Wichita State (7-1) at Saint Louis (3-9)
Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022 | 7:00 PM CT | Chaifetz Arena
ESPN+ | KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM | SLUBillikens.com
 

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ON THE AIR
Thursday's game can be heard on the radio at KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM 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 extended its win streak to six in a row with a 79-61 win over New Orleans on Saturday in Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers set season highs in made three-pointers (8) and three-point percentage (50.0%). Trajata Colbert just missed a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds. Colbert set career highs in free throws made (9) and free throw attempts (12). DJ McCarty scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to go with seven rebounds and five assists. McCarty has scored 10 or more points in three straight games. Ornella Niankan set a new season high with 11 points off the bench. Ambah Kowcun recorded her first career points behind a pair of three-pointers. She finished with eight points.

SCOUTING THE BILLIKENS
Saint Louis enters the matchup at 3-9 on the season, as they come off a loss at Ball State on Monday. The Billikens are one of the nation's top free throw shooting teams at 77.9 percent and boast the nation's top shot blocker in Brooke Flowers. Flowers is tops in the country in blocked shots with 50 through 12 games. She adds 11.6 points and 7.3 rebounds to her shot blocking prowess. Kyla McMakin leads the scoring attack at 17.6 points per game. McMakin leads the nation in field goal attempts, three-point attempts and ranks fifth in total points. Julia Martinez is seventh nationally in steals and Kennedy Calhoun has dished out 54 assists, good for 10th nationally.

THE SERIES VS. SAINT LOUIS
Surprisingly, Wichita State and Saint Louis have never met on the hardwood in women's hoops.

JANE GOT GAME
Wichita State senior Jane Asinde has been unstoppable for the Shockers. The Uganda native has double-doubles in three of the six games she's played in, including back-to-back 20-point double-doubles at the LMU Thanksgiving Classic. Asinde opened the LMU Thanksgiving Classic with a career-high 19 rebounds to go with 20 points against Montana and followed that with a career-high 22 points and 15 rebounds vs. Loyola Marymount. She has double digit rebounds in four of the six games.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Wichita State boasts a top 30 defense through the first eight games of the season. They have held all eight opponents to less than 38 percent shooting, and only two teams have shot better than 30 percent from three-point range. Wichita State's field goal defense is holding teams to just 34.7 percent, good for 30th nationally.

GLASS CLEANERS      
Wichita State is one of the top rebounding teams in the country once again this season. Through eight games Wichita State ranks 18th nationally in rebound margin, 26th in defensive rebounds per game and 39th in total rebounds per game. The Shockers have outrebounded seven of their eight opponents.

GO AHEAD CALL IT A COMEBACK
Wichita State has made a habit out of falling behind recently. The Shockers have trailed by double digits in three straight games and wound up winning them all: 17, North Texas (Nov. 19); 11, Montana (Nov. 25); 13, LMU (Nov. 26). In those three games Wichita State outscored its opponents 125-74 in the second half.

COLBERT CASHING IN      
Trajata Colbert has improved dramatically the last two years at the free throw line. The Georgia native began her career shooting 42.1 percent as a freshman, 61.1 percent as a sophomore and 50.9 percent as a COVID sophomore. In 2021-22 she shot a career-high 76.0 percent and so far through eight games in 2022-23, she is 28-for-33 (84.8 percent).

EXTRA TIME NEEDED
Wichita State needed overtime in two of its first five games of the season. The Shockers fell in overtime at Omaha on Nov. 12, but collected an overtime win vs. Montana on Nov. 25. Wichita State is 4-4 in overtime games under Keitha Adams. Wichita State is 21-24 all-time in overtime games.

HOT START
Wichita State is 7-1 for the second straight season and riding a six-game win streak. The six-game win streak is the longest since 2015 when Wichita State won 12 in a row. A win Thursday at Saint Louis would make them 8-1 for the first time in school history. Last year's team opened 7-1 before suffering its second loss of the season.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Through eight games Wichita State ranks in the top 60 nationally in the following categories: No. 18 in rebound margin (10.9), No. 26 in defensive rebounds per game (30.0), No. 30 in field goal percentage defense (34.7), No. 39 in rebounds per game (43.0), No. 52 in free throw percentage (75.7) and No. 59 in free throws per game. Jane Asinde ranks 6th nationally in defensive rebounds per game, No. 8 in rebounds per game and 38th in double-doubles.

WANTED FOR THEFT
Junior guard DJ McCarty has been a pest on defense for opposing offenses through eight games. McCarty has recorded at least one steal in all eight games, and has multiple in six of the eight games. Her 19 steals are far and away the most on the team and she ranks third in the American Athletic Conference and 82nd nationally. Her 2.38 steals per game also rank third in the American and 91st nationally.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 8-1 on the season
... be their seventh straight win
... make them 3-1 on the road this season
... move them to 1-0 all-time vs. Saint Louis
... bring Keitha Adams' record to 70-79 at Wichita State
... make Adams 354-288 at the Division I level
... run Adams' career coaching record to 481-325
... make Wichita State 640-727 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... make them 7-2 this the season
... snap a six-game win streak
... drop them to 2-2 on the road this season
... make them 0-1 all-time vs. Saint Louis
... bring Keitha Adams' record to 69-80 at Wichita State
... make Adams 353-289 at the Division I level
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 480-326
... make Wichita State 639-728 all-time

UP NEXT
Wichita State closes out its road non-conference schedule with an in-state battle vs. Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m.