[9] Wichita State (14-15, 5-11)Â vs. [8] Tulsa (15-9, 5-8)
Monday, March 7, 2022 | 1:00 PM CT | Dickies Arena
ESPN+Â | KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AMÂ | TheAmerican.org
WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State opens the American Athletic Conference Championship vs. No. 8 seed Tulsa in the first round Monday at 1 p.m. CT in Dickies Arena.
ON THE AIR
Monday's game can be heard on the radio at KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AMÂ with Steve Strain calling the action. Strain is in his eighth 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 closed the regular season in dramatic fashion, defeating Tulane in overtime, 84-83. The Shockers snapped Tulane's nine-game win streak on Senior Night in Charles Koch Arena. Wichita State's four seniors combined for 61 of the team's 84 points.
Asia Strong poured in a season-high 22 points, marking her first 20-point game of the season.
Mariah McCully registered her first career double-double with 19 points and 10 assists. She also added five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Carla Bremaud knocked down four three-pointers on the way to a season-high 14 points.
Trajata Colbert added her second straight double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Under first-year head coach Angie Nelp, Tulsa enters the American Athletic Conference Championship as the No. 8 seed after going 5-8 in league play and 15-9 overall. Tulsa has a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging double figures. Wyvette Mayberry and Maya Mayberry lead the team in scoring at 13.8 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. The sisters are also lethal from three-point range, as they both shoot better than 38 percent. Temira Poindexter ranks second in the league in blocked shots per game to go with 11.6 points. Rebecca Lescay adds 10.1 points, while dishing out 87 assists. As a team Tulsa leads the AAC in fewest turnovers, 3FGM, 3-point percentage and field goal percentage.
THE SERIES VS. TULSA
Wichita State and Tulsa have met 27 times, dating all the way back to the first meeting on March 2, 1978. The Shockers have dominated the all-time series, winning 21 of the 27 meetings. Tulsa swept the regular season series vs. Wichita State, marking the first time Tulsa has won consecutive games in the series. This is the second straight year Wichita State and Tulsa will face off in the first round.
LAST MEETING
Just eight days ago, Wichita State and Tulsa met in Tulsa, Okla., where the Golden Hurricane defeated the Shockers 61-49 on Feb. 27. It was Wichita State's final regular season road game. Wichita State forced only five turnovers and recorded a season-low two steals. Tulsa connected on 8-of-30 attempts from beyond the arc. Tulsa won despite being outrebounded 44-28.
Trajata Colbert was the lone Shocker in double figures with 19 points and 13 rebounds. It was the first of two straight double-doubles.
TOURNAMENT TIME
Wichita State is set to make its fifth appearance at the Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Championship. The Shockers are the No. 9 seed in the 2022 Championship after earning the No. 6 seed in their inaugural season in 2018, No. 10 seed in 2019, No. 7 seed in 2020 and No. 9 seed in 2021. This is the second straight year Wichita State and Tulsa will meet in the first round as the 8/9 seeds.
WANTED FOR THEFT
Wichita State senior guard
Mariah McCully has been pest on defense for opposing offenses through 28 games this season. McCully had her streak of 14 straight games with a steal snapped vs. UCF, but has swiped at least one in 25 of the 28 games she's played. She's had multiple in 17 of the 28. Her 54 steals easily lead the team and rank sixth in the American Athletic Conference. Her 1.93 steals per game also rank sixth in the conference. During her first season at Wichita State (2019-20), McCully had a career-long 19-game streak with a steal, including a career-high seven at Tulane on Feb. 16, 2020.
SENIOR NIGHT TO REMEMBER
In her final home game, senior
Mariah McCully recorded the first double-double of her career with 19 points and 10 assists. It was the first point-assist double-double by a Shocker since Marisah Henderson
had 16 points and 10 assists on Feb. 27, 2009. McCully also added five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the win over Tulane.
BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Junior
Trajata Colbert has posted consecutive games with a double-double for the first time in her career. Colbert finished the regular season with a season-high 19 points and 13 rebounds at Tulsa on Feb. 27 and followed that with a 10-point, 11-rebound performance in final home game vs. Tulane on March 2.
SAVED HER BEST FOR LAST
Senior
Carla Bremaud has had an up-and-down final season for Wichita State, but she left it all out there in her final home game. Bremaud set season highs in three-pointers made (4) and points (14). It was just the second time this season she has reached double figures in the scoring column.
THESE GUYS AGAIN?
Wichita State and Tulsa will meet in the first round of the Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Championship for the second straight year. Last season the two teams finished the regular season at Tulsa against one another on March 2, 2021. Just six days later they met again in Fort Worth. This season Wichita State just played at Tulsa on Feb. 27. Now, eight days later they will square off in Dickies Arena yet again.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING Â Â Â
Wichita State is ranked in the top 100 nationally in 10 categories after the first 29 games. The Shockers rank No. 12 in total rebounds (1,223), No. 20 in offensive rebounds per game (15.1), No. 20 in rebounds per game (42.17), No. 51 in free throw percentage (75.2), No. 61 in three-point field goal defense (28.3), No. 71 in field goal percentage defense (37.5), No. 73 in blocked shots (111), No. 75 in rebound margin (4.5), No. 79 in steals (252) and No. 92 in blocked shots per game (3.8).
GLASS CLEANERS
Wichita State is off to an impressive start rebounding the basketball through its first 29 games. The Shockers have outrebounded all but 10 teams and currently average 42.2 rebounds a game, which ranks 20th nationally. Their 1223 total rebounds rank 12th in the NCAA. Wichita State ranks 20th in offensive rebounds per game and 75th in rebound margin. As it stands now, Four different Shockers pull down at least 5.4 boards per game, led by
Jane Asinde at 8.3.
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 15-15 on the season
... advance them to the quarterfinals
... make them 1-0 on a neutral court this season
... move them to 22-6 all-time vs. Tulsa
... snap Tulsa's two-game win streak in the series
... bring
Keitha Adams' record to 63-77 at Wichita State
... make Adams 347-286 at the Division I level
... run Adams' career coaching record to 474-323
... make Wichita State 633-725 all-time
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... make them 14-16 this the season
... end their season
... drop them to 0-1 on a neutral court this season
... make them 21-7 all-time vs. Tulsa
... be their third straight loss to Tulsa
... bring
Keitha Adams' record to 62-78 at Wichita State
... make Adams 346-287 at the Division I level
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 473-324
... make Wichita State 632-726 all-time
