WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State is set to take the court for an exhibition matchup vs. Missouri Southern Thursday night in Charles Koch Arena at 6 p.m.

ON THE AIR
Tonight's game can be heard online at GoShockers.com/Listen with Steve Strain calling the action. Strain is in his eighth year as the voice of Shocker Women's Basketball.

EXHIBITIONS
For the third time in the last four years, Wichita State will host Missouri Southern for an exhibition contest. The Shockers defeated the Lions 80-33 in 2019 and 62-49 in 2018. Wichita State is 4-0 in exhibition games under head coach Keitha Adams.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
Missouri Southern was picked to finish ninth in the preseason Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) coaches poll and 10th in the media poll. The Lions are coming off a 9-14 record a season ago, including a 9-13 mark in league play. MSSU was among the best at blocking shots, finishing ninth in D-II at 4.26 per game. MSSU will be returning eight from last year's team with six having starting experience in their collegiate careers. Leading the charge will be Madi Stokes who was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection and an All-Defensive team member last season. Stokes was the only player in the MIAA to average a double-double, averaging 10. 3 points and 10.5 rebounds a game while blocking 50 shots the second-best tally for a single-season in school history. Supporting Stokes will be Layne Skiles who averaged 6.3 points and shot 35.1 percent from deep while playing 28.3 minutes a game last season. Six newcomers were added in the form of a Division I transfer and five freshmen to bolster the Lions this season.

STARTING OFF STRONG
Wichita State senior forward Asia Strong wasted little time settling in during her first season at Wichita State in 2020-21. The South Bend, Ind., native scored 10 or more points in 16 of the team's 18 games, including four games of 20 or more. In Wichita State's 11 league games, she scored 11 or more in every game and averaged 15.4 points. Strong set a season high in points vs. Tulsa in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship with 24 points. She led Wichita State in scoring at 15.2 points per game, which ranked fourth in the American Athletic Conference.

DYNAMIC POINT GUARD
• Wichita State point guard Seraphine Bastin had her best season in a Shocker uniform in 2020-21. Bastin averaged 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals a game, while shooting 78.7 percent from the free throw line. The 5-foot-8 guard led the team in rebounding, assists, steals and double-doubles. In The American, Bastin ranked second in free throw percentage, third in assists, fourth in rebounding and fifth in assist-turnover ratio.

• Bastin is on the brink of entering the Wichita State top 10 list for career assists. She comes into the 2021-22 season needing only 14 assists to crack the top 10. Allison Daniel currently holds the No. 10 spot with 308 career dimes. Bastin is already in the top 10 for career assists per game at 3.8. Her 3.8 helpers rank ninth best in school history.

• The Dinant, Belgium, native has a bulldog mentality and that is evident in her rebounding. Bastin led Wichita State and ranked sixth in the American Athletic Conference in rebounding at 7.7 per game and 131 total rebounds in 2020-21. Her 131 rebounds were 15 more than the next closest Shocker, which was Trajata Colbert with 116. Bastin has been one of the program's best rebounders since she arrived in 2018. She has 421 career rebounds, far and away the team's active leader. She has averaged 4.6 rebounds or more every season, including her career best 7.7 in 2020-21.

• With another season of eligibility remaining after the 2021-22 season, Bastin could find herself among the Shocker greats. She is on pace to finish her career with more than 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 400 assists and 150 steals. Only one player in Wichita State history has accomplished that feat - Alex Harden. As it stands now, Bastin has 627 career points, 429 rebounds, 295 assists and 105 steals.

BREMAUD ON THE CAREER CHARTS      
Wichita State junior guard Carla Bremaud comes into the 2021-22 season already in the top 10 for three-pointers attempted in a career at Wichita State. Her 366 three-point attempts place her in sixth and needing 10 more to pass Haleigh Lankster for fifth in school history. Bremaud also passed Jessica Diamond and Shelley Crow for seventh place on the career three-pointers made list. She now has 119 made treys and is three shy of moving into sole possession of sixth place. Bremaud swished  her 100th career three-pointer vs. Cincinnati on Jan. 2.

SHOCKERS PICKED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Wichita State was picked to finish eighth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Shockers garnered 36 points from the league's coaches, just two points behind seventh-place East Carolina. The defending champions, South Florida, was picked to repeat after receiving 10 first place votes and 100 points. UCF (91), Houston (77), Tulane (72) and Temple (69) round out the top five.

STRONG LANDS ON PRESEASON FIRST TEAM
Wichita State senior forward Asia Strong became the first Shocker to earn Preseason All-Conference First Team honors as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The league's coaches voted Strong to the first team after she averaged 15.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game a season ago. Strong was one of six players on the first team, joined by three from South Florida, one from UCF and the preseason Player of the Year, Mia Davis, from Temple.

UP NEXT
Wichita State will begin a three-game road trip beginning with a visit to Wyoming on Nov. 13. From there, the Shockers will face Denver on Nov. 15.