WICHITA STATE (4-6) at MISSOURI STATE (3-3)
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 | 1 p.m. CT
Springfield, Mo. | Great Southern Bank Arena 
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Audacy.com/KFH with Steve Strain  OPENING TIPS
> Wichita State hits the road for the first time since Nov. 25 as they take on Missouri State Saturday, Dec. 16 in Springfield, Mo.
> The teams meet for the 89^th time with the Bears leading the series 51-37 dating back to 1976.
>  Tre'Zure Jobe is averaging 12.9 points per through the first 10 games, leading the team in scoring.
> Jobe has started all 121 games of her collegiate career, including her five years at Emporia State.
> Jobe is ranked 79^th in the nation and fourth in the conference in steals with 22.
> Daniela Abies is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 7.0 rebounds per game with one double-double (18 pts, 11 reb) against Akron.
> Jeniah Thompson is also recording 5.6 rebounds per game with a career-high 15 against Saint Louis.
> Abies averages 11 points per game and has finished in double figures in six of 10 games.
> Abies ranks 22^nd in the nation and second in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (4.0).
> Wichita State ranks in the top 100 nationally in the following categories: No. 38 in free throw attempts per game (21.6), No. 55 in offensive rebounds per game (14.6), No. 59 in three-point percentage defense (26.7), No. 77 in free throws made per game (14.6), and No. 85 in bench points per game (24.1).
> The Shockers are ranked second in the American Athletic Conference in free throw attempts per game and fourth in three-point percentage defense.
> First-year head coach Terry Nooner has only one returning starter, DJ McCarty.
> Wichita State returns just 34.7 percent of its scoring from a season ago, having lost its top two leading scorers and three other triple-digit point scorers. Trajata Colbert and Curtessia Dean exhausted their eligibility, and three of the top six scorers departed through the transfer portal.
> Wichita State has only two true freshmen on the roster in Salese Blow (Texas) and Sophia Goncalves (California).
> Blow has scored in double figures three times with a career-high 20 points against Dayton and got her first collegiate start at Belmont. She has led the team in scoring in two games.
> Senior transfer from Miami (OH) Sierra Morrow made her long-awaited Shocker debut against Kansas after her NCAA transfer waiver was finally approved. She tied for a team-high 12 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds off the bench.
> Three Shockers are averaging double-digit scoring (Jobe 12.9 ppg, Morrow 12.0 ppg, Abies 11.0 ppg).
> DJ McCarty is 127 points away from 1,000 career points.
> Morrow is 15 blocks away from 100 career blocks.

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE
> Led by second-year head coach Beth Cunningham (11^th year overall), Missouri State (3-3) is coming off an 81-63 loss at Missouri.
> The Bears are undefeated at home this season (2-0) with wins over Southeast Missouri State and AAC opponent Tulane.
> Missouri State lost to Saint Louis, 67-79, in their second game of the season. The Shockers later defeated the Billikens, 78-59.
> Two Bears are averaging double-digit scoring with Indya Green leading the team with 11.8 points per game and Lacy Stokes averaging 10 points per game. Green is also the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.7 per game.
> Stokes, a Missouri Southern State transfer who had 13 points and 8 rebounds in the exhibition game against Wichita State, leads the team in steals (1.8) and assists (4) per game.
> The Bears were picked sixth of 12 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll and currently sit in eighth.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MISSOURI STATE
> Missouri State leads the all-time series 51-37, most recently defeating the Shockers 68-55 on Dec. 4, 2019 in Springfield.
> Wichita State and Missouri State have met 88 times dating back to Nov. 26, 1976. The Shockers and Bears squared off every year from 1976-2017.
> The Shockers have dropped six of the last eight games against the Bears and haven't beaten them in Springfield since 2015.
> Wichita State last beat Missouri State on Nov. 10, 2018 in an overtime thriller that saw the Shockers outlast the Bears, 63-60.
 
LAST MEETING
> DJ McCarty made her fifth-straight start as a freshman, scoring eight points as the Shockers fell to No. 18 Missouri State on Dec. 4, 2019, ending its four-game win streak.
>  Maya Brewer and Mariah McCully posted career highs of 14 and 13 points, respectively.
>  Missouri State out-scored the Shockers 23-15 in the fourth quarter to pull away and win 68-55.

NON-CONFERENCE NOTABLES
> Wichita State faced three first-time foes in the non-conference docket, Presbyterian, Belmont and Dayton.
> The Shockers opened their season against No. 23 Oklahoma.
> Belmont (MVC) and Southeastern Louisiana (Southland) were picked to win their respective leagues.
> The Shockers' played two games against teams that finished inside the Top 50 of last year's NCAA NET Rankings (Kansas – 30 and Oklahoma – 38).

LAST TIME OUT
> Wichita State dropped its second-straight home game, falling 76-56 to in-state foe Kansas.
> The Shockers held their own in three of four quarters against Kansas, as the Jayhawks went on a run in the third quarter to lead by as many as 22 points.
> Despite the Shockers shooting their second-best three-point (.333) and free throw (.722) percentages of the year, the offense still struggled to find its stride, scoring just 11 points in the third quarter.
> Aniya Bell entered the game partway through the third quarter and shot 3-for-4 from behind the arc to tie with Morrow for a team-high and career-high 12 points, hitting back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter to spark a 7-0 run for the Shockers.
> Jayla Murray put up nine points for the Shockers as she made her return to the court after taking an elbow to the nose in the Dec. 1 win over Saint Louis.
> The Shockers grabbed 19 offensive rebounds on their way to out-rebounding their opponent for the third-straight game (37-27) but only scored nine points on those second chances.
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 5-6 on the season
... make them 1-2 in true road games this season
... make them 38-51 all-time against Missouri State
... bring Terry Nooner's record to 5-6 at Wichita State
... make Wichita State 655-746 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 4-7 on the season
... make them 0-3 in true road games this season
... make them 37-52 all-time against Missouri State
... bring Terry Nooner's record to 4-7 at Wichita State
... make Wichita State 654-747 all-time

UP NEXT
Wichita State returns home for its final non-conference matchup against Oral Roberts Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.