ORAL ROBERTS (6-4) at WICHITA STATE (4-7)
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023 | 6 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena 
TV: ESPN+ with Shane Dennis and Denning Gerig
Radio: GoShockers.com/Listen with Steve Strain  OPENING TIPS
> Wichita State returns home for its final non-conference game, taking on Oral Roberts at 6 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.
> The teams meet for the 24^th time with the Golden Eagles leading the series 12-11 dating back to 1977.
>  Tre'Zure Jobe is averaging 12.4 points per through 11 games, leading the team in scoring.
> Jobe has started all 122 games of her collegiate career, including her five years at Emporia State.
> Jobe is ranked 117^th in the nation, fifth in the conference in steals with 22 and 146^th in the nation, fifth in the conference in steals per game with 2.0.
> Daniela Abies is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game with one double-double (18 pts, 11 reb) against Akron.
> Jeniah Thompson is also recording 5.4 rebounds per game with a career-high 15 against Saint Louis.
> Abies averages 11.6 points per game and has finished in double figures in seven of 11 games with three 18-point (career high) games.
> Abies ranks 27^th in the nation and second in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3.8).
> Wichita State ranks in the top 100 nationally in the following categories: No. 42 in free throw attempts per game (21.1), No. 78 in offensive rebounds per game (13.8), No. 80 in three-point percentage defense (27.7), No. 82 in bench points per game (24.1), and No. 96 in turnovers forced per game (18.3).
> The Shockers are ranked second in the American Athletic Conference in free throw attempts per game.
> 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 four 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 three games, most recently tying Abies with 18 points against Missouri State.
> Blow claimed the American Athletic Conference's third Freshman of the Week award on Nov. 27 following her 19 points in the win over Omaha and career-high 20 points against Dayton, leading the team in scoring in both contests.
> 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 12.4 ppg, Abies 11.6 ppg, Blow 10.3 ppg).
> DJ McCarty is 122 points away from 1,000 career points.
> Morrow is 15 blocks away from 100 career blocks.

SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS
> Led by second-year head coach Kelsi Musick (15^th year overall), Oral Roberts (6-4) is coming off a 102-59 loss at No. 12 Kansas State.
> The Golden Eagles' four losses have all come on the road, having won just one road contest against UTRGV on Nov. 22.
> Three of their four losses came from teams which are now ranked in the top 25 (No. 5 5 Texas, No. 12 Kansas State, No. 25 TCU).
> Both the Shockers and the Golden Eagles suffered losses to Oklahoma (RV), with Wichita State dropping its season opener, 92-68, and Oral Roberts falling 103-74 to the Sooners six days later.
> Five Golden Eagles are averaging double-digit scoring with Taleyah Jones leading the team with 16.1 points per game, followed by Jalei Oglesby with 14.2 points per game, Ruthie Udoumoh with 12.4, and Emily Robinson with 10.8. Udouhmoh is also the team's leading rebounder, averaging 8.9 per game.
> Oral Roberts was picked fifth of nine teams in the Summit League preseason poll and currently sit in second at 6-4.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. ORAL ROBERTS
> Wichita State and Oral Roberts have met 23 times dating back to Dec. 3, 1977.
> The Shockers won the last two meetings with the Golden Eagles, most recently beating them on the road, 89-67, last November.
> Oral Roberts last beat the Shockers on Nov. 11, 2019 in Tulsa.
 
LAST MEETING
> DJ McCarty racked up a career-high 23 points as four Shockers finished in double figures.
>  Jane Asinde posted a double-double (12 pts, 10 reb) in her season debut.
>  The Shockers dominated the paint, scoring 66 of their 87 points inside and out-rebounded the Golden Eagles 49-27.
Wichita State shot 50.7 percent from the field, holding Oral Roberts to 36.7 percent, and scored 29 points off 19 Golden Eagle turnovers.

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 third-consecutive game, falling 72-65 at Missouri State.
> Daniela Abies tied her career high and tied with Salese Blow for a team-high 18 points. Abies also led the team in rebounding with six.
> Wichita State scored its most first-half points since its Nov. 20 win over Omaha and second-most all season, claiming a 39-33 lead at halftime.
> The Shockers forced 15 first-half turnovers and capitalized with 22 points off turnovers.
> The Bears flipped the script in the second half, causing 13 Shocker turnovers and scoring 16 points off those turnovers.
> The Shockers' third-quarter struggles continued as they recorded their lowest-scoring period in the third quarter for the seventh time this season with just nine points.
> The Shockers shot 8-for-23 (.348) in the second half compared to 17-for-25 (.680) in the first half and committed 25 total turnovers.
> The Bears out-rebounded Wichita State 32-21, the Shockers' worst rebounding margin since their Nov. 25 loss to Dayton.
> The Shockers shot 52.1 percent from the field, their second-highest field goal percentage of the season.
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 5-7 on the season
... make them 4-3 at home
... tied them at 12-12 all-time against Oral Roberts
... bring Terry Nooner's record to 5-7 at Wichita State
... make Wichita State 655-747 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 4-8 on the season
... make them 3-4 at home
... drop their record to 11-13 all-time against ORU
... bring Terry Nooner's record to 4-8 at Wichita State
... make Wichita State 654-748 all-time

UP NEXT
Wichita State has a 10-day break before opening conference play at home against Tulane (5-4) on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.