WICHITA, Kan. - Fresh off an upset of No. 23 USF, Wichita State will look to continue its winning ways on a two-game road swing beginning in Memphis. The Shockers and Tigers will tip at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 27.
On the Air
Saturday's game can be heard locally on the radio via KNSS 1330 AM/98.7 FM 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.
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 four games since, Wichita State is 4-0 and outscoring its opponents by an average of 11.8 points per game, outrebounding them by 8.3 with 9 more steals and 14 more blocked shots than the other teams.
Upset City
Wichita State's win over No. 23 USF was just the third win over a ranked opponent in school history. The Shockers' last victory over a top-25 team came on Dec. 27, 1998 when Missouri State was No. 25 in the coaches poll. WSU won that game 58-56. Wichita State owns two wins over ranked foes in the AP Poll and three in the Coaches Poll. In the nearly 44 seasons of women's basketball at Wichita State, the Shockers own just three wins over ranked opponents. USF was slotted at No. 23 in the Coaches Poll and receiving votes in the Associated Press Poll. Wichita State's first two wins vs. a team ranked in the coaches poll happened in the same calendar year against the same opponent. The Shockers downed Missouri State twice in 1998.
Four Straight
Wichita State continued its winning streak with an upset over No. 23 USF (64-56) Sunday afternoon in Charles Koch Arena. The win pushed the Shockers' win streak to four in a row, a season best. The Shockers own wins over Memphis (69-61), Tulane (64-56), SMU (66- 43) and now USF (64-56) during the recent run.
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 Tigers
Memphis comes into the matchup sporting a 7-13, 2-5 record. The Tigers own wins over Tennessee State (79-75), UAB (64-62), Vanderbilt (71-60), Jackson State (64-53), Grambling State (57-48), ECU (72-36) and Tulsa (69-48). Memphis' losses came to Little Rock (57-86), Louisiana Tech (40-65), SIU (56-68), Ohio State (69-100), DePaul (67-81), Kent State (55-70), IUPUI (57-80), UConn (49-97 & 36-93), WSU (61-69), USF (62-81) and Cincinnati (53-64). Brea Elmore and Cheyenne Creighton lead the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game, while Creighton averages 8.2 rebounds. Taylor Barnes leads Memphis in assists with 61. Memphis averages 59.2 points per game and allows 69.9 a contest.
Wichita State-USF Leftovers
Wichita State moved to 2-0 all-time vs. USF, including a 1-0 mark in Wichita... Wichita State overcame an eight-point fourth quarter deficit and outscored the Bulls 20-4 in the fourth quarter... The four points for USF were a season low... The Shocker defense also held USF to season lows in three-pointers made (3), three-point field goal percentage (13.6 percent) and assists (8)... Wichita State outrebounded USF, 49-39 - a season high for rebounds in a game... Senior G
Diamond Lockhart scored a team-high tying 16 points to go with a career-high eight rebounds and a career-high tying seven assists... Senior F
Rangie Bessard finished in double-figures yet again with 16 points... Senior F
Angiee Tompkins scored nine of her 13 in the first half.
Block Party
Junior F
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage has upped her game on the defensive end during Wichita State's recent tear. Over her last three games, Lozada-Cabbage has blocked 11 shots after blocking 14 in the first 18 games combined. She started with a career-high five swats in the Shocker win at Tulane. Lozada-Cabbage was responsible for five of the team's season-high 12 blocked shots vs. the Green Wave. Over the last four games, Wichita State is averaging 6.0 blocks per game as a team. The Shockers averaged 2.9 in the first 17 games.
Double-Double Up
Through the first seven games of conference play, senior forward
Rangie Bessard is averaging just under a double-double. Bessard is posting 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds, while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 86.8 percent from the free throw line. Bessard has produced a 20-10 double-double in three of the seven American games.
Lockhart Makes the Honor Roll
Diamond Lockhart was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for the week of Jan. 15- 21. The Red Oak, Texas, native averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in Wichita State's two victories. Lockhart opened the week with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists on 4-of-6 shooting (2-2 three-pointers) in the dominating win over SMU. She followed that with a team-high tying 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in WSU's upset of No. 23 USF. Her 8 boards set a new career high and the 7 assists tied a career best. Lockhart has reached double-figures in scoring 12 times this season after doing it a combined 8 times over the last two seasons. This is the first honor roll nod for Lockhart, joining
Rangie Bessard who has been named to the weekly honor twice and player of the week last week.
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 21 games in 2017-18, Lockhart has scored 219 points (10.4 ppg), while making 85-of-205 (41.5 percent) shots from the field.
| Stat |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
| GP |
31 |
21 |
| GS |
17 |
21 |
| Minutes |
572 |
660 |
| FG Made |
40 |
85 |
| FG Attempts |
109 |
205 |
| Free Throws Made |
15 |
39 |
| Free Throw Attempts |
21 |
42 |
| Points |
105 |
219 |
| Rebounds |
59 |
81 |
| Assists |
38 |
67 |
| Steals |
23 |
28 |
The Series with Memphis
Wichita State and Memphis have met only three times prior to Saturday's matchup. The Shockers are 0-2 all-time vs. the Tigers in Memphis.
Last Meeting
Wichita State picked up its first-ever American Athletic Conference win with a 69-61 victory over the Tigers just a little over two weeks ago in Wichita.
Rangie Bessard led all players with 24 points and 10 boards in route to earning conference player of the week honors.
Diamond Lockhart and
Keke Thompson added 10 points apiece. As a team, WSU shot 44.6 percent despite an 0-for-11 mark from three. Memphis connected on 47.2 percent from the field, but were outrebounded by the Shockers, 39-25.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 9-12 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, Tulane, 64-56, SMU, 66-43 and No. RV/23 USF, 64-56. Senior F
Rangie Bessard leads Wichita State in scoring (18.6), rebounding (7.9) and second in blocks (22) through 21 games. Senior G
Diamond Lockhart ranks second on the team at 10.4 points per game. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins averages 9.7 points and is shooting a team-best 55.4 percent from the floor. Bessard has scored in double-digits in 20 of the team's 21 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 65 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 65 games, she has led the team in scoring 46 times. Wichita State is averaging 65.1 points per game and allowing 66.5. Through 21 games Shocker opponents are shooting 42.3 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making 43.2 percent of its shots, including 26.4 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 76.6 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in 16 of the 21 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-30 of the NCAA in four offensive categories. Through 21 games Bessard ranks 18th in free throws made (101), 24th in free throw attempts (125), 27th in field goal attempts (322) and 30th in field goals made (143). Out of American Athletic Conference players only, Bessard ranks third in free throws made, free throw percentage and field goals made, fourth in free throw attempts, field goal attempts and total rebounds, fifth in total points and points per game, seventh in field goal percentage and eighth in rebounds per game.
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 10-12 on the season
... run their record to 5-3 in conference play
... give them a five-game winning streak
... tie the all-time series with Memphis at 2-2
... make them 1-2 vs. the Tigers in Memphis
... run Adams' career coaching record to 421-258
... make Adams 294-221 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 580-660 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 9-13 on the season
... send them to 4-4 in the league this season
... halt their four-game winning streak
... make them 1-3 all-time vs. Memphis
... drop them to 0-3 vs. the Tigers in Memphis
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 420-259
... make Adams 293-222 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 579-661 all-time
Up Next
Wichita State wraps up its two-game road swing with a stop on the East Coast in Greenville, N.C. The Shockers will matchup with ECU on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. CT on the American Digital Network.
