WICHITA STATE (1-5) vs. UC IRVINE (4-2)
Friday, Nov. 28 | 4:00 p.m. CT
Irvine, Calif. | Bren Events Center
Radio: GoShockers.com/Listen with Pat Strathman
TV: ESPN+
 
OPENING TIPS
Wichita State looks to add two to the win column as they take on UC Irvine Friday afternoon and Idaho Saturday afternoon at the UC Irvine ZotGiving Classic in the Bren Events Center.
Wichita State and UC Irvine meet for just the second time in program history with Wichita State winning the lone meeting, 76-53, at the 2017 New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament.
The Shockers are coming off a 60-55 loss to Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday in Charles Koch Arena and are looking to snap a five-game losing streak.
The Shockers return just 9.6 percent of their scoring from last season but bring an abundance of experience to the court with eight graduate students on the roster, tying ULM for the most graduate players on a Division I roster this season.
With only one underclassman on the roster, the Shockers are 93 percent upperclassmen, the second-highest percentage of upperclassmen in the NCAA (DI), and they bring 44 seasons of combined collegiate basketball experience.
Wichita State returns Bre'Yon White, the Shockers' second leading rebounder from last season, who grabbed 154 boards, averaging 4.8 per game.
For the third-straight season, Nooner has brought a Wichita native home for their final season of collegiate basketball – Tre'Zure Jobe in 2023-24, Taylor Jameson in 2024-25, and now Jaila Harding, who shot 35.7 percent from behind the arc both of her last two seasons at New Mexico State.
Two Shockers are averaging double figure scoring as Harding is leading the Shockers with 12.5 points per game, and Abby Cater is averaging 11.5. Treasure Thompson is also chipping in 7.4 points per game.
Junior Jaida McDonald is leading Wichita State in rebounding with 5.7 per game, getting her first Division I start last time out, and Cater is averaging 5.0 per game.
The Shockers rank third in the American Conference in scoring defense, holding opponents to 60.8 points per game, and second in steals per game with 10.8.
Through six games, Harding ranks second in the conference and ranks 25^th in the nation in three pointers per game with 3.0.
Taya Davis ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game, averaging 4.3, and Cater ranks second in the conference in total steals with 15 after recording a career-high five against SEMO, the most in a single game by a Shocker since Tre'Zure Jobe in 2023.
 
 
STREAKS & TRENDS
All but two wins in the Terry Nooner era have come when holding opponents to less than 70 points, including nine of the 10 wins last season.
Ninety percent of Terry Nooner's wins have come when outrebounding the opponent.
Harding has finished in double figures in five of the first six games.
Harding has hit more than one three pointer in five of the first six games and at least one in six-straight.
Taya Davis has dished five or more assists in three of the first six games.
McDonald has grabbed five or more rebounds in five of the first six games, leading the team in rebounding three times.
A Shocker has yet to finish with double figure rebounds this season.
The Shockers were called for 20 or more fouls in the first five games this season while their opponents have fouled 12 or less times in four games.
Wichita State opponents have attempted 57 more free throws and made 37 more free throws than the Shockers this season.
The Shockers have attempted 10 or less free throws in four of the last five games.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State showed grit and resilience, rallying from a double-digit halftime deficit, but the comeback fell just short as the Shockers dropped their fifth straight, 60-55, to Cal State Bakersfield Saturday afternoon inside Charles Koch Arena. After trailing 42-28 at the break, the Shockers stormed back with a commanding third quarter, outscoring the Roadrunners 15-5 and trimming the gap to just three heading into the final period. Wichita State (1-5) held the Roadrunners (2-4) to just 13.3 percent shooting in the frame, using defensive stops and timely free throws to ignite the run. Abby Cater led the Shockers with 11 points, adding four assists and six steals while going a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line. Kyleigh Ortiz chipped in seven points, including a key three in the first half, and Maimouna Sissoko added five points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench. Diamond Richardson posted six points and three steals in her first Shocker start, while Jaila Harding added eight points. Wichita State's bench provided a major spark, outscoring CSUB's reserves 25-13 and fueling the second-half surge. The Shockers also capitalized at the line, finishing 21-for-28 (75 percent), the Shockers' most made free throws of the season, compared to Bakersfield's 6-for-15. CSU Bakersfield opened the game shooting 58.8 percent in the first quarter to build an early lead and used 16 points from Chrishawn Coleman and 12 from Morgan Hawkins to stay in front. The Roadrunners scored 34 points in the paint and converted 18 points off WSU turnovers. Despite the early deficit, Wichita State fought back, using a 6-0 run to start the third quarter and claw within striking distance. The Shockers had multiple chances to tie it in the fourth, but Shocker turnovers helped maintain the Roadrunner edge in the final minutes.
 
