The RoundHouse | 12/28/2024 7:11:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Wichita State practiced with a good vibe on Friday, two days before American Athletic Conference play begins. That is when things get serious.
 
Coach Terry Nooner joked with his players when they made left-handed layups and complained of minor aches. He complimented a new hairstyle for Salese Blow. The Shockers ended practice by making their target score in the full-court layup drill. After practice, they circled up and held hands.
 
Nooner talked about big goals for AAC play. Conference play means, he said, means there is no time for excuses. The Shockers (6-7) play North Texas (8-4), which shared last season's AAC title, at 1 p.m. Sunday at Koch Arena.
 
"We have a lot to prove, being picked 12^th," guard Taylor Jameson said.
 
The good vibes come from a solid December performance during which Nooner changed the team's offense and defense. WSU is 4-2 in December, a stretch highlighted by a win over previously unbeaten Western Kentucky.
 
The Shockers also made strides in their 70-60 loss at Kansas. They led the Jayhawks early in the fourth quarter and trailed 61-58 with 2:30 to play. In the early stages of revamping the defense, WSU held KU to 34.9 percent shooting.
 
 

Defense->Offense pic.twitter.com/2wWkW3xoHD

— Wichita State Women's Basketball (@GoShockersWBB) December 18, 2024

 
 
"That gave us a lot of confidence," center Ella Anciaux said. "That was one of the best games we've played in term of executing our game-plan and coming together as a team. It showed us what we're capable of."
 
The Shockers dialed back their aggressive on defense in favor of a switching defense that builds a wall around the basket. They held four of their December opponents under 35 percent shooting and one (Oral Robert) broke 45 percent.
 
"It plays to our strengths because we have a lot of versatile players," Jameson said.
 
The switch, Nooner said, also helped the Shockers outrebound five of their past six opponents.
 
In turn, those improvements helped WSU's offense by giving them more transition chances. Nooner reduced the set plays in favor of more motion and screening.
 
"It does get everyone involved," Jameson said. "It's very unpredictable. People are able to get downhill drives off the dribble and get a lot of face-up action with our post players."
 
WSU shot 40 percent or better in all six December games to raise its season percentage to 40.8. A tough schedule in November – including losses to Oklahoma, Creighton, and Missouri – helped convince Nooner to make changes. The set-heavy approached allowed opponents to lock in defensively on WSU's plays.
 
"Now everybody is getting a chance – on any given possession you might touch the ball," he said. "It's involved everybody a little bit more."
 
Blow and forward Jayla Murray fit well into the new approach. Blow averages 15.5 points over past four games on 48-percent shooting. Murray averages 13.8 points over six games in December and is shooting 58 percent.
 
"Jayla – her hot spots are in the high post area, so she can play in all those areas," Nooner said. "Most of our set plays can be for those two young ladies, but the fact we can get them the ball in different areas and they're able to score without people locking into what the actual set is all the time, I think that's helped us."
 
Newcomer Princess Anderson is also thriving in recent games with high point totals of 17 points against Prairie View A&M and 16 against Kansas. Anderson, a guard from Colby Community College, scored in double figures in five of six December games. Over the past six games, she averages 11.8 points.
 
 

🎥 Highlights from Sunday's win over LMU! pic.twitter.com/dgBs7QHzNI

— Wichita State Women's Basketball (@GoShockersWBB) December 17, 2024

 
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.