Wichita State (11-3, 1-0) at Tulsa (11-3, 1-0)
Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023 | 6:30 PM CT | Donald W. Reynolds Center
ESPN+ | KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM | ShockerStats.com
 

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ON THE AIR
Wednesday'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 won its conference opener for the first time since the 2014-15 season as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Shockers defeated Cincinnati last Friday, 61-49, in Charles Koch Arena. Wichita State was able to take advantage inside despite Cincinnati setting a Charles Koch Arena record with 14 blocked shots. Wichita State outscored Cincinnati in the paint by 16 on a night when the Shockers attempted a season-low four three-pointers. Trajata Colbert led the attack with a career-high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting. DJ McCarty stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Jane Asinde grabbed 15 rebounds and swiped 4 steals to go with 8 points.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Led by second year head coach Angie Nelp, Tulsa enters Wednesday's matchup at 11-3 this season and 1-0 in American play. Tulsa boasts a high-scoring offense, averaging 75.4 points on 43.4 percent shooting. The Golden Hurricane are one of the nation's top teams in three-point shooting, as they rank first nationally in three-point attempts and third in three-pointers made. Tulsa also ranks top 25 nationally in assist-turnover ratio, assists, field goal defense, defensive rebounds per game, blocks per game and three-point defense. Temira Poindexter leads Tulsa in scoring at 15.2 points followed by Maya Mayberry at 12.2 and Delanie Crawford at 11.4 per game.

THE SERIES VS. TULSA
Wichita State and Tulsa have met 28 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 28 meetings. Despite leading the all time series, Wichita State enters the matchup having lost the last three, all in 2022.

LAST MEETING
Tulsa eliminated Wichita State in the first round of the 2022 AAC Championship in an overtime battle, 88-86. Wichita State shot better than 56 percent from the field, but committed 27 turnovers and Tulsa knocked down 12 three-pointers. Asia Strong led five Shockers in double figures with 20 points. Mariah McCully added 17 and Jane Asinde logged a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

HEATING UP
DJ McCarty and Trajata Colbert are heating up on the offensive end. McCarty has scored 10 or more points in three straight games and is averaging 15.3 points over that span - a team high. Colbert is riding a streak of four straight games in double figures, including a career-high 24 in the conference opener vs. Cincinnati on Dec. 30. In her last four games, Colbert is averaging 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds. Together the duo of McCarty and Colbert are combining for 30.5 points in the last four games.

JANE GOT GAME
Wichita State senior Jane Asinde has been unstoppable for the Shockers. The Uganda native has double-doubles in five of the 12 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 also has double digit rebounds in seven of the 12 games.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Wichita State boasts a top 70 defense through the first 14 games of the season. They have held all but three opponents to less than 38 percent shooting, and only five teams have shot better than 30 percent from three-point range. Wichita State's field goal defense is holding teams to just 34.6 percent, good for 18th nationally. Opponents are connecting on only 28.7 percent of their attempts from long range. Wichita State has held seven opponents under 60 points, including back-to-back opponents under 50.

GLASS CLEANERS      
Wichita State is one of the top rebounding teams in the country once again this season. 14 games Wichita State ranks 20th nationally in rebound margin, 26th in defensive rebounds per game and 44th in total rebounds per game. The Shockers have outrebounded 12 of their 14 opponents.

HUGE WIN
In Wichita State's 105-38 win over South Carolina State on Dec. 27, the Shockers broke a 41-year old school record for largest margin of victory. Wichita State won by 67, besting the previous mark of 64 set in 1981 vs. Phillips. It also marked just the second 100-point game of the Keitha Adams era, two points shy of the school record for most points in a game. Wichita State's 28 assists were also the most of the Adams era. Wichita State's field goal percentage of 60.3 was the highest since Feb. 2018 when the Shockers shot a school record 70.0 percent vs. Temple in Charles Koch Arena. Wichita State did set Charles Koch Arena records for points (105), field goals made (38) and assists (28).

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 14 games in 2022-23, she is 51-for-62 (82.3 percent). Colbert ranks second in the American in free throw percentage.

BEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Wichita State's 8-1 record to open the season marked the best start in program history. The Shockers got there behind a seven-game win streak. The seven-game win streak was the longest since 2015 when Wichita State won 12 in a row.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Through 14 games Wichita State ranks in the top 70 nationally in the following categories: No. 18 in field goal percentage defense (34.6), No. 20 in rebound margin (10.1), No. 26 in defensive rebounds per game (29.6), No. 28 in free throws made per game (15.4), No. 40 in fouls per game (14.5), No. 42 in free throw attempts per game (20.9), No. 44 in rebounds per game (42.1) and No. 66 in scoring margin (12.0). Jane Asinde ranks 12th nationally in defensive rebounds per game, No. 13 in rebounds per game, No. 24 in total rebounds and No. 39 in double-doubles.

WANTED FOR THEFT
Junior guard DJ McCarty and senior forward Jane Asinde have been a pest on defense for opposing offenses through 14 games. McCarty has recorded at least one steal in all but two games, and has multiple in eight of the 14 games. Her 28 steals are the most on the team and she ranks 6th in the American Athletic Conference. Asinde averages a team-high 2.2 steals a game and has multiple steals in seven games this season.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 12-3 on the season
... make them 2-0 in conference play
... make them 4-2 on the road this season
... move them to 22-7 all-time vs. Tulsa
... snap a three-game losing streak vs. Tulsa
... bring Keitha Adams' record to 74-81 at Wichita State
... make Adams 358-290 at the Division I level
... run Adams' career coaching record to 485-327
... make Wichita State 644-729 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... make them 11-4 this the season
... make them 1-1 in conference play
... drop them to 3-3 on the road this season
... make them 21-8 all-time vs. Tulsa
... be their fourth straight loss to the Hurricane
... bring Keitha Adams' record to 73-82 at Wichita State
... make Adams 357-291 at the Division I level
... lower Adams' career coaching record to 484-328
... make Wichita State 643-730 all-time

UP NEXT
Wichita State and South Florida meet for the first time this season in a Saturday matchup in Charles Koch Arena on Jan. 7 at 2 p.m.