WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State heads into hostile territory to face perennial powerhouse No. 1 UConn Saturday afternoon in Hartford, Conn., at 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET on ESPN3.
On the Air
Saturday's game can be heard locally on 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. The game will be televised on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
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 Huskies
No. 1 UConn comes into the matchup sporting an unblemished 23-0, 11-0 record. The Huskies are 81-0 all-time in American Athletic Conference games and have won 151 straight games vs. unranked opponents. UConn has been ranked in the AP Poll for 462 consecutive weeks. Katie Lou Samuelson is one of six Huskies averaging double-figures with a team-best 17.3 points per game. Kia Nurse ranks second with 15.3 points. Napheesa Collier (15.3 ppg), Azura Stevens (14.3 ppg) and Gabby Williams (10.3 ppg) all average more than 7.6 rebounds per game. Crystal Dangerfield sports a 10.8 scoring average to go with 90 assists. Williams leads UConn with 117 assists. UConn averages 89.7 points per game and only allows 54.3 per contest.
Wichita State-Cincinnati Leftovers
Wichita State dropped to 0-2 all-time vs. Cincinnati... The Shockers dropped their third straight game... Wichita State forced 20 Cincinnati turnovers and only committed 10... The +10 turnover margin marked a season high for the Shockers... Senior F
Rangie Bessard collected her seventh double-double of the season and 21st of her career with a team-high 24 points and a season-high 13 rebounds... Bessard has 11 games of 20 or more points this season... Senior G
Diamond Lockhart tallied 14 points, giving her 14 games in double-figures this season... Senior F
Angiee Tompkins also scored 14 points - her second straight in double-digits and 12th 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 294-224.
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 seven games, Lozada-Cabbage has blocked 21 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 seven games, Wichita State is averaging 6.3 blocks per game as a team. The Shockers averaged 2.9 in the first 18 games.
Shockers in Conference
In conference play the Shockers rank in the top five in scoring offense (4th), scoring defense (5th), scoring margin (5th), free throw percentage (1st), field goal percentage (2nd), rebounding defense (2nd), rebound margin (3rd), blocked shots (2nd), assists (2nd), steals (5th), turnover margin (5th), assist-turnover ratio (3rd), offensive rebounds (5th), defensive rebound percentage (5th) and offensive rebound percentage (3rd). Individually,
Rangie Bessard ranks third in scoring (19.7), second in rebounding (8.5), fifth in free throw percentage (.839), seventh in steals (2.0), tied for third in offensive rebounds (3.3), fifth in defensive rebounds (5.2) and fifth in blocked shots (1.6).
Diamond Lockhart ranks tied for fourth in assists (4.0) and
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage ranks first in blocked shots (2.3).
Bessard in Conference Action
Through the first 11 games of conference play, senior forward
Rangie Bessard is averaging just under a double-double. Bessard is posting 19.7 points and 8.5 rebounds, while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 83.9 percent from the free throw line. Bessard has produced a 20-10 double-double in four of the 11 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 25 games in 2017-18, Lockhart has scored 260 points (10.4 ppg), while making 102-of-246 (41.5 percent) shots from the field.
| Stat |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
| GP |
31 |
25 |
| GS |
17 |
25 |
| Minutes |
572 |
793 |
| FG Made |
40 |
102 |
| FG Attempts |
109 |
246 |
| Free Throws Made |
15 |
43 |
| Free Throw Attempts |
21 |
46 |
| Points |
105 |
260 |
| Rebounds |
59 |
96 |
| Assists |
38 |
85 |
| Steals |
23 |
35 |
The Series with UConn
Wichita State and UConn have never met in women's basketball. The two teams will only meet once during the regular season.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 10-15 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) and Cincinnati (69-75). 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 (18.9) and rebounding (7.8) through 25 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 53.4 percent from the floor. Bessard has scored in double-digits in 24 of the team's 25 contests this season with seven double-doubles. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 69 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 69 games, she has led the team in scoring 50 times. Wichita State is averaging 65.7 points per game and allowing 67.4. Shocker opponents are shooting 43.0 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making 43.2 percent of its shots, including 25.8 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 77.2 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in 18 of the 25 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 25 games Bessard ranks 18th in field goal attempts (395) and free throws made (120), 25th in field goals made (175), 27th in free throw attempts (149) and 29th in total points (473). Out of American Athletic Conference players only, Bessard ranks second in free throws made, free throw attempts and free throw percentage, third in field goals made and attempted, fourth total points and rebounds, fifth in points per game, sixth in blocks per game, seventh in rebounds per game and eighth in field goal percentage.
A Shocker Win Would...
... make them 11-15 on the season
... run their record to 6-6 in conference play
... give them their first-ever win vs. UConn
... be their first-ever win vs. a top 10 opponent
... be their second win of the season vs. a ranked foe
... make them 1-0 vs. the Huskies in Hartford
... run Adams' career coaching record to 422-261
... make Adams 295-224 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 581-663 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 10-16 on the season
... send them to 5-7 in the league this season
... make them 0-1 all-time vs. UConn
... drop them to 0-1 vs. the Huskies in Hartford
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 421-262
... make Adams 294-225 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 580-664 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.
