WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State concludes the 2017-18 regular season with a trip to Tulsa, Okla., to face the Golden Hurricane for Havoc in the Heartland Monday night at 7 p.m. on the American Digital Network.
On the Air
Monday's game can be heard locally on KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM 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 be seen on the American Digital Network with Lincoln Rose and Angela Beck on the call.
Havoc in the Heartland
The University of Tulsa and Wichita State University announced the creation of a rivalry series competition that will span 13 varsity sports in its inaugural year. Points will be awarded for head-to-head regular-season victories in volleyball, basketball and softball or a higher finish at conference championships in cross country, tennis, track & field and women's golf. The trophy, which is being created, will be awarded to the school with the most points at the end of each Academic Year. Participating sports for the upcoming year will be volleyball, cross country, basketball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, softball and women's golf.
With 66 points being awarded, the official tiebreaker for the rivalry series will be the annual Graduation Success Rate, which is announced by the NCAA each year. (
Wichita State holds a 21-18 advantage in the point system. WSU has six points from volleyball, six points from men's basketball, six points from men's tennis and three points from Men's indoor track. Tulsa has 18 points from men's and women's cross country, three points from women's basketball and three points from women's indoor track.)
A Most Outstanding Player award will also be announced following each regular-season matchup in volleyball and men's and women's basketball and at the conclusion of the three-game softball series.
70.0%
Wichita State broke the school record for field goal percentage in a single game in the win Wednesday night vs. Temple. The Shockers converted 35-of-50 attempts - good for 70.0 percent - to obliterate the previous record of 65.4 percent. Earlier this season, WSU tied that mark in the win vs. Alcorn State.
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 Golden Hurricane
Tulsa comes into the matchup sporting a 9-19, 3-12 record. The Golden Hurricane won the first meeting this season in Wichita by a score of 67-62. It was the conference opener for both teams. The Golden Hurricane own wins over Little Rock (74-61), UMKC (76- 52), Binghamton (60-55), Arkansas Pine-Bluff (87-37), South Dakota (64-61), Arkansas State (68-58), Wichita State (67-62), Cincinnati (64-51) and Houston (83-77). Shug Dickson leads Tulsa in scoring at 14.1 points per game. Erika Wakefield ranks second at 10.9 points to go with a team-high 75 assists. Kendrian Elliott pulls down a team-high 6.0 rebounds a game. Tulsa averages 60.6 points per game and allows 65.4 a contest.
Wichita State-Tulane Leftovers
Wichita State leads the all-time series with Tulane, 2-1, after sweeping the season series with the Green Wave... The Shockers have won three-straight games for the third time this season... Wichita State shot 54.4 percent from the field, marking the eighth time the Shockers have hit 50 percent or better this season... Tied a season high with seven made three-point field goals... Outrebounded the Green Wave, 41-32, snapping a three-game streak of losing the rebounding battle... Senior F
Rangie Bessard collected her 14th 20-point game of the season with a game-high 25 points, while tying a career-high with three made three-pointers... Senior F
Angiee Tompkins finished with a career-high 24 points... Senior G
Diamond Lockhart added 15 points and seven assists... Senior G
Keke Thompson tied her career high in assists with 8.
Approaching 300
Wichita State head coach
Keitha Adams is just three 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 297-225.
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 11 games, Lozada-Cabbage has blocked 23 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 10 games, Wichita State is averaging 4.8 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 scoring offense (5th), 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) and offensive rebound percentage (2nd). Individually,
Rangie Bessard ranks second in scoring (21.1), third in rebounding (7.6), seventh in free throw percentage (.830), sixth in offensive rebounds (2.8) and fifth in blocked shots (1.4).
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage is fourth in blocked shots (1.8) and
Diamond Lockhart is sixth in assists (3.9).
Bessard in Conference Action
Through the first 15 games of conference play, senior forward
Rangie Bessard is posting 21.1 points and 7.6 rebounds, while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 83.0 percent from the free throw line. Bessard has produced a 20-10 double-double in four of the 15 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 277 points (10.3 ppg), while making 108-of-262 (41.2 percent) shots from the field.
| Stat |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
| GP |
31 |
27 |
| GS |
17 |
27 |
| Minutes |
572 |
860 |
| FG Made |
40 |
108 |
| FG Attempts |
109 |
262 |
| Free Throws Made |
15 |
47 |
| Free Throw Attempts |
21 |
50 |
| Points |
105 |
277 |
| Rebounds |
59 |
106 |
| Assists |
38 |
92 |
| Steals |
23 |
40 |
The Series with Tulsa
Wichita State and Tulsa have met 17 times. The first-ever meeting was in 1978 in Wichita. The Shockers have won nine of the last 10 meetings. Tulsa's win earlier this season snapped a nine-game win streak in the series for WSU.
Last Meeting
Tulsa downed Wichita State, 67-62, in Charles Koch Arena on Dec. 30, 2017. It was the first meeting between the two schools since 1999. Wichita State made just 1-of-11 three-point attempts and shot 38.8 percent overall.
Rangie Bessard posted a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead Wichita State.
Angiee Tompkins and
Jeliah Preston added 15 and 10 points, respectively. Kendrian Elliott and Alexis Gaulden paced Tulsa with 14 points apiece.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 13-16 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 and 81-70, SMU, 66-43 and 52- 45, No. RV/23 USF, 64-56 and Temple, 88-81. Senior F
Rangie Bessard leads Wichita State in scoring (19.7) and rebounding (7.4) through 29 games. Senior G
Diamond Lockhart ranks second on the team at 10.3 points per game. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins also averages 10.3 points and is shooting a team-best 52.2 percent from the floor. Bessard has scored in double-digits in 28 of the team's 29 contests this season with seven double-doubles. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 73 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 73 games, she has led the team in scoring 54 times. Wichita State is averaging 65.7 points per game and allowing 69.2. Shocker opponents are shooting 43.5 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making 43.8 percent of its shots, including 27.4 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 77.0 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in 19 of the 29 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 five offensive categories. Through 29 games Bessard ranks 21st in free throws made (141), 22nd in field goals made (211), 26th in total points (572), 27th in free throw attempts (175) and 28th in field goal attempts (460). Out of American Athletic Conference players only, Bessard ranks first in field goals made, third in field goal attempts and free throws made and attempted, fourth in total points and points per game, fifth in free throw percentage, sixth in rebounds, seventh in field goal percentage and blocks per game and eighth in rebounds per game.
A Shocker Win Would...
... make them 14-16 on the season
... run their record to 9-7 in conference play
... give them four-straight wins
... lift them to 16-2 all-time vs. Tulsa
... make them 8-1 vs. the Hurricane in Tulsa
... run Adams' career coaching record to 425-262
... make Adams 298-225 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 584-664 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 13-17 on the season
... send them to 8-8 in the league this season
... drop them to 15-3 all-time vs. Tulsa
... snap a three-game win streak
... drop them to 7-2 vs. the Hurricane in Tulsa
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 424-263
... make Adams 297-226 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 583-665 all-time
Up Next
Wichita State heads to Uncasville, Conn., for its first-ever American Athletic Conference Tournament. Play opens Saturday, March 3 with the championship game on Tuesday, March 6.