SERIES VS. UC IRVINE
The teams meet for just the second time in program history with Wichita State winning the lone meeting, 76-53, at the 2017 New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament.
 
LAST MEETING
Wichita State used a dominant third quarter to storm past UC Irvine, 76-53, on Nov. 26, 2017 in Dreamstyle Arena to pick up the first win of the Keitha Adams era. Wichita State led from start to finish on the final day of the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament and shot nearly 60 percent from the field. The Shockers shot a season-best 58 percent (34-59) and held UC Irvine to just 31 percent – a season low for a Shocker opponent. Rangie Bessard led all scorers with a season-high 23 points, marking her second straight game with 20 or more points. She was 10-of-15 from the field and also added seven rebounds and season-high four assists. The senior forward was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 19.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in the three games on 52.3 percent shooting. Angiee Tompkins chipped in 13 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench. The Shocker defense forced the Anteaters to miss 21 of its 26 attempts from beyond the arc. Wichita State outscored UC Irvine in the paint (48-28) and in the fast break department (24-9) and dished out a season-high 20 assists. UC Irvine had just one player in double-digits, Andee Ritter, who finished with 10 points.
Anteaters to 35 percent (11-31).
 
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
Led by 10th-year head coach Tamara Inoue, UC Irvine is 4-2 and on a three-game wins streak, beating Northern Arizona, Bowling Green and St. Thomas. The Anteaters lead the Big West Conference in free throw percentage (84.5) and free throws per game (18.2). UC Irvine ranks second in the Big West in three point percentage, shooting 34.4 percent from behind the arc. Two anteaters are averaging double figures, led by Jada Wynn with 14.8 points per game and Hunter Hernandez with 12.7 per game. Wynn also leads the team in rebounding with 9.2 per game. Wynn leads the conference in assists per game (3.7), free throw attempts (48), free throws (40), and defensive rebounds per game (8.2). Lauryn Madsen ranks second in the conference in three point attempts (43) and third in total made threes (16). UCI was picked second of 11 in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, and Hernandez was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team.
 
THE MAIN DISH
Taya Davis is described as a true pass-first point guard, leading the Shockers in assists with 4.3 per game. Through five games, Davis ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game and total assists with 26.
 
TREY-LA HARDING
Jaila Harding is the best shooter on Wichita State's roster, shooting 37.5 percent from behind the arc. The graduate transfer and Wichita native ranks second in the conference in total made threes (18) and three pointers per game (3.4). She is top 35 in the nation in both of those categories.
 
C.A.R.E. PILLARS
Coach Nooner emphasizes the value of team culture, recruiting student-athletes who fit in with the team's core values of character, accountability, respect and effort.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
Wichita State's roster features four foreign players, two from France, Sophie Benharouga and Fiona Diomande, one from Mali, Maimouna Sissoko, and one from Cameroon, Bella Belong.
 
THEY HAVE HISTORY
Two newcomers reconnect with former coaches as Taya Davis played for current Wichita State assistant coach Antwain Scales from 2022-23 in his final season as head coach at Garden City CC, and Sophie Benharouga played for current director of operations and assistant coach Uyen Tran from 2022-23 while she was an assistant coach at Morehead State.
 
UP NEXT
The Shockers have a quick turnaround as they face Idaho on Saturday, Nov. 29 in the Bren Events Center for their second game of the UC Irvine ZotGiving Classic.