WICHITA STATE (8-21, 4-13 AAC) at UAB (18-11, 9-8 AAC)
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 | 6 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Audacy.com/KFH with Steve Strain  OPENING TIPS
> Wichita State plays its regular-season finale on the road at UAB Tuesday at 6 p.m.
> The teams meet for just the third time with the series tied at 1-1.
> Three Shockers are averaging double figures with Daniela Abies leading the team with 12.6 points per game, Salese Blow averaging 12.1 and Tre'Zure Jobe averaging 10.3.
> Abies is also the team's leading rebounder, averaging 9.1 rebounds per game with nine double-doubles.
> 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 just 44 points away from 1,000 career points with only two remaining regular-season games before the conference tournament. She scored a career-high 26 points in the win over Tulsa on Feb. 17.
> 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 has claimed two American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week awards, the first on Nov. 27 following her 19 points in the win over Omaha and 20 points against Dayton, leading the team in scoring in both contests, and the second after a career-high 24 points with a buzzer-beater three to take SMU to overtime and 18 points against UTSA.
> Wichita State is now 0-2 in overtime contests after Salese Blow hit buzzer beaters at the end of regulation in both games to send the Shockers to OT at home against UAB and SMU.
> The Shockers have only won one road game this season, defeating Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton.
> Wichita State ranks in the top 100 nationally in the following categories: No. 50 in three-point percentage defense (28.5), No. 53 in free throw attempts per game (19.4), and No. 75 in offensive rebounds per game (12.9).
> The Shockers are ranked third in the American Athletic Conference in three-point percentage defense.
> Abies ranks second in the conference in total rebounds (255) and offensive rebounds per game (3.8). She ranks third in rebounds per game (9.1).
> 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 12 times and has led the team in rebounding in 21 games this season. She has nine 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 had finished in double figures in 10-straight games before being held scoreless against Tulsa. She came back to lead the team in scoring at Charlotte with 17 points and score a career-high 24 points at home against SMU before leading the team in scoring again with 18 against UTSA. She has now finished in double figures in 18 games. 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 (except for senior day). Blow has led the team in scoring 12 times and now has four 20-plus point games in the books.
 
NATIONAL TRE'ZURE
Tre'Zure Jobe 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 and has scored in double figures 14 times this season with two 20-plus point games.
 
MORE McCARTY
Senior DJ McCarty has come alive in the last five games, scoring a career-high 26 points to lead the Shockers to a home win over Tulsa. She re-entered the starting lineup on Feb. 17 and recorded back-to-back career highs in assists with seven at Charlotte and nine against SMU. She is now just 44 points away from 1,000 career points.
 
SIERRA SNIPER
Sierra Morrow became the first Shocker since 2004 to shoot 100% from three with a minimum of four attempts, shooting 5-for-5 in her career game against Oral Roberts. She broke the Charles Koch Arena three-point percentage record (min. 5 attempts).

SCOUTING THE BLAZERS
> Led by 11^th-year head coach Randy Norton, the Blazers are on a three-game losing streak, losing to Tulsa, North Texas and Memphis.
> Three Blazers are averaging double figures with Mia Moore leading the way with 15.6 points per game, Denim DeShields averaging 13.2 points per game and Maddie Walsh averaging 10.2.
> Moore also leads the team in rebounding with 8.9 per game, leading the conference in double-doubles with 12.
> DeShields leads the conference in assists per game, averaging 5.3.
> Walsh leads the conference in three-point percentage (45.2).
> The Blazers lead the conference in three-point percentage (35.9and rank second in three-point attempts per game (23.3), made threes per game (8.4), scoring offense (72.7), and free throw percentage (76.9).
> UAB was picked 13^th of 14 teams in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll and currently sits in seventh.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UAB
> The teams meet for the third time with the series tied at 1-1.
> Wichita State and UAB met on Jan. 25 for the first time since 1982.
> The Shockers took the first game as conference foes to overtime but fell as UAB hit a game-winning layup as time expired.
> This is the first time the teams will meet in Birmingham.
 
LAST MEETING
> Salese Blow hit a buzzer beater to take the Blazers to overtime, but UAB slipped past the Shockers in the final seconds of overtime to claim an 83-81 victory on Jan. 25.
> Daniela Abies recorded a double-double with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. She scored 19 of her 23 points after halftime.
> Salese Blow and Tre'Zure Jobe finished with 21 and 18 points, respectively, one of Blow's four 20-point games this season.
> Wichita State out-rebounded the Blazers 55-43, the Shockers' most rebounds in a game this season.
> The Shockers claimed a five-point lead in overtime, but UAB went 7-for-8 from the line and gained a three-point advantage with 30 seconds left. The Shockers missed a three but forced a turnover on UAB's inbound to give themselves another chance to tie it up. Abies got a big offensive rebound and got the ball to Ornella Niankan, who knocked down a game-tying three with 10.8 seconds remaining, but UAB came down and Denim DeShields hit the game-winning layup.

LAST TIME OUT
> Wichita State's second half comeback fell short as the Shockers fell 68-61 to UTSA in their final regular-season home game
> UTSA led wire to wire and led by as many as 15 before the Shockers made it a five-point game in the fourth quarter.
> Three Shockers finished in double figures with freshman Salese Blow leading all scoring with 18 points and Daniela Abies and DJ McCarty tallying 13 and 12 points, respectively.
> Jeniah Thompson led the Shockers in rebounding with nine and tied with McCarty for a team-high four assists.
> Wichita State won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding UTSA 44-41 after getting out-rebounded 52-40 in January down in San Antonio, Texas.
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 9-21 on the season
... be their second road win of the season
... be their first win over UAB since 1982

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... make them 8-22 on the season
... be their fourth-straight loss
... make them 1-2 against the Blazers
 
UP NEXT
Wichita State has locked in the No. 13 seed in the American Athletic Conference tournament and will play a first-round game against 12-seed Florida Atlantic on Saturday, March 9 at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN+.