 34 games, averaging 12.2 points with a 36.6 shooting percentage. Kiara Perry started every game after missing the previous season due to a back injury, and Stephanie Collins started 19 games. Klara Bradshaw saw action in 33 games, and Mikayla Reese played in 30 games last season. Travis Mays enters his second season as the head coach. Mays has a career record of 26-23 during his first year-plus in Dallas. In his first season as head coach, Mays guided the Mustangs to a 19-13 record, including a pair of WNIT wins. SMU advanced to the round of 16 in the tournament with wins at home against Louisiana Tech and Abilene Christian.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 7-12 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), Missouri State (71-94), South Dakota State (64-96), Tulsa (62-67), Houston (55-73) and UCF (53-59). The Shockers defeated UC Irvine, 76-53, Missouri State, 72-58, UMKC, 72-63, Chicago State, 66- 63, Alcorn State, 87-46, Memphis, 69-61 and Tulane, 64-56. Senior F
Rangie Bessard leads Wichita State in scoring (18.9), rebounding (7.9) and blocks (19) through 19 games. Senior G
Diamond Lockhart ranks second on the team at 10.2 points per game. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins averages 9.2 points and is shooting a team-best 53.2 percent from the floor. Bessard has scored in double-digits in 18 of the team's 19 contests to open the season with six double-doubles. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 63 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 63 games, she has led the team in scoring 45 times. Wichita State is averaging 65.1 points per game and allowing 68.3. Through 19 games Shocker opponents are shooting 43.6 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making 43.1 percent of its shots, including 23.8 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 76.3 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in 14 of the 19 contests.
Bessard Among Nation's Best
Rangie Bessard is off to a strong start in her senior campaign for the Shockers. The 6-foot-1 forward currently ranks in the top-25 of the NCAA in five offensive categories. Through 19 games Bessard ranks 13th in free throws made (91), 17th in field goals made (133), 19th in free throw attempts (115), 21st in field goal attempts (289) and 22nd in total points (359). Out of American Athletic Conference players only, Bessard ranks second in free throws made and attempted and field goals made and attempted, fourth in total rebounds and total points, fifth in points per game and free throw percentage, seventh in rebounds per game and eighth in field goal percentage.
Bessard Joins the Club
In Wichita State's road contest at South Dakota State on Dec. 20, senior forward
Rangie Bessard finished with 25 points and four rebounds. With her four boards, Bessard became the 15th Shocker to record 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
A Shocker Win Would...
... make them 8-12 on the season
... run their record to 3-3 in conference play
... give them a three-game winning streak
... widen the gap in the series vs. SMU to 3-2
... make them 2-0 vs. SMU in Wichita
... improve their record in Charles Koch Arena to 352-220
... run Adams' career coaching record to 419-258
... make Adams 292-221 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 578-660 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 7-13 on the season
... send them to 2-4 in the league this season
... halt their two-game winning streak
... make them 2-3 all-time vs. SMU
... drop them to 1-1 vs. the Mustangs in Wichita
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 418-259
... make Adams 291-222 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 577-661 all-time
Up Next
Wichita State returns to Charles Koch Arena for the final game of the homestand, to host RV/#22 USF on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
