Women's Basketball | 2/18/2025 2:49:00 PM
By
Paul Suellentrop
March can mean the start of a special tournament time, and it can mean the end of a basketball career.
Wichita State's
Taylor Jameson made sure her teammates realize she and all seniors are playing to end their careers with as much of a bang as possible. Coach
Terry Nooner ends each practice by gathering the Shockers in the middle of the court for happy birthdays, encouragement and announcements. He opens the floor to any player or coach who wants to speak.
Last week, Jameson spoke up. The Shockers play four games – two on the road, two at home – before the American Athletic Conference Championship starts March 8 in Fort Worth.
"It was really just to lift up my teammates and make sure everybody was on the same page," she said. "At the end of the day we all want the same thing, and that's to win. Being a Wichita native I feel like I have some responsibility to represent this program in a positive light."
If the Shockers (9-18, 3-11 AAC) are going to finish strong, Saturday's 60-57 win over Rice is a start. WSU plays at Temple (15-10, 9-5) at 6 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN+).
"I think it was a wakeup call," Nooner said. "She wanted to talk to the team about what the program means to her and what these last games and this last month of the season mean to her. I've been a senior. I understand the feeling. You want it to be great and you want everybody to be a part of it."
Speeches are good. Good practices are even better, and Jameson's talk was part of a week in the gym that impressed Nooner. He liked the team's energy and effort.
"We were very, very connected," Jameson said. "This team is close, and we were supporting each other. We're really focused on making the next play and picking each other up."
Nooner pointed out the Shockers can look at Rice for inspiration.
The Owls went 9-9 in conference play last season to start the tournament as the No. 10 seed. They won four games in Fort Worth to secure the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In the championship game, they defeated No. 9 seed ECU, also 9-9 in conference play.
"Our energy (last) week was such that we wanted to keep battling," he said. "We know there's still a lot of season left. We know we have to be playing our best basketball."
Wichita State won with defense against Rice, and by limiting turnovers to 11. The Shockers held the Owls to 36.7 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers. Jameson and guard
KP Parr led an aggressive perimeter defense that often took the Owls out of their sets – and they did it without fouling. Rice went 6 of 8 from the line.
Jameson backed up her words with 18 points in 35 minutes. Forward
Jayla Murray added 13 points, six in the fourth quarter.
"We did a great job of finishing," Nooner said. "Our defense was pretty excellent."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
