WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State is back in action for Valentine's Day hoops when Temple visits Charles Koch Arena on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip on COX YurView. The game will be the annual Play4Kay Pink Game where the Shockers will sport Pink uniforms and $2 of every ticket purchased donated to the Kay Yow Fund for breast cancer research and awareness.
On the Air
Wednesday's game can be heard 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 will be televised on COX YurView (HD 2022) and streamed on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. For viewers in Kansas and parts of Missouri the game will be blacked out on ESPN3.
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.
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 Owls
Temple comes into the matchup sporting a 10-14, 2-9 record. Temple owns wins over Delaware State (96-72), Wagner (70-36), Iona (59-54), La Salle (69-52), Saint Joseph's (69-66), Harvard (84-68), Hampton (65-56), Marist (83-77), SMU (55-52) and Tulsa (76-75). Their two conference wins have come by a combined four points. Senior Tanaya Atkinson leads the Owls in nearly every category, including points (22.0), rebounds (9.5), assists (65) and steals (33). Averaging just under a double-double, Atkinson leads the conference in scoring and rebounding. Mia Davis is the only other Owl averaging double-figures at 11.7 points per game to go with 8.0 rebounds. Temple averages 66.2 points per game and allows 71.2 per contest.
Wichita State-UConn Leftovers
Wichita State dropped to 0-1 all-time vs. UConn... The 124 points allowed were the most in school history... Wichita State committed a season-high 28 turnovers and was outscored 52-0 in points off turnovers... The Shockers set season lows in points (43), FG Made (18), rebounds (25) and assists (8)... UConn shot 71.2 percent to set a season high for a WSU opponent... Senior F
Rangie Bessard collected her 12th 20-point game of the season.
Approaching 300
Wichita State head coach
Keitha Adams is just six wins away from her 300th career win at the Division I level. She compiled 284 wins in her 16 seasons at UTEP and has accumulated 10 in the middle of her first at Wichita State. She has a career record of 294-225.
Block Party
Junior F
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage has upped her game on the defensive end during Wichita State's recent run of games. Over her last eight games, Lozada-Cabbage has blocked 22 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 eight games, Wichita State is averaging 5.8 blocks per game as a team. The Shockers averaged 2.9 in the first 18 games.
Shockers in Conference
In American Athletic Conference games only, the Shockers rank in the top five in free throw percentage (1st), field goal percentage (2nd), rebounding defense (2nd), rebound margin (4th), blocked shots (3rd), assists (2nd), steals (5th), assist-turnover ratio (3rd), offensive rebounds (4th), defensive rebound percentage (5th) and offensive rebound percentage (3rd). Individually,
Rangie Bessard ranks third in scoring (19.8), fourth in rebounding (7.9), fifth in free throw percentage (.853), seventh in steals (2.0), tied for fourth in offensive rebounds (3.1), sixth in defensive rebounds (4.8) and fifth in blocked shots (1.5).
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage ranks first in blocked shots (2.2).
Bessard in Conference Action
Through the first 12 games of conference play, senior forward
Rangie Bessard is posting 19.8 points and 7.9 rebounds, while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 85.3 percent from the free throw line. Bessard has produced a 20-10 double-double in four of the 12 American games.
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 26 games in 2017-18, Lockhart has scored 262 points (10.1 ppg), while making 103-of-256 (40.2 percent) shots from the field.
| Stat |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
| GP |
31 |
26 |
| GS |
17 |
26 |
| Minutes |
572 |
822 |
| FG Made |
40 |
103 |
| FG Attempts |
109 |
256 |
| Free Throws Made |
15 |
43 |
| Free Throw Attempts |
21 |
46 |
| Points |
105 |
262 |
| Rebounds |
59 |
101 |
| Assists |
38 |
85 |
| Steals |
23 |
37 |
The Series with Temple
Wichita State and Temple have met just once prior to Wednesday's matchup. Temple won the first and only meeting, 83-79, back on Nov. 26, 1983 on a neutral court.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 10-16 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 62-73), UCF (53-59), ECU (67-77), Cincinnati (69-75) and No. 1 UConn (43-124). 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 77-64, Tulane, 64-56, SMU, 66-43 and No. RV/23 USF, 64-56. Senior F
Rangie Bessard leads Wichita State in scoring (19.0) and rebounding (7.5) through 26 games. Senior G
Diamond Lockhart ranks second on the team at 10.1 points per game. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins averages 9.7 points and is shooting a team-best 52.5 percent from the floor. Bessard has scored in double-digits in 25 of the team's 26 contests this season with seven double-doubles. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 70 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 70 games, she has led the team in scoring 51 times. Wichita State is averaging 64.8 points per game and allowing 69.6. Shocker opponents are shooting 44.3 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making 42.8 percent of its shots, including 24.8 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 77.4 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in 18 of the 26 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-35 of the NCAA in four offensive categories. Through 26 games Bessard ranks 18th in free throws made (126), 22nd in field goal attempts (409), 27th in free throw attempts (155), 31st in field goals made (182) and 35th in total points (493). Out of American Athletic Conference players only, Bessard ranks second in free throws made and attempted, third in field goals made and attempted and free throw percentage, fourth in total points and total rebounds, fifth in points per game, seventh in blocks per game and eighth in field goal percentage and rebounds per game.
A Shocker Win Would...
... make them 11-16 on the season
... run their record to 6-7 in conference play
... give them their first-ever win vs. Temple
... make them 1-0 vs. the Owls in Wichita
... improve their mark in Charles Koch Arena to 354- 222 all-time
... run Adams' career coaching record to 422-262
... make Adams 295-225 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 581-664 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 10-17 on the season
... send them to 5-8 in the league this season
... make them 0-2 all-time vs. Temple
... drop them to 0-1 vs. the Owls in Wichita
... make them 353-223 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 421-263
... make Adams 294-226 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 580-665 all-time
Up Next
Wichita State will look to halt a four-game skid Saturday when the Shockers travel to Dallas to face SMU. It will be the second matchup between the Shockers and Mustangs this season, as WSU will try for the season sweep.
