WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State welcomes former Missouri Valley Conference rival Missouri State to Charles Koch Arena Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip.

Salute to Service - FREE admission for all service men and women in uniform or with military ID.

New Tip Times
This season the Shockers will tip 30 minutes earlier on weeknights and select weekend games. Contests will now start at 6:30 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. like in seasons past.

On The Air
Saturday'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 fifth season broadcasting games for the women's program. The game can also be seen locally on COX YurView (HD 2022) and online at YurView.com/Kansas.
 

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Approaching 300
Wichita State head coach Keitha Adams is just one win away from her 300th career win at the Division I level. She compiled 284 wins in her 16 seasons at UTEP and has accumulated 14 in her first at Wichita State. She has a career record of 299-226.

Home Openers
Wichita State opened its home slate vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the 2018-19 season on Wednesday night. The Shockers are 29-16 all-time in home openers after defeating UAPB, 76-39. Wichita State has won six of its last eight home openers. The Shockers started the game on a 14-0 run and never looked back in the 37-point win. Senior Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage scored a career-high 21 points in only 17 minutes. She outscored the whole UAPB team in the first half, 19-14.

Youngsters
Wichita State's roster consists of eight true freshmen, one redshirt freshman, one sophomore, two juniors, one redshirt junior and two seniors. All told, the average age of the 2018-19 Shockers is just 19.2 years, making them the fifth youngest team in the country.

1. SMU - 19.0
    UMBC - 19.0
3. Oklahoma - 19.1
    Georgia Tech - 19.1
5. Wichita State - 19.2
6. Northern Kentucky - 19.3
7. Georgia Southern - 19.33
    Old Dominion - 19.33
9. Florida State - 19.4
10. Duke - 19.43
11. Alabama - 19.46
12. FAU - 19.5
 

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The Series vs. Missouri State
Wichita State and Missouri State have met on the hardwood 86 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 Shockers have dropped five of the last six meetings with Missouri State. The two teams split the two games last season with both teams winning on their respective home courts. Wichita State is 20-18 all-time vs. Missouri State in Wichita.

Last Meeting 
Missouri State avenged a 72-58 loss just a little over a week before to Wichita State in a lopsided 94-71 win in Springfield on Dec. 7, 2017. Rangie Bessard, Diamond Lockhart and Angiee Tompkins combined to score 53 of the team's 71 points. Bessard finished with a team-high 21 points, marking her fourth 20-point outing of the season. Lockhart recorded her first 20-point game of the season with 20 points, just missing a career high (21). Lockhart cashed in 9-of-12 attempts. Tompkins added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench. The Shockers shot 50 percent from the field, but failed to hit a three-pointer (0-8), while the Lady Bears finished at 44 percent and 9-of-22 from beyond the arc. MSU dominated the glass, outrebounding WSU 40-26. Both teams were nearly perfect from the free throw line. Missouri State finished 25-of-26 and Wichita State 15-of-17, just falling short of an NCAA record for best percentage between two teams.

Scouting the Lady Bears
Located in Springfield, Mo., Missouri State University has an enrollment of 26,182 as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Missouri State returns nine letterwinners, including three starters off last year's squad that finished 21-12 and 15-3 in the MVC. The Bears advanced to the second round of the WNIT, before falling to TCU. Junior Alexa Willard is the team's leading returning scorer at 10.8 points. Senior Danielle Gitzen (8.9 ppg, 56 stl) also returns to bolster the backcourt. Head Coach Kellie Harper enters her sixth season with Missouri State. She has a record of 93-69 at Missouri State and career record of 260-198.

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Shockers Picked 10th in Preseason Poll
Wichita State was picked to finish 10th in its inaugural American Athletic Conference season by the league's coaches. The Shockers return just 19.8 percent of their scoring from a season ago after the graduation of eight seniors, including All-Conference selection Rangie Bessard. WSU will feature only two seniors (Cesaria Ambrosio and Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage) on the 2018-19 squad and just five upperclassmen total. Ten newcomers - eight of them true freshmen - make up two-thirds of second year Adams' roster. Wichita State is coming off a 14-17 overall record and tying for fifth with a 9-7 mark in their inaugural season as members of the American Athletic Conference.

2017-18 Season Review
Wichita State put together a 14-17 record in head coach Keitha Adams' first season with the Shockers. After starting the season 0-6, the Shockers went 14-11 the rest of the way, including a season-best six-game winning streak in conference play. Wichita State finished league action with a 9-7 mark and a sixth place finish after being picked to finish 10th in the preseason coaches poll. Wichita State recorded its signature win on Jan. 21, 2018 when the Shockers upset No. 23 USF in Charles Koch Arena, 64-56. It marked the first victory over a ranked opponent in 20 years when WSU last defeated No. 25 Missouri State on Dec. 27, 1998. Senior forward Rangie Bessard earned All-Conference Second Team honors after leading the team and ranking third in the conference in scoring at 19.7 points per game. Bessard finished her senior campaign with 610 points, which set a new school record for the most points in a single season. She capped her Shocker career with 1,467 career points, which ranks sixth in the school record books. Seniors Angiee Tompkins and Diamond Lockhart also put together strong seasons. Tompkins ranked second on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). Lockhart led the team in assists with 97 to go along with 10.3 points per game. Her 94.2 percent shooting from the free throw line obliterated the single season mark. Playing in its first-ever American Athletic Conference Championship, the No. 6 seed Shockers were upset in the first round vs. No. 11 seed Temple, 72-59.

Replacing Rangie
Wichita State will have to replace leading scorer and Second Team All-Conference honoree Rangie Bessard in 2018-19. Bessard led the team and ranked third in the American Athletic Conference at 19.7 points per game. She scored 10 or more points in every game but one and had 15 20-point outings. The Rosharon, Texas, native scored 610 points in her senior campaign, breaking the single season record for points. Her 610 points also accounted for 30 percent of Wichita State's total scoring for the season. Bessard leaves Wichita State ranked sixth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,467 career points and second in school history in career scoring average.

Up Next
Wichita State is right back in Charles Koch Arena for a matchup with Sam Houston State. The Shockers and Bearkats tip on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. on COX YurView (HD 2022).