WICHITA STATE (6-12, 2-4 AAC) at TULSA (13-5, 3-2 AAC)
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024 | 2 p.m. CT
Tulsa, Okla. | Reynolds Center
TV: ESPN+ with Josh Haley and Michelle Montaine
Radio: Audacy.com/KFH with Steve Strain  OPENING TIPS
> Wichita State is in search of its first true road win at Tulsa Saturday in the Reynolds Center.
> The teams meet for the 31^st time with Wichita State leading the series 22-8.
> Three Shockers are averaging double-digit scoring with Jobe leading the team with 12.1 points per game, Daniela Abies averaging 11.8, and Salese Blow averaging 10.9.
> Tre'Zure Jobe was named AAC Player of the Week on Jan. 1 following her 21 points, 8 assists and 2 steals against Tulane and went on to record her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds at Rice.
> Abies is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game with three double-doubles (18 pts, 11 reb against Akron, 12 pts, 12 reb at UTSA, 18 pts, 16 reb against Memphis).
> Abies has finished in double figures in 11 of 18 games with four 18-point games and a career-high 19 against Oral Roberts.
> Wichita State ranks in the top 100 nationally in the following categories: No. 22 in three-point percentage defense (25.5), No. 49 in free throw attempts per game (20.0), No. 79 in bench points per game (22.7), and No. 91 in offensive rebounds per game (13.0).
> The Shockers are ranked third in the American Athletic Conference in three-point percentage defense and bench points per game.
> The Shockers have yet to win on the road this season.
> Senior transfer from Miami (OH) Sierra Morrow made her long-awaited Shocker debut against Kansas after her NCAA transfer waiver was finally approved just before the court decision. She tied for a team-high 12 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds off the bench. In her third game of the season, she scored a career-high 29 points against Oral Roberts to land herself on the AAC Weekly Honor Roll.
> 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 eight times with a career-high 23 points at North Texas. She has started the last six games and has led the team in scoring five times this season.
> Blow claimed the American Athletic Conference 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.
> DJ McCarty is 119 points away from 1,000 career points.
> Morrow is six blocks away from 100 career blocks.

SCOUTING TULSA
> Led by third-year head coach Angie Nelp, the Golden Hurricane (13-5, 3-2 AAC) are coming off an 81-72 win at Florida Atlantic.
> Tulsa is 6-1 at home this season with their one home loss coming against Temple, who also beat the Shockers at home.
> The Golden Hurricane's other two conference wins were over Memphis and Tulane, the two teams Wichita State has also beaten in conference play.
> Two Tulsa players are averaging double-digit scoring with Temira Poindexter leading the team with 19.4 points per game and Delanie Crawford averaging 18.1 points per game.
> Hadley Periman leads the team in rebounding with 7.3 per game.
> Crawford and Poindexter have each been named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week one time this season, with Crawford landing on the Honor Roll three more times and Poindexter once.
> The Golden Hurricane lead the conference and are ranked 17^th in three-point attempts per game with 26.2. They also lead the conference and rank 23^rd in the nation in defensive rebounds per game with 29.6.
> Tulsa averages 8.2 three pointers per game, the second best in the conference and holds its opponents to 36.4 percent from the field.
> Tulsa was picked seventh of 14 teams in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll and currently sits in sixth.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. TULSA
> The teams meet for the 31^st time with Wichita State leading the series 22-8.
> This is the 15th time the teams will face off at Tulsa. The Shockers have won 10 of the 14 meetings.
> Prior to the Shockers' 84-68 home win last February, the Golden Hurricane had won the last four-straight.
 
LAST MEETING
> Wichita State's low-post presence of Jane Asinde and Trajata Colbert powered the Shockers, both with double-doubles, to an 84-68 win over Tulsa on Feb. 15, 2023 in Charles Koch Arena.
> Colbert added her fifth straight double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. She was 8-for-13 from the field and 5-for-5 at the free throw line. DJ McCarty bounced back from a scoreless outing at ECU with 13 points, four assists and four steals. Ambah Kowcun added 10 points off the bench.
> Wichita State shot 45 percent from the field and was 21-of-24 at the free throw line. The Shockers won the rebound battle, 44-28, and forced 15 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
> Four Shockers finished in double figures as Wichita State snapped its four-game losing streak, defeating Memphis, 71-66, Wednesday evening in Charles Koch Arena.
> Sophomore Daniela Abies recorded her third double-double of the season, leading the Shockers (6-12, 2-4 AAC) with 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. She shot 9-for-11 (.818) from the field for the second time this season.
> Tre'Zure Jobe finished the game with 17 points, Jayla Murray tied her career high with 12, and freshman Salese Blow scored 11 for the Shockers.
> The WIchita State defense held Memphis (5-12, 1-5 AAC) to just 24-for-69 (.348) from the field and 3-for-19 (.158) from three.
> The Shockers contained Memphis's Madison Griggs, who averaged 17.3 points per game coming into the night, to just 11 points, and Wichita State won the battle of the boards, 47-35.
> The Shockers dominated the paint, scoring 50 points inside to claim their second American Athletic Conference victory and move up two spots to 11th in the conference standings.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 7-12 on the season
... be their first true road win of the season
... improve their record to 23-8 all-time against Tulsa
... bring Terry Nooner's record to 7-12 at Wichita State
... make Wichita State 657-752 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 6-13 on the season
... make them 0-7 on the road
... drop their record to 22-9 all-time against Tulsa
... bring Terry Nooner's record to 6-13 at Wichita State
... make Wichita State 656-753 all-time

UP NEXT
Wichita State returns home to take on UAB Thursday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.