TULSA, Okla. – Wichita State's comeback effort fell just short, dropping its American Conference opener, 64-58, to Tulsa despite a career-high tying 22-point second half from
Jaila Harding Tuesday evening in the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Harding went 6-for-9 from three in the second half, tying her career high for made threes in a single game to lead all scoring.
Bre'Yon White added nine points, and
Abby Cater chipped in eight points for the Shockers, while
Treasure Thompson led the team in rebounding with eight boards.
The Shockers (3-11) showed resilience throughout, trimming an 18-point third-quarter deficit down to three midway through the fourth quarter, but Tulsa (9-4) was able to hold on behind timely shooting and a plus-20 rebounding margin.
Tulsa opened the game with control early, taking a 16-10 lead after the first quarter and extending the advantage to 34-21 at halftime. The Golden Hurricane capitalized on second-chance opportunities, outrebounding Wichita State 44-24 for the game.
The Shockers responded coming out of the locker room, using perimeter shooting to fuel a 21-point third quarter. Harding connected on four triples in the period, including multiple back-to-back threes that helped Wichita State cut into the deficit. Despite the push, Tulsa maintained a 53-42 edge heading into the final quarter.
Wichita State continued to battle in the fourth, opening the period on an 8-0 run to make it a one-possession game with just over five minutes remaining. Tulsa answered at the free-throw line down the stretch, finishing the game 15-of-23 from the stripe to seal the win.
Wichita State finished the night shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point range, while forcing 28 Tulsa turnovers and scoring 23 points off those miscues.
The Golden Hurricane were led by Abby Jegede with 18 points and Hannah Riddick, who put up a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double.
The Shockers return to action with their conference home opener against Tulane on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 2 p.m.
Top of Form
