WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State will look to snap a two-game slide vs. Cincinnati on Wednesday when the Shockers and Bearcats meet in Charles Koch Arena at 7 p.m.
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Wichita Eagle Family Night - 4 Tickets, 4 Hotdogs, 4 Bags of Popcorn & 4 Drinks for only $32
On the Air
Tuesday'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).
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 seven games since, Wichita State is 5-2 and outscoring its opponents by an average of 4.1 points per game, outrebounding them by 5.3 with 13 more steals and 21 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.
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 Bearcats
Cincinnati comes into the matchup sporting a 13-10, 5-5 record. The Bearcats own wins over Slippery Rock (85-52), Southeastern La. (82-43), Miami (73- 62), EKU (64-53), SE Missouri (65-52), Old Dominion (54-33), Howard (87-53), Bowling Green (75-51), ECU (66-54), Houston (88-82), Temple (80-72), Memphis (64-53) and SMU (58-40). Nikira Goings leads Cincinnati in scoring at 11.5 points. Shanice Johnson averages 9.7 points to go with a team-high 6.0 rebounds and 18 blocks. Ana Owens scores 11.1 points a game and leads UC in assists with 92. Iimar'i Thomas rounds out the double-figure scorers at 10.7 per game. Cincinnati averages 66.7 points per game and allows 62.5 a contest.
Wichita State-Houston Leftovers
Wichita State dropped to 0-4 all-time vs. Houston... Dropped to 9-2 this season when leading at halftime... Outscored 26-11 in the third quarter... Outrebounded for just the sixth time this season, 41-35... Won the turnover battle, 21-18, and finished with 8 blocks and 13 steals... Senior F
Rangie Bessard scored a team-high 15 points, but struggled from the field (5-18)... Bessard has scored 10 or more points in all but one game this season... Senior G
Keke Thompson recorded her second straight game in double-figures with 14 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists... Senior F
Angiee Tompkins added 13 points... Junior F
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage blocked four shots and swiped three steals.
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 294-221.
Block Party
Junior F
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage has upped her game on the defensive end during Wichita State's recent tear. Over her last six games, Lozada-Cabbage has blocked 18 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 six games, Wichita State is averaging 6.7 blocks per game as a team. The Shockers averaged 2.9 in the first 18 games.
Bessard in Conference Action
Through the first 10 games of conference play, senior forward
Rangie Bessard is averaging just under a double-double. Bessard is posting 19.3 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the free throw line. Bessard has produced a 20-10 double-double in three of the 10 American games.
The American Tabs Ambrosio for Honor Roll
Wichita State junior guard
Cesaria Ambrosio was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll after helping the Shockers run their winning streak to five in a row with a road win at Memphis this past week. The Fully, Switzerland, native posted a career-high 19 points, six assists and three rebounds in the win. She also set career highs in field goals made (7) and attempted (10) and free throws made (3) and attempted (4). Ambrosio is shooting better than 60 percent from the field overall and from behind the three-point line over her last five games. This is the fourth weekly honor roll nod for the Shockers this season, joining
Rangie Bessard (twice) and
Diamond Lockhart (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 24 games in 2017-18, Lockhart has scored 246 points (10.3 ppg), while making 96-of-235 (40.9 percent) shots from the field.
| Stat |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
| GP |
31 |
24 |
| GS |
17 |
24 |
| Minutes |
572 |
763 |
| FG Made |
40 |
96 |
| FG Attempts |
109 |
235 |
| Free Throws Made |
15 |
43 |
| Free Throw Attempts |
21 |
46 |
| Points |
105 |
246 |
| Rebounds |
59 |
94 |
| Assists |
38 |
83 |
| Steals |
23 |
32 |
The Series with Cincinnati
Cincinnati won the lone meeting between the two programs back on Dec. 9, 1983 on a neutral court, 76- 58. The two teams will only meet once during the regular season.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 10-14 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) and ECU (67-77). 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 (18.7) and rebounding (7.5) through 24 games. Senior G
Diamond Lockhart ranks second on the team at 10.3 points per game. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins averages 9.5 points and is shooting a team-best 54.4 percent from the floor. Bessard has scored in double-digits in 23 of the team's 24 contests this season with six double-doubles. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 68 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 68 games, she has led the team in scoring 49 times. Wichita State is averaging 65.5 points per game and allowing 67.1. Shocker opponents are shooting 42.7 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making 43.4 percent of its shots, including 25.8 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 77.5 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in 18 of the 24 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 24 games Bessard ranks 20th in free throws made (112), 24th in field goal attempts (377), 31st in free throw attempts (139) and 34th in field goals made (167). Out of American Athletic Conference players only, Bessard ranks second in free throws made, third in field goals made and attempted, free throw attempts and free throw percentage, fourth in total points and total rebounds, fifth in points per game, sixth in blocks per game, eighth in field goal percentage and ninth in rebounds per game.
A Shocker Win Would...
... make them 11-14 on the season
... run their record to 6-5 in conference play
... give them their first-ever win vs. Cincinnati
... make them 1-0 vs. the Bearcats in Wichita
... move their record in Charles Koch Arena to 354-221
... run Adams' career coaching record to 422-260
... make Adams 295-223 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 581-662 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 10-15 on the season
... send them to 5-6 in the league this season
... make them 0-2 all-time vs. Cincinnati
... drop them to 0-1 vs. the Bearcats in Wichita
... move their record in Charles Koch Arena to 353-222
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 421-261
... make Adams 294-224 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 580-663 all-time
Up Next
Wichita State prepares to make the trip north to face No. 1 UConn on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET on SNY/ESPN3. The meeting will be the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
