GREENVILLE, N.C. – Wichita State held off ECU in an absolute grinder, 61-53, thanks to a game-clinching 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon at Minges Coliseum.

Wichita State (9-7, 1-2) snapped a two-game skid and picked up its first American Athletic Conference win of 2020.

Mariah McCully pushed her double-figure streak to 10 straight games after scoring 11 despite shooting just 2-of-8 from the field. Trajata Colbert scored a team-high 12 points off the bench, marking her first game in double digits since the season opener.

Neither team eclipsed the 35 percent mark from the field and the two teams combined to turn the ball over 51 times – 27 for WSU and 24 for ECU. The Shockers struggled from beyond the arc, finishing just 3-for-17.

The free throw line is where the Shockers were able to equalize their poor shooting day, connecting on 28-of-40 attempts at the charity stripe, while ECU missed 11 of its 20 attempts.

Katerina Tsineke led all scorers with 15 points and Lashonda Monk added 12 for the Pirates. Monk came in ranked in the top five nationally in steals and she added six more to her collection this afternoon. ECU's 18 steals were a season high for a Shocker opponent.

Wichita State held the Pirates to 5-of-14 shooting in the first quarter, including a stretch of more than five minutes without a score to lead by as many as nine, but turnovers let the Pirates back in it. The Shockers only made 4-of-13 attempts and turned it over seven times, but led 17-13 after 10 minutes.

The Shockers got a chunk of their first quarter scoring from the free throw line, going 8-for-11.

ECU would then miss seven of its first eight shots to open the second quarter, allowing the Shockers to push the lead back to seven at the midway point. The lead would hover around the five-point mark for much of the quarter until Wichita State stretched it back to eight, 28-20, at the end of period.

Offensively, it wasn't a pretty half for either team. Wichita State missed eight of its nine tries from long range and finished 36 percent overall to go with 15 turnovers. For ECU, the Pirates misfired on eight of its 10 three-pointers and knocked down only 26 percent of their shots overall.

The first four minutes of the third quarter could not have been much worse for Wichita State. The Shockers were 0-for-2 from the field with seven turnovers, allowing ECU to trim the lead to a single point, 31-30, forcing Keitha Adams to take a timeout.

ECU then took its first lead since the opening minute of the game on a three-pointer from the wing. Ashley Reid responded on the ensuing possession with a triple of her own to tie the game at 34, ending an ECU 8-0 run.

Both teams would trade three-pointers in the final minute leading to a 40-40 tie through three quarters. The Pirates outscored Wichita State 20-12 in the quarter thanks to 10 turnovers and 2-of-10 shooting.

A 9-0 run covering nearly four minutes put the Shockers back in front, 54-47. Five different Shockers contributed in the scoring column during the spurt.

Asia Henderson had two big scores inside to help the Shockers extend the lead in the final two minutes and free throws inside a minute to go secured the win for Wichita State.

Up Next
Wichita State begins a three-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 15 when Tulsa makes the trip to Wichita. The Shockers and Golden Hurricane will tip at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN3.