WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State women's basketball battled through 20 lead changes and a back-and-forth second half, but a late surge by Southeast Missouri State pushed the Shockers to a 69-62 loss Tuesday night inside Charles Koch Arena.
 
The Shockers (1-4) put together a strong third quarter, outscoring SEMO (2-2) 22-19 to take a 50-47 lead into the final frame thanks to big plays from Abby Cater, Diamond Richardson, and Jaida McDonald.
 
Wichita State sent the Redhawks to the line for 34 free throw attempts, and SEMO converted on 22 of those, while the Shockers shot just 3-for-10 from the charity stripe. Both teams shot 38 percent from the floor, but turnovers proved to be costly for the Shockers as SEMO scored 26 points off 18 Wichita State turnovers.
 
Cater fueled the offense with nine third-quarter points and finished with a team-high 15 points, six assists, and five steals.
 
Four Redhawks finished in double figures, led by Lexi McCully with 18 points, and SEMO's Zoey Rixter grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Wichita State found its rhythm early after trailing by as many as five in the first. Richardson's late three gave the Shockers a four-point edge before SEMO answered at the buzzer to take a 15-14 lead after one. Through the first half, the Shockers leaned on their defense and paint presence, scoring 16 points inside and forcing 10 turnovers to head into halftime tied, 28-28.
 
The Shockers gained some momentum early in the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run highlighted by a Cater three and back-to-back buckets from Thompson and Banks to go up five.
 
Wichita State took its largest lead of the game early in the fourth quarter as Jaila Harding hit her third three of the game and Davis scored off a SEMO turnover to give the Shockers a 55-49 lead.
 
SEMO responded with a decisive 15-2 run in the fourth quarter to reclaim the lead for good, shooting 10-for-14 from the free throw line in the period. Despite a clutch three from Davis, the Shockers couldn't overcome the deficit.
 
McDonald delivered a team-high nine rebounds and six points off the bench, while Richardson added 11 points, a Division I career-high tying seven rebounds and three assists. Harding also scored 11 points, finishing with multiple threes for the fifth-straight game.
 
Wichita State finished with 34 points in the paint, forced 16 turnovers, and received 23 points from the bench, but SEMO's 22-point fourth quarter proved to be the difference.
 
The Shockers play again Saturday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.