Wichita State (12-8, 2-5) at Cincinnati (7-12, 0-6)
Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 | 1:00 PM CT | Fifth Third Arena
ESPN+ | KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM | ShockerStats.com

ON THE AIR
Saturday'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 couldn't overcome a season-high 27 turnovers vs. East Carolina last Saturday in Charles Koch Arena, as the Pirates downed the Shockers, 66-57. East Carolina scored 40 of its 66 points off those turnovers. East Carolina also entered the game as the worst three-point shooting team in the league, but went 7-of-20 against the Shockers. Wichita State dominated the glass, outrebounding ECU, 51-22, both of which were season highs. Trajata Colbert notched her third double-double of the season behind 17 points and 10 rebounds and Curtessia Dean recorded her second with 13 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. DJ McCarty added 11 points and Jane Asinde just missed a double-double with 8 points and 11 boards.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Led by fifth year head coach Michelle Clark-Heard, Cincinnati enters Saturday's matchup at 7-12 this season and winless in American play. Despite shooting 32.1 percent from beyond the arc, Cincinnati shoots only 38.6 percent overall. The Bearcats excel at blocking shots, which was evident in the first matchup this season when they blocked 14 shots - a Charles Koch Arena record. Jillian Hayes leads Cincinnati in scoring (13.5), rebounding (8.4), steals (28) and blocks (31). Mya Jackson adds 11.9 points and a team-high 54 assists to lead the backcourt. Malea Williams had seven of the team's 14 blocks in the conference opener at Wichita State.

THE SERIES VS. CINCINNATI
Wichita State and Cincinnati have met eight times prior to Saturday, but the series dates all the way back to the first meeting on Dec. 9, 1983. The Shockers have won the last three games in the series after dropping the first five. Wichita State is on the verge of its first-ever season sweep of the Bearcats and third straight win in Cincinnati. This will be the final regular season meeting between the two programs as members of the American.

LAST MEETING
Wichita State won the first meeting this season against the Bearcats, 61-49, on Dec. 30 in Wichita. The matchup was the conference opener for both teams. Wichita State held Cincinnati to just 30.5 percent shooting and 7-of-22 from beyond the arc. The Bearcats swatted a Charles Koch Arena record 14 shots in the contest. Trajata Colbert dropped a career-high 24 points on the Bearcats and DJ McCarty added 15 points, five assists and four steals.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Wichita State boasts a top 70 defense through the first 20 games of the season. They have held all but eight opponents to less than 38 percent shooting, and only six teams have shot better than 32 percent from three-point range. Wichita State's field goal defense is holding teams to just 37.2 percent, good for 57th nationally. Opponents are connecting on only 28.9 percent of their attempts from long range. Wichita State has held eight opponents under 60 points, including three under 50.

TALENTED TRIO
Jane Asinde, DJ McCarty and Trajata Colbert are forming a potent trio for the Shockers. All three are averaging double figures on the season and combine for 51.0 percent of Wichita State's points on the offensive end. On the glass, they combine to pull down 21.6 rebounds a game. On the defensive end, the trio makes up 62.1 percent (95 steals) of the team's steals this season and 56.5 percent (35 blocks) of the team's blocks.

SEEING DOUBLE
Wichita State senior Jane Asinde is averaging a double-double through 20 games this season at 11.3 points and 10.6 rebounds. The Uganda native is on pace to finish the season with a top 10 single season rebounding mark. Her current 10.6 boards per game would rank as the 8th most in school history. She is also trying to become the first Shocker to average a double-double over the course of a season since Antionette Wells during the 2006-07 season when she posted 13.0 points and 10.4 rebounds.

WANTED FOR THEFT
Junior guard DJ McCarty and senior forward Jane Asinde have been a pest on defense for opposing offenses through 20 games. McCarty has recorded at least one steal in all but three games, and has multiple in 12 of the 20 games. Her 42 steals are the most on the team. Asinde is second on the team with 38 steals and averages 2.11 steals a game and has multiple steals in 11 games this season. They rank 3rd and 8th, respectively, in the American in steals.

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 20 games in 2022-23, she is 60-for-75 (80.0 percent). Colbert ranks fifth in the American in free throw percentage.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Through 20 games Wichita State ranks in the top 70 nationally in the following categories: No. 22 in rebound margin (8.6), No. 40 in rebounds per game (41.25), No. 57 in field goal percentage defense (37.2), No. 59 in defensive rebounds per game (27.7), No. 64 in offensive rebounds per game (13.6) and No. 65 in fouls per game (15.1). Jane Asinde ranks 16th nationally in rebounds per game, No. 26 in total rebounds and No. 26 in defensive rebounds per game.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 13-8 on the season
... make them 3-5 in conference play
... make them 3-5 on the road this season
... move them to 4-5 all-time vs. Cincinnati
... be their fourth straight win vs. the Bearcats
... bring Keitha Adams' record to 75-86 at Wichita State
... make Adams 359-295 at the Division I level
... run Adams' career coaching record to 486-332
... make Wichita State 645-734 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... make them 12-9 this the season
... make them 2-6 in conference play
... drop them to 3-5 on the road this season
... make them 3-6 all-time vs. Cincinnati
... snap a three-game win streak vs. the Bearcats
... bring Keitha Adams' record to 74-87 at Wichita State
... make Adams 358-296 at the Division I level
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 485-333
... make Wichita State 644-735 all-time

UP NEXT
Wichita State heads back out on the road to the City of Brotherly Love where the Shockers face Temple on Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. CT.