The RoundHouse | 11/30/2019 6:30:00 PM
The Shockers celebrated at the buzzer, after the steal and foul shots that finally ended Oklahoma. Then they took their victory lap around the court, slapping hands and hugging with fans. From there, the celebration moved to the Champions Club to eat and rehash the game with more fans.
That is a lot of celebrating. And the message from coach
Keitha Adams was that Saturday's 88-83 win over Oklahoma is the kind of moment that breeds more of those celebrations.
"The thing is, we can beat every team if we compete and if we put the work in," guard
Seraphine Bastin said. "We're good."
Now Wichita State owns a result that proves it.
"If we play hard, we can compete with anyone," forward
Raven Prince said.
The Shockers (4-2) led OU (4-3) for 34 minutes, 24 seconds at Koch Arena and by as many 16 in the first half. They held off the Sooners in the final minutes with clutch baskets and a display of composure after a six-point possession, finished off by a banked-in three-pointer, allowed Oklahoma to cut a seven-point lead to 84-83.
"I've been dreaming of us having an amazing fun moments in Koch Arena with Shocker fans," Adams said. "I really want for fans to enjoy watching us play. I want people to get excited when they hear about Wichita State women's basketball."
It will be easier to get excited after Saturday. The Shockers shot 51.7 percent from the field and made 12 of 22 three-pointers. They put four scorers in double figures and committed 14 turnovers. They grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to score 17 second-chance points and scored 19 points off 18 Sooners turnovers.
They needed all of those performances to stop the Sooners, who got 30 points from Taylor Robertson. The McPherson native made 9 of 16 three-pointers, two in the final minute.
The shooting, Bastin said, wasn't the big thing. The passing and movement that led to the three-point accuracy is what really matters. Wichita State entered the game shooting 26.5 percent behind the arc and hadn't made more than seven.
"We moved the ball well and we reversed it," she said. "Coach told us that if we move the ball and we attack the basket, we're going to have some good opportunities."
Prince scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, six on offense. Bastin handed out seven assists without a turnover and scored 16 points, making five of six free throws in the final 15 seconds.
Carla Bremaud made 4 of 6 three-pointers and score 15 points.
Freshman
DJ McCarty added 13 points, on 5-of-7 shooting, and three assists.
Maya Brewer came off the bench to score eight points in 8:46 of playing time.
Mariah McCully scored nine points, including a crucial turnaround jumper to beat the shot clock late in the game.
Those contributions allowed the Shockers to handle Bremaud's foul trouble – she sat most of the second half with four fouls. A year ago, Wichita State relied too heavily on Bremaud's scoring. This season, Adams can turn to several play-makers who can keep the offense running without Bremaud.
The Shockers defeated a Big 12 opponent for the first time since a 51-48 win over Kansas State during the 2014-15 season.
"We weren't going to beat Oklahoma with any single person having some kind of amazing individual performance," Adams said. "It was going to take all of them. And it did. It took all of us."
That showed in the final minutes as the Sooners kept coming and the Shockers battled to hold a lead. Oklahoma cut the lead to 68-64 early in the fourth quarter. The Shockers responded with a 7-2 run that forced an OU timeout with 5:24 to play.
When the Sooners got within 77-74, McCarty drew a foul and made one free throw. A stop gave the Shockers the ball with under a minute and Adams saw a matchup she liked – Bastin guarded by Robertson. Bastin drove and passed to Prince, who converted a three-point play for an 81-74 lead.
"I know when (Bastin) is driving, to be always be ready," Prince said. "She's going to look to shoot or dish, and she did. I finished the play."
The Shockers stretched that lead to 84-77. What followed didn't shake the Shockers. Robertson made a three and, after the ball left her hand, officials called Prince for a foul running into a screener. That gave OU possession and Ana Llanusa banked in a three to cut the lead to 84-83 with nine seconds to play.
Bastin handled the duties of closer by making two foul shots, stealing the ball at half-court, and making two more foul shots.
"I darn sure wanted to get in that half-court trap and not let that ball get past half court," Adams said. "That double-teaming the ball worked perfectly. They didn't get a shot at the end."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
