WICHITA STATE (6-6) at ORAL ROBERTS (8-3)
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 | 2:00 p.m.
Tulsa, Okla. | Mabee Center
TV: Summit League Network
Radio: Audacy.com/KFH with Pat Strathman 
 
OPENING TIPS
Wichita State heads to Tulsa, Okla., looking to extend its three-game winning streak.
The two programs meet for the 25^th time in program history with Oral Roberts leading the series 13-11 and winning eight of 12 in Tulsa.
The Shockers won three-straight games for the first time in the Terry Nooner era, beating Prairie View A&M, LMU and CSU Bakersfield.
Wichita State has entered year two of the Terry Nooner era, and the Shockers return their leading scorer from conference play, sophomore Salese Blow. With nine newcomers on the team, the Shockers return just 37.6 percent of their scoring.
Blow has led the Shockers in scoring in five games and recorded her first 20-plus point game of the season with 23 against CSUB. That makes six career 20-point performances for the sophomore.
Redshirt-junior Jayla Murray has led the Shockers in scoring four times with one double-double. She has finished in double figures six times and was named to the American Athletic Conference weekly honorable mention player of the week least after her performance in the win over LMU. In the win over CSUB, she put up a career-high 19 points.
George Mason transfer and Wichita native Taylor Jameson came home for her final season of collegiate basketball and is making a splash early in the season. She finished in double figures in each of the first five games and again versus Kansas, WKU and CSUB. Jameson has led the Shockers in scoring three times and assists six times.
Junior Princess Anderson has been a spark plug off the bench for the Shockers, leading the team in scoring with 17 and 16 points against Prairie View A&M and Kansas. She has finished in double figures five times.
Wichita State ranks second in the American Athletic Conference in bench points per game with 23.5 and third in the conference and 63^rd in the NCAA in rebounds per game with 40.8.
Murray ranks second in the AAC in field goal percentage (55.3 percent).
Jameson ranks fifth in the AAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.687 and eighth in assists per game (3.3).
Aicha Ndour ranks 13^th in the AAC in blocks per game with 0.9.
All six wins this season have come when the Shockers outrebounded their opponent and led after the first half.
All but one win in the Terry Nooner era have come when holding opponents to less than 70 points, including all six wins this season.
 
STREAKS
Wichita State has outrebounded its opponents in each of the last five games.
Taylor Jameson has hit at least one three pointer in each of the last six games.
Jayla Murray and Salese Blow have both finished in double figures in three-straight games.
Ornella Niankan has recorded five or more rebounds in each of the last three games.
Nooner has set the same starting lineup in the last five games.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State put up 100 points in its third-consecutive victory, defeating CSU Bakersfield 100-69 Wednesday afternoon in the Icardo Center.
 
The Shockers finished in triple figures for the first time since its 105-38 win over South Carolina State in December 2022. The 31-point victory is the largest margin of victory for the Shockers in the Terry Nooner era and evens the Shockers' record to 6-6.
 
Sophomore Salese Blow led the Shockers with her first 20-plus point performance of the season and sixth in her career, scoring 23 points. She was 8-for-11 from the field, including 3-for-6 from behind the arc, and she was 100 percent (4-for-4) from the free throw line.
 
Redshirt-junior Jayla Murray put up a career-high 19 points with six rebounds and two assists, and Junior Princess Anderson and senior Taylor Jameson also finished in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Senior Ella Anciaux led the team in rebounding for the third time this season, tying for a game-high seven boards.
 
Wichita State recorded its best shooting percentages of the season, shooting 39-for-71 from the field (54.9 percent) and 7-for17 from three (41.2 percent). The Shockers had their second-best game from the free throw line, making 15 of 18 (83.3 percent).
 
WSU outrebounded the Roadrunners 46-22 and led for 89.5 percent of the game, leading by as many as 33 points.
 
The Roadrunners hit a three to open the game and led two more times throughout the first quarter, but the Shockers finished the first quarter on a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead. Blow shot 100 percent in the quarter to contribute nine points.
 
Blow finished the first half in double figures with 11 points, and Anderson and Murray each had nine in the first half. Jameson hit two first half threes, her seventh game with multiple threes this season, as the Shockers took a 14-point lead at halftime.
 
Wichita State shot 100 percent through the first six minutes of the third quarter to increase its lead to 20, and three Shockers were in double figures before the final period. (Blow, Jameson, Murray).
 
The Shockers' 28 points in the third quarter were the most in a quarter this season.
 
Wichita State out-scored the Roadrunners 23-14 in the fourth quarter to hand CSUB its 11-straight loss this season. All 11 Shockers who were suited up entered the game and scored.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Led by 16^th-year (third at ORU) head coach Kelsi Musick, Oral Roberts is coming off a 76-63 win over Missouri, its second win over an SEC opponent this season after defeating Arkansas 94-73 on Nov. 21. The Golden Eagles also took down reigning AAC regular season champion Tulsa 67-56 on Nov. 17.  ORU is averaging 80.3 points per game with five players averaging double figures. Junior guard Jalei Oglesby leads the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game, junior guard Taleyah Jones is averaging 15.0, senior forward Ruthie Udoumoh is averaging 13.5, senior forward Makyra Tramble is averaging 12.1, and sophomore forward is averaging 10.1 points per game. Oglesby leads the Summit League in field goal percentage (59.5 percent) and Udoumoh ranks fourth (55.0 percent) Udoumoh is the team's leading rebounder with 8.9 per game, leading the Summit League. Tramble ranks second in the conference in three pointers per game with 2.3. ORU leads the Summit League in assists per game (15.7), rebounds per game (40.7), and turnover margin (3.0). The Golden Eagles were picked second of nine teams in the Summit League Conference Preseason Poll behind South Dakota State, who is receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls.
 
