WICHITA STATE (7-17, 3-9 AAC) at FLORIDA ATLANTIC (14-11, 6-6 AAC)
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 | 6 p.m. CT
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TV: ESPN+ with Leah Secondo and Jim Louk
Radio: Audacy.com/KFH with Steve Strain  OPENING TIPS
> Wichita State seeks its first-ever win over the Bulls in Tampa, going for their second-straight conference road win in the Sunshine State Tuesday, Feb. 13 in the Yuengling Center.
> The teams meet for the 11^th time with South Florida leading the series 7-3. The last time the two teams met, the Shockers knocked the No. 1-seeded Bulls out of the American Athletic Conference tournament in the quarterfinals.
> Three Shockers are averaging double-digit scoring with Daniela Abies leading the team with 12.4 points per game, Tre'Zure Jobe averaging 11.8 and Salese Blow averaging 11.6.
> Abies is also the team's leading rebounder, averaging 8.9 rebounds per game with seven double-doubles (18 pts, 11 reb against Akron, 12 pts, 12 reb at UTSA, 18 pts, 16 reb against Memphis, 17 pts, 10 reb at Tulsa, 23 pts, 10 reb, 19 pts, 14 reb, 15 pts, 15 rebounds).
> Abies has landed on the AAC Honor Roll three times, most recently following her performance in the win at Florida Atlantic (15 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl).
> DJ McCarty is 104 points away from 1,000 career points.
> Morrow surpassed 100 career blocks, leading the team with four at home against Florida Atlantic.
> 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.
> Blow claimed the AAC 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.
> Wichita State ranks in the top 100 nationally in the following categories: No. 45 in three-point percentage defense (27.7), No. 66 in free throw attempts per game (19.2) and No. 75 in offensive rebounds per game (13.0).
> The Shockers are ranked third in the American Athletic Conference in three-point percentage defense.
> Abies leads the conference in rebounding with 214 total rebounds. She ranks 19^th in the nation and third in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3.9).
> 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).
 
DANI DOMINANCE
Daniela Abies has finished with 10-plus rebounds 10 times and has led the team in rebounding in 18 games this season. She has seven career double-doubles, all this season. She scored a career-high 23 points against UAB and recorded a career-high 16 rebounds against Memphis and has led the team in scoring seven times.
 
FRESHIE ON FIRE
Salese Blow has finished in double figures in nine-straight games and in 14 games total. She made her first career start at Belmont in November and then didn't start again until Dec. 30 against Tulane and has started every game since.
 
She put up a career-high 23 points at North Texas, has led the team in scoring eight times and has three 20-plus point games.
 
NATIONAL TRE'ZURE
Jobe had started all 127 games of her collegiate career, including her five years at Emporia State, before coming off the bench against North Texas and Memphis. She made her return to the starting lineup at Tulsa and has continued to start since.
 
She had her best game of the season in the conference opener against Tulane, recording 21 points, 8 assists and 2 steals and being named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week. She recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds at Rice.

SCOUTING THE BULLS
> Led by 24^th-year head coach Jose Fernandez, the Bulls are coming off back-to-back losses to Rice and Temple.
> The Bulls are 9-4 at home with their losses coming from NC State, Charlotte (OT), North Texas and Rice.
> Two Bulls are averaging double-digit scoring with freshman Vittoria Blasigh leading the team with 14.4 points per game and Romi Levy averaging 13.5.
> Blasigh ranks second amonth NCAA freshmen in total three-pointers made with 65.
> Evelien Schipholt Lutje leads the team in rebounding with 8.0 per game, ranking sixth in the conference.
> The Bulls lead the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.74) and turnovers per game (14.1) and rank second in scoring defense (59.7).
> Blasigh leads the conference in three point attempts and ranks second in made three with 65. Aerial Wilson ranks third in the conference in total assists with 108.
> South Florida was picked to win the American Athletic Conference in the preseason poll and currently sits in eighth.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SOUTH FLORIDA
> The teams meet for the 11^th time with South Florida leading the series 7-3.
> Wichita State has never beaten the Bulls in Tampa.
> After winning the first two matchups, the Shockers fell to the Bulls in the next seven meetings before snapping the streak in the 2023 AAC Quarterfinal.
 
LAST MEETING
> Eighth-seeded Wichita State recorded the biggest upset in American Athletic Conference Championship history with its 65-53 upset of top seed South Florida in the 2023 quarterfinals.
> Wichita State advanced to the semifinals of the AAC Championship for the first time in school history with the wire-to-wire upset.
> The No. 1 seed South Florida had been 27-0 all-time in the AAC Championship entering the matchup.
> Jane Asinde scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with eight rebounds. Curtessia Dean poured in 11 of her 14 points after halftime, and they all came at a time when South Florida started to threaten a comeback attempt.
> Shamaryah Duncan (9 points), DJ McCarty (8 points) and Daniela Abies (6 points) all hit big shots at crucial points in the game.
> Wichita State held USF to 19-of-60 from the field (32 percent) and just 4-of-22 from beyond the arc. Wichita State knocked down 6-of-13 attempts from long range and finished at 47 percent overall.

LAST TIME OUT
> Wichita State claimed its first true road win since Jan. 28, 2023, downing Florida Atlantic 67-56 in Boca Raton, Fla.
> The Shockers snapped their five-game losing streak with the win.
> Four Shockers finished in double figures, led by Daniela Abies's seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
> Jayla Murray put up a career-high 15 points, and Salese Blow and Raissa Nsabua finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
> Wichita State forced 18 Owl turnovers and scored 21 points off those turnovers while only committing nine turnovers.
> The Shockers dominated the paint scoring 36, over half, their points inside.
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 8-17 on the season
... make the Shockers 4-7 all-time against South Florida
... be their second-straight road win
... bring Terry Nooner's record to 8-17 at Wichita State
... make Wichita State 658-757 all-time

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 7-18 on the season
... make the Shockers 3-8 all-time against South Florida
... bring Terry Nooner's record to 7-18 at Wichita State
... make Wichita State 656-759 all-time

UP NEXT
Wichita State returns home to take on Tulsa for the second time this season on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Charles Koch Arena.