WICHITA, Kan. - No. 6 seed Wichita State opens the 2018 Aaron's American Athletic Conference Championship with first round action vs. No. 11 seed Temple Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
On the Air
Saturday's game can be heard locally on KFH 97.5 FM/1240 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 ESPN3 with Sam Gore and Mike Thibault on the call.
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 Owls
Temple comes into the matchup sporting a 11-18, 3-13 record and an 11th place in The American. The Shockers won the only meeting vs. the Owls on Valentine's Day in Wichita, 88-81. The Owls own wins over Delaware State (96-72), Wagner (70-36), Iona (59-54), La Salle (69-52), Saint Joseph's (69-66), Harvard (86-64), Hampton (65- 56), Marist (83-77), SMU (55-52), Tulsa (76-75) and ECU (65-64). Temple's three conference wins came by a combined five points. Tanaya Atkinson leads Temple and The American in scoring at 21.0 points per game. Atkinson leads Temple in rebounding (9.3), assists (78) and steals (39). Mia Davis ranks second in scoring (11.4) and rebounding (7.7). Temple averages 65.8 points per game and allows 73.1 a contest.
Wichita State-Tulsa Leftovers
Wichita State leads the all-time series with Tulsa, 16-2, after splitting the season series with the Golden Hurricane... The Shockers have won four-straight games for the second time this season... Wichita State dominated the rebounding battle, 45-33... Outrebounded 20 of its 30 opponents this season... Topped the 40-rebound mark for the 10th time this season... Senior F
Rangie Bessard and junior F
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage both recorded double-doubles, marking the first time this season two players have had a double-double in the same game... Bessard notched her 8th double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Lozada-Cabbage registered her second of the season with 12 and 11... Senior G
Diamond Lockhart scored a team-high 16 points... Senior F
Angiee Tompkins added 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Approaching 300
Wichita State head coach
Keitha Adams is just two 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 298-225.
Shockers Finish 6th in The American
In its inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference Wichita State posted a 9-7 mark in league play to finish sixth in the standings. The Shockers were picked by the league's coaches to finish 10th in the preseason poll, but exceeded expectations with a five-game winning streak in the middle of conference play and heads into the conference tournament riding a four-game win streak. The Shockers tied with Houston at 9-7, but the Cougars swept Wichita State and therefore will be the No. 5 seed in the tournament. Wichita State will face Temple in the first round with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals to match up with No. 3 UCF on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT/12 p.m. ET.
Bessard on the All-Time Charts
Rangie Bessard is putting together a record book season for the Shockers in 2017-18. Her name is littered throughout the single season charts and will continue her climb at the American Athletic Conference Championship. Bessard's name on the single season charts: 3rd in total points (587) and points per game (19.6), 6th in field goals made (216), 2nd in field goal attempts (481), 3rd in free throws made (146) and 5th in free throw attempts (181).
Double-Double X2
Senior F
Rangie Bessard and junior F
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage both finished with a double-double in the regular season finale at Tulsa. Bessard finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season, while Lozada- Cabbage added 12 points and 11 boards for her second of the season. It marked the first time two Shockers have posted a double-double in the same game since Alex Harden (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Michelle Price (21 points, 10 rebounds) did it vs. Evansville on Feb. 2, 2014.
Bessard in Conference Action
In 16 games of conference play, senior forward
Rangie Bessard averaged 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 produced a 20-10 double-double in four of the 16 American games.
A Tale of Two Lockharts
Wichita State senior guard
Diamond Lockhart has been the most improved player for the Shockers this season. 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 28 games in 2017-18, Lockhart has scored 293 points (10.5 ppg), while making 114-of-273 (41.8 percent) shots from the field.
| Stat |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
| GP |
31 |
28 |
| GS |
17 |
28 |
| Minutes |
572 |
896 |
| FG Made |
40 |
114 |
| FG Attempts |
109 |
273 |
| Free Throws Made |
15 |
49 |
| Free Throw Attempts |
21 |
52 |
| Points |
105 |
293 |
| Rebounds |
59 |
110 |
| Assists |
38 |
96 |
| Steals |
23 |
42 |
The Series with Temple
Wichita State and Temple have met only twice with the series tied at 1-1. The first-ever meeting was in 1983 on a neutral court. The Shockers and Owls met only once during the regular season.
Last Meeting
Wichita State downed Temple on Valentine's Day in Wichita by a score of 88-81 in the annual Play4Kay Pink Game. Wichita State broke the school record for field goal percentage in a single game. The Shockers torched the old record by shooting 70.0 percent.
Rangie Bessard scored a career-high 38 points on 13- of-17 shooting and was three points shy of the school record.
Angiee Tompkins scored 17 points,
Jeliah Preston had 11 and
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage added 10 in the win.
Shocker Summary
Wichita State is 14-16 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, Temple, 88-81 and Tulsa, 70-59. Senior F
Rangie Bessard leads Wichita State in scoring (19.6) and rebounding (7.5) through 30 games. Senior G
Diamond Lockhart ranks second on the team at 10.5 points per game. Senior F
Angiee Tompkins also averages 10.5 points and is shooting 51.8 percent from the floor. Bessard has scored in double-digits in 29 of the team's 30 contests this season with eight double-doubles. She is far and away the current leader in double-figure scoring games for Wichita State with 74 career games of 10 or more points. Out of those 74 games, she has led the team in scoring 54 times. Wichita State is averaging 65.9 points per game and allowing 68.8. Shocker opponents are shooting 43.4 percent overall. On the offensive side of the ball, Wichita State is making 43.6 percent of its shots, including 27.5 percent from long range. WSU has converted on 77.2 percent of its attempts from the free throw line. That mark ranks 10th nationally and first in The American. The Shockers have outrebounded their opponents in 20 of the 30 contests.
Bessard Among Nation's Best
Rangie Bessard is finishing off a strong senior campaign for the Shockers. The 6-foot-1 forward currently ranks in the top-30 of the NCAA in five offensive categories. Through 30 games Bessard ranks 21st in free throws made (146) and field goal attempts (481), 22nd in field goals made (216), 27th in free throw attempts (181) and 28th in total points (587). Out of American Athletic Conference players only, Bessard ranks second in field goals made, third in field goal attempts, free throws made and attempted and free throw percentage, fourth in points per game and total points, fifth in rebounds, seventh in field goal percentage and blocks per game and eighth in rebounds per game.
A Shocker Win Would...
... make them 15-16 on the season
... advance them to the quarterfinals to face UCF
... make them 1-0 all-time in the American Athletic Conference Championship
... give them five-straight wins
... lift them to 2-1 all-time vs. Temple
... make them 1-1 vs. the Owls on a neutral court
... run Adams' career coaching record to 426-262
... make Adams 299-225 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 585-664 all-time
A Shocker Loss Would...
... drop them to 14-17 on the season
... end their season in the first round
... make them 0-1 all-time in the American Athletic Conference Championship
... snap a four-game win streak
... drop them to 1-2 all-time vs. Temple
... drop them to 0-2 vs. the Owls on a neutral court
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 425-263
... make Adams 298-226 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 584-665 all-time
Up Next
Should Wichita State advance to the quarterfinals, the Shockers would face No. 3 seed UCF Sunday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN3.
