Women's Basketball | 1/21/2026 7:43:00 AM
By
Paul Suellentrop
Abby Cater hugged a fan as she walked into the Koch Arena tunnel, while members of the Shocker Sound Machine chanted "MVP, MVP."
Her coach tells her to play more aggressively. Her teammate tells her to stay positive.
On Tuesday, those messages helped create a record-setting night in a 66-59 win over Memphis. Cater, a 5-foot-7 guard, gave her biggest fans the kind of performance they want to pull, prod and coax out of her with 42 points, a Wichita State single-game high.
"She wasn't going to be denied," WSU coach
Terry Nooner said. "Her attack mentality was big for us."
Wichita State (4-16, 1-6 American Conference) snapped a seven-game losing streak with Cater rallying the Shockers with a 12-point first quarter and giving them the lead with a 12-point third quarter. In the fourth, she stopped Memphis (7-12, 1-5) comebacks with another 12-point quarter.
"I'm just trying to be who I am every game for my team," she said. "Tonight, I was me times 20."
Cater, a graduate student transfer from Austin Peay, made 15 of 29 shots, 4 of 6 three-pointers and all eight of her foul shots. The night before her 23
rd birthday, she passed the WSU mark of 41 points by Kareema Williams in 1992 vs. Illinois State with two free throws with 20 seconds to play.
The Tigers gave Cater, who averaged 10.2 points, plenty of opportunities to drive to the basket and she took full advantage of defensive weaknesses. Then she added the outside shooting absent most of the season – she entered the game 4 of 31 from behind the arc.
"When I made the first (three-pointer), I was up there," she said. "It was one of those things."
Before the game, she told teammate
Jaila Harding she planned to make three three-pointers. Harding is the teammate who constantly encourages Cater to stay positive. Harding, who helped the record night with her outside shooting spreading the defense, is the upbeat leader on the team.
"She's my positive force," Cater said.
Harding sees Cater's talents in practice. On Tuesday, she put it all together for a memorable night. Cater's previous high for the Shockers was 24 points in a win over Oral Roberts in December. At Austin Peay, she scored 27 points vs. Murray State in 2023.
"She comes in, works hard every day," Harding said. "She's so tough to guard. 42 points. I'm not surprised."
Memphis jumped to an 11-2 lead before Cater signaled her big night, which included seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 37 minutes.
She scored Wichita State's first 10 points. The Shockers took a 37-35 lead in the third on Cater's three and never trailed again. In the fourth quarter, her three-point play gave the Shockers a 60-57 lead with 1:42 to play. She followed that with another driving basket for a five-point lead. She scored nine points in the game's final 2:11 to seal the win.
"She was attacking every single time, and that was exactly what we needed," Nooner said. "Sometimes she's not aggressive enough, so I'm happy tonight she stayed in attack mode."
Wichita State held the Tigers to 31-percent shooting and gave itself a boost with 15 offensive rebounds and 11 second-chance points. With Cater leading the way, the Shockers outscored Memphis 38-18 in the paint.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit
GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
