WICHITA STATE (2-9) vs ORAL ROBERTS (5-5)
Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 | 11:00 a.m.
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
TV: ESPN+
Radio: GoShockers.com/Listen with Pat Strathman
Kids Day

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OPENING TIPS
Wichita State looks to add another one to the win column on Tuesday morning when they take on Oral Roberts inside Charles Koch Arena in front of thousands of kids.
The Shockers and the Golden Eagles meet for the 26^th time in program history with ORU leading the series 14-11.
The Shockers are coming off a 71-64 win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday, snapping a nine-game losing streak.
Jaila Harding is leading the Shockers in scoring with 12.4 points per game, while Abby Cater is chipping in 10.0 per game, including a season-high 23 points last time out in the win over LMU.
Harding is one of the best three-point shooters in the nation, ranking 15^th in made threes with 33 to lead the conference. She ranks sixth in the nation in three-point attempts with 89.
Jaida McDonald leads Wichita State on the boards with 5.2 per game.
Cater ranks 10^th in the conference in free throw percentage (78.4).
Treasure Thompson ranks fourth in the conference in blocks per game with 1.0.
Taya Davis ranks fourth in the conference in total assists with 41 and eighth in assists per game, averaging 3.7.
The Shockers rank third in the American Conference in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to 29.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Wichita State is averaging 22.9 bench points per game.
 
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 and both wins this season.
Ninety percent of Terry Nooner's wins have come when outrebounding the opponent.
Harding has finished in double figures in nine of the first 11 games.
Harding has hit two or more threes in nine of the first 11 games and at least one in 11-straight.
Taya Davis has dished two or more assists in seven of the first 11 games.
Jaida McDonald has grabbed five or more rebounds in eight of the first 11 games, leading the team in rebounding five times.
A Shocker has yet to finish with double figure rebounds this season.
 
THE SHOCKS, IN SHORT
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  but lost its top four scorers.
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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State picked up a much-needed home win Saturday afternoon, holding off Loyola Marymount, 71-64, at Charles Koch Arena behind balanced scoring and a season-best performance from Abby Cater. The Shockers led for nearly the entire game, using a 37-32 halftime advantage and going up by as many as 13 in the fourth. Wichita State held off a late rally by the Lions, hitting crucial free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. The Shockers finished with 38 bench points and shot 49 percent from the field, their best shooting percentage since their game one win over Lincoln on Nov. 3. Abby Cater led the team with a season-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting and a perfect 8-for-8 effort at the line. Jaida McDonald added a Division I career-high 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Jaila Harding chipped in 13 points, including four made three-pointers, her ninth game this season with two or more threes, to pace the Shocker offense. Wichita State opened the game with an 18-13 first quarter and maintained its edge with consistent perimeter shooting in the second quarter to take a five-point lead into the break. The Shockers pushed the margin to as many as eight in the third quarter and answered each LMU surge with key baskets, carrying a 52-46 advantage into the final period. In the fourth quarter, Wichita State built its largest lead of the game at 13 points following a pair of free throws midway through the frame. Loyola Marymount cut into the deficit late, going on a 12-2 run to make it a one-point game with a minute remaining, but the Shockers closed the game at the line and forced key turnovers to seal the win. LMU was led by Jess Lawson's 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Zawadi Ogot added 11 points, and Maya Hernandez score 10 for the Lions. Wichita State held the Lions to 35.6 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers on the afternoon.
 
SERIES VS. ORAL ROBERTS
The teams meet for the 26^th time in program history with Oral Roberts leading the series 14-11. The Golden Eagles also lead the series in Charles Koch Arena, 9-5.
 
LAST MEETING
Wichita State's win streak comes to an end with a 77-65 loss to Oral Roberts Saturday, Dec. 21 in the Mabee Center. The Golden Eagles shot 47.6 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three, led by Ruthie Udoumoh and Jalei Oglesby with 19 points each. The Shockers were outrebounded for the first time in the six games and shot just 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) from three. Four Shockers finished in double figures in the effort, led by Princess Anderson with 13 and Salese Blow, Jayla Murray and Ornella Niankan with 12 apiece. Aicha Ndour led the Shockers in rebounding, tying her career high with eight.
 Oral Roberts scored the first points of the game and never relinquished the lead, but the Shockers kept it close in the first half. ORU went up by nine halfway through the second quarter, and Wichita State answered with a 9-0 run to tie it up at 32-32. The Shockers were only down three at the half and stayed within five for most of the third quarter until the Golden Eagles went on a 7-0 run to stretch their lead to 10. The Shockers were down 12 with 1:22 to play, but a pair of layups from Niankan and Anderson cut it to eight with 50 seconds remaining. Anderson had seven points in the fourth quarter, but Wichita State was unable to catch the Golden Eagles.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Led by first-year head coach Cophie Anderson, Oral Roberts is 5-5, coming off three-straight wins over A&M-Corpus Chrisi, Idaho and Idaho State. The Golden Eagles lead the Summit League in turnovers forced per game with 20.8 and rank second in the conference in made free throws per game with 15.8. Two Golden Eagles are averaging double figures, led by Jalei Oglesby with 16.1 points per game and Anna Trusty with 15.5 per game. Oglesby is also the team's leading rebounder with 5.5 per game and ranks 42^nd in the nation in free throw percentage at 87.1. ORU was picked third of 9 teams in the Summit League Preseason Poll. Hernandez was named to the WCC Preseason Team. Oglesby was named to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team.
 
THE MAIN DISH
Taya Davis is described as a true pass-first point guard, leading the Shockers in assists with 3.7 per game.
 
TREY-LA HARDING
Jaila Harding is the best shooter on Wichita State's roster, shooting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. The graduate transfer and Wichita native ranks second in the conference in threes per game with 3.0, hitting five three different times against Lincoln, Western Kentucky and UC Irvine. Her 33 total threes this season are on track to land her on Wichita State's all-time top-10 list. The record is held by Courtney Sims at 73, while the No. 10 mark is 47, performed by Carla Bremaud and Tisharria Huggins.
 
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 conclude their non-conference schedule on Saturday, Dec. 20 against Middle Tennessee at 2:00 p.m. on First Responders Day in Charles Koch Arena.