SERIES VS. ORU
The two teams meet for the 25^th time in program history with ORU leading the series 13-11 with an 8-4 advantage on its home court.
 
LAST MEETING
Wichita State met Oral Roberts in its non-conference finale a season ago in Charles Koch Arena, where the Shockers dropped a heartbreaker to ORU 76-64. Sierra Morrow scored a career-high 29 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc, including a game-tying three pointer with 17 seconds left in the game. The senior transfer from Miami (OH) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and blocked two shots in her third game with the Shockers after sitting the first nine games while awaiting the NCAA's decision on her transfer waiver. Daniela Abies also recorded a career high for the Shockers, scoring 19 points, her fourth time with 18-plus points this season, shooting 8-for-11. The first half was closely contested as the Golden Eagles went into halftime with just a one-point lead. Morrow and Abies combined for 23 of the Shockers' 34 first-half points, scoring all 17 of Wichita State's first-quarter points. The Shockers had emphasized their third quarter performance during practices leading up to the game after their third quarter had been their lowest-scoring period in seven games, and Wichita State made the third quarter its best quarter, outscoring the Golden Eagles 22-10. Wichita State led by as many as 14 points before Oral Roberts went on a 16-2 run in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 63-63. The Shockers committed five turnovers in the fourth quarter, and the Golden Eagles capitalized on all five, scoring 10 points off turnovers. Oral Roberts took its first lead since halftime, going up four with a little over a minute left in regulation. Morrow scored eight points for the Shockers, hitting a pair of free throws and two three pointers off an inbound to tie the game at 74-74 with 17 seconds left, but Oral Roberts' Meghan Weinrich powered through the Shocker defense, making what would become the game-winning driving layup with 4 seconds left.
 
LEADING LADIES
Through 12 games, Jayla Murray leads the Shockers in scoring with 11.7 points per game. Salese Blow and Taylor Jameson are also averaging double figures with 11.5 and 10.0 per game, respectively. Bre'Yon White is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.3 rebounds per game, and Murray is averaging 5.5 boards per game.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Entering the season, no Shockers on the roster had ever recorded a Division I double-double. Jayla Murray and Bre'Yon White have each logged their firsts, Murray's in the season opener and White's in the win over WKU.
 
NOT SO NEW-COMERS
Between the nine new additions to the 2024-25 Wichita State roster, they combine for 20 years of collegiate basketball experience. Nooner brought in three Division I transfers: Taylor Jameson from George Mason, Aicha Ndour from Illinois and Bre'Yon White from TCU.
 
Princess Anderson (Pratt CC), Kyleigh Ortiz (Coffeyville CC), Jasmine Peaks (Indian River State), and Maimouna Sissoko (Cloud County CC) all transferred from junior colleges, joining Jayla Murray (Florida SouthWestern State) and Ornella Niankan (Odessa College) to make six Shockers who began their careers in the NJCAA.
 
#BREMODE
Junior Bre'Yon White recorded her first career double-double in the win over Western Kentucky and has led the Shockers in rebounding six times. She has finished in double figures twice this season, her first time in double figures in her career.
 
T-TIME
Wichita native Taylor Jameson was named to the AAC weekly Honorable Mention list on Nov. 18 after averaging 17 points, 6.5 assists and 4 steals in two games. She has led the Shockers in scoring three times and assists six times and has finished in double figures eight times. Jameson has hit at least one three pointer in each of the last six games and has hit three three pointers in four games.
 
BOBO DA SHOW
Salese Blow, nicknamed BoBo by her mom when Salese couldn't pronounce the L in her last name as a kid, enters her sophomore season after claiming three American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week awards in 2023-24. As a freshman, she increased her scoring from non-conference to conference play, leading the Shockers in points per game against AAC opponents with 13.5. She recorded 21 double-figure scoring games with five 20+ point performances. She has finished in double figures seven times this season with one 20+ point game, leading the team in scoring five times.
 
MURRAY ON THE RISE
Redshirt-junior Jayla Murray is back and better than ever after a summer spent in the gym and improving her nutrition. Further removed from her ACL injury, Murray, who averaged 7.1 points per game a season ago, is playing with more confidence. She has led the Shockers in scoring four times) and recorded her first career double-double in the home opener against Oklahoma Christian.
 
P3
Princess Anderson had a breakout game in the win over Prairie View A&M, scoring a Division I career-high 17 points, recording four steals and grabbing five rebounds. She was also a spark plug for the Shockers against Belmont, hitting three three pointers and finishing with 12 points. She led the Shockers again at Kansas with 16 points off the bench. She averaged 26.7 points per game as a sophomore at Pratt CC, leading the NJCAA in scoring.
 
NEW HEIGHTS
Senior transfer from Illinois, Aicha Ndour, is the tallest player in Wichita State history at 6-6.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
The Shockers' roster features international athletes from five different countries, including Canada (Ornella Niankan), France (Fiona Diomande), Mali (Maimouna Sissoko), Mozambique (Carla Budane), and Senegal (Aicha Ndour).
 
SUMMER WELL SPENT
The Shockers embarked on a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands from July 28-August 2, where they played two games against Canadian team, Regina. The trip allowed the team to bond and experience a different culture, growing as a unit on and off the court. Wichita State won the first game 81-76 and the second game 69-60.