WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State opens the month of December with a Friday night matchup against Southern in Charles Koch Arena.

ON THE AIR
Friday's game can be heard online at GoShockers.com/Listen with the voice of Shocker Women's Basketball Steve Strain calling the action. Strain is in his seventh season broadcasting games for the women's program. The game will also be televised on ESPN+ with Shane Dennis and Tracey Anderson on the call. 

THE AMERICAN ON ESPN+ 
The American Athletic Conference is in its first season of a new TV deal that will see a majority of Wichita State's games televised on ESPN+. Fans can find more information and how to subscribe to ESPN+ here.

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State improved to 2-0 on the season with a 71-53 victory over Alcorn State on Monday, Nov. 30. The Shockers are 2-0 for the second time under head coach Keitha Adams. Wichita State shot 50.9 percent from the field, while holding Alcorn to just 33.3 percent. Three Shockers finished in double figures, led by Asia Strong's game-high 16 points - 12 coming after halftime. Strong has scored 16 or more in her first two games for WSU. Carla Bremaud continued her hot start with 14 points and going 3-for-5 from three-point range. In her first game in the Black & Yellow, Rachel Johnson came in off the bench and scored 13 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. DJ McCarty dished out a career-high six assists and Ene Adams pulled down a game-best eight rebounds in her first career start.

MARIAH MCBUCKETS 
Senior Mariah McCully finished her junior campaign on a scoring tear. She scored 10 or more in 18 of the last 22 games, including two 20-point outings. She had a 17-game double-digit scoring streak before it was snapped at Tulsa on Feb. 23 when she finished with nine points. McCully's 19 games of 10 or more points last season ranked first on the team and she was Wichita State's leading scorer on the year at 12.9 per game. The Shockers had three 20-point outings last season, two of which belonged to McCully. She opened the 2020-21 campaign with a 12-point outing against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
Southern is 0-2 to start to the 2020-21 campaign after a pair of losses to Big 12 foes Kansas State (66-51) and Oklahoma State (68-34). Sophomore Genovea Johnson paces Southern with 15.0 points per game. Through two games, Southern has struggled on offense. The Jaguars are shooting 30.4 percent overall, including 1-for-17 from three-point range, while only dishing out five assists. Defensively, they average 11.0 steals a game, but have yet to record a single blocked shot through two contests.

HOME OPENERS
Wichita State opened its home slate vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Friday, Nov. 27 for the 2020-21 season. The Shockers are 30-17 all-time in home openers after defeating the Islanders, 78-58.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 3-0 on the season
... move them to 2-0 all-time vs. Southern
... be their second straight win against the Jaguars
... run Adams' career coaching record to 456-296
... make Adams 329-259 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 377-236 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... make Wichita State 615-698 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... make them 2-1 to start the season
... drop them to 1-1 all-time against Southern
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 455-297
... make Adams 328-260 at the Division I level
... make Wichita State 376-237 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... make Wichita State 614-699 all-time

MCCULLY LANDS ON PRESEASON SECOND TEAM    
Wichita State senior guard Mariah McCully became the first Shocker to collect preseason accolades for Wichita State since joining the American Athletic Conference when she was placed on the Preseason All-Conference Second Team by the league's coaches. McCully earned All-Conference Third Team honors after leading Wichita State in scoring (12.6 ppg) and steals (56) as a junior in 2019-20.

SHOCKERS PICKED 6TH IN PRESEASON POLL
Wichita State was picked to finish 6th in the American Athletic Conference by the league's coaches. It is the highest preseason pick for the Shockers since joining The American.
WSU returns 65.0 percent of its scoring from a season ago, including All-Conference Second Team selection Mariah McCully.

BREMAUD ON THE CAREER CHARTS      
Wichita State junior guard Carla Bremaud comes into the 2020-21 season already in the top 10 for three-pointers attempted in a career at Wichita State. Her 288 three-point attempts place her in ninth and needing just 14 more to pass Shelley Crow for eighth in school history. Bremaud also passed Lexee McDonnell for 10th place on the career three-pointers made list. She now has 92 made triples and needing only three to move into ninth.

THE SERIES VS. SOUTHERN
Wichita State and Southern have met once prior to Friday's meeting. The Shockers and Jaguars squared off just a season ago on Nov. 17, 2019 - a 69-63 win for Wichita State. Wichita State is 1-0 vs. Alcorn State in Charles Koch Arena.

LAST MEETING
Wichita State held off Southern in a close 69-63 contest on Nov. 17, 2019 in Charles Koch Arena. Mariah McCully made her Wichita State debut and led three Shockers in double figures with 12 points, and swiping four steals. Asia Henderson and Raven Prince both added 10 points apiece. Wichita State converted 52.2 percent of its field goal attempts, but only attempted seven three-pointers, making three of them. WSU capitalized at the free throw line, going 18-for-20. Southern finished at 38.9 from the field and 6-of-19 from beyond the arc, and committed 26 turnovers. Wichita State turned those turnovers into 24 points to help offset being outrebounded by the Jaguars.

UP NEXT
A quick turnaround will see Wichita State host Northern Iowa for a 5 p.m. tip on Dec. 6. The Shocker women will follow the Wichita State men's game against Missouri at 1 p.m. Non-Conference play wraps up with a home contest against South Dakota on Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.