Wichita State (0-0) vs. Alcorn State (0-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 | 6:00 PM CT | Charles Koch Arena
ESPN+ | GoShockers.com/Listen | Statbroadcast.com
 

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K-COLLEGE INITIATIVE 
All kids kindergarten through college receive FREE admission to all home games for the 2022-23 season.

HEROES DAY
All badge-wearing (Police, Fire, EMS, Military, etc.) service men and women receive FREE admission with a valid ID.
 

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ON THE AIR
Wednesday's game can be heard online at GoShockers.com/Listen with Steve Strain calling the action. Strain is in his ninth season as the radio voice for Wichita State women's basketball. The game will also be televised on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State needed overtime to hold off a pesky Missouri Southern State squad in an exhibition contest last Tuesday in Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers won 72-70 after Trajata Colbert's game tying layup sent the game to overtime as the horn sounded in regulation. Wichita State led by as many as 15 in the first half, but Missouri Southern outscored the Shockers by 11 in the third quarter to take a one point lead into the final period. Curtessia Dean made her Wichita State debut and poured in a game-high 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting to go with six rebounds and two steals. Jane Asinde logged a double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds, while adding four assists and four steals. Colbert added a double-double of her own with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE LADY BRAVES
Alcorn State enters the 2022-23 campaign a year after going just 3-22 overall and 2-16 in the SWAC. Alcorn averaged just 51.9 points per game on 33.8 percent shooting. The Lady Braves were also outrebounded by an average of 11.6 rebounds per game. Zy'Nyia White returns for the Lady Braves after leading the team in scoring at 9.7 points per game to go with 3.5 rebounds. Head Coach Nate Kilbert begins his third season at the helm of the Alcorn State program. He is 10-35 through his first two seasons and has more than 20 years of head coaching expierence at the DI level.

THE SERIES VS. ALCORN STATE  
Wichita State and Alcorn State have met only four times dating back to Nov. 30, 1991. Wichita State owns a 3-1 record all-time vs. Alcorn State The Shockers have won all three meetings in Wichita entering the matchup, while Alcorn State won a neutral site contest in 1991.

LAST MEETING  
Wichita State jumped out to a 22-8 lead after 10 minutes and never looked back in a 90-49 win a year ago on Nov. 26, 2021. Wichita State held the Lady Braves to 25.5 percent shooting and forced 24 turnovers. Offensively, the Shockers shot 48.5 percent from the field and converted 20-of-24 attempts at the charity stripe. Eight different Shockers scored at least seven points in the matchup, led by Seraphine Bastin with 15. Bastin also added five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Jane Asinde recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

SPEED & POWER
Wichita State will rely heavily on its low post tandem of Jane Asinde and Trajata Colbert in 2022-23. The duo will take on a much larger role this season and each relies on a different set of skills down low. Asinde is long, fast and explosive in transition, while Colbert uses her strength to overpower opposing centers. Last season the duo combined for 467 points, 407 rebounds, 63 steals and 58 blocks, but look for all those numbers to increase significantly in 2022-23. In the exhibition vs. Missouri Southern, Asinde and Colbert contributed 29 points and 28 rebounds.

CAREER CHARTS
Wichita State senior Trajata Colbert enters the season on the career charts at Wichita State for field goal percentage. Her career field goal percentage of 50.2 ranks 10th and sits behind Theresa Dreiling's 51.8 percent in ninth. Colbert also needs 20 blocked shots this season to crack the top 10 list at Wichita State. She enters with 71 career blocks and 10th place is currently 91.

ADDED EXPERIENCE TO THE BENCH
Head coach Keitha Adams bolstered her coaching staff in the offseason with the hire of Jim Littell as an assistant coach. Littell spent the last 11 seasons as the head coach at Oklahoma State, and the six years prior to that as an associate head coach for the Cowgirls. He compiled a 204-140 record in his 11 seasons as head coach of the Cowgirls. Littell was a two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (2016, 2021), while leading Oklahoma State to six NCAA Tournament appearances, a WNIT title and seven Cowgirls achieved All-America status under his guidance. Adams and Littell are no strangers, however. It was at Oxford High School where Adams and Littell first met. Adams was on the basketball team at Oxford where she played for Littell, and the two have maintained a close friendship throughout the years. Littell was the head coach at Oxford High School from 1978-83, before building a powerhouse at Seward County Community College from 1991-2004.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
For the sixth season in a row, the Shocker basketball team will feature several players from international countries. The 2022-23 Shockers feature eight student-athletes from international countries, which is the most in school history. Jane Asinde (Kampala, Uganda), Carla Budane (Maputo, Mozambique), Nhug Bosch Duran (Barcelona, Spain) and Tatiana Platonova (Moscow, Russia) return after a season in the program. They are joined by newcomers: Daniela Abies (Málaga, Spain), Ambah Kowcun (Adelaide, Australia), Ornella Niankan (Montreal, Canada) and Raissa Nsabua (Ottawa, Canada). In the 12 seasons prior to Keitha Adams taking over the program, Wichita State had one international player (Marija Pacar). Under Adams, 20 international players have played for the Shockers in just six seasons, representing 13 different countries. Associate Head Coach Ewa Laskowska leads the charge in international recruiting thanks to Stalowa Wola, Poland, being her hometown.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 1-0 on the season
... make them 1-0 at home this season
... move them to 4-1 all-time vs. Alcorn State
... be their fourth straight win against the Lady Braves
... bring Keitha Adams' record to 63-78 at Wichita State
... make Adams 347-287 at the Division I level
... run Adams' career coaching record to 474-324
... make them 387-248 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... make Wichita State 633-726 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... make them 0-1 this the season
... drop them to 0-1 at home this season
... make them 3-2 all-time vs. Alcorn State
... snap a three-game win streak vs. the Lady Braves
... bring Keitha Adams' record to 62-78 at Wichita State
... make Adams 347-288 at the Division I level
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 473-325
... make them 386-249 all-time in Charles Koch Arena
... make Wichita State 632-727 all-time

UP NEXT
Wichita State hits the road for its next two games, beginning with a trip to Omaha on Saturday to face the Mavericks at 2 p.m.