WICHITA STATE (4-16, 1-6 American) at EAST CAROLINA 15-6, 7-1 American)
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 | 5:00 p.m. CT
Greenville, N.C. | Minges Coliseum
TV: ESPN+
Radio: GoShockers.com/Listen with Pat Strathman
 
OPENING TIPS
Wichita State looks to pick up its first American Conference road win Tuesday evening at East Carolina
The Shockers and Pirates meet for the 14^th time in program history with ECU leading the overall series, 9-4, and the series in Greenville, 6-1. The Pirates have won the last six straight.
The Shockers concluded their non-conference slate with a 3-10 record, defeating Lincoln in the season opener and claiming back-to-back wins over Loyola Marymount and Oral Roberts in December. They picked up their first American Conference win last time out against Memphis.
In the win over Memphis, Abby Cater poured in 42 points, breaking Wichita State's single-game scoring record and tying for No. 7 in the nation this season for single-game points.
Cater and Jaila Harding are leading the Shockers in scoring, averaging 11.8 and 11.7 points per game, respectively. Cater is averaging 13 points per game in American Conference play.
Harding is one of the best three-point shooters in the nation, ranking 33^rd in made threes with 54, leading the conference in three-point attempts and ranking fourth all-time in Wichita State history for single-season threes. She is averaging 2.7 threes per game.
Cater ranks third in the conference in steals per game with 2.42, recording a career-high eight at Florida Atlantic, good for No. 7 all-time in program history for single-game steals. She also ranks fifth in the conference in free throw percentage, shooting 79.7 percent from the charity stripe.
Treasure Thompson ranks sixth in the conference in blocks per game with 1.05 and recorded her 100^th career block in the non-conference finale.
The Shockers rank second in the American Conference in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to 28.5 percent from beyond the arc.
 
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 the four wins this season.
Ninety-one percent of Terry Nooner's wins have come when outrebounding the opponent.
Harding has hit two or more threes in 14 of the first 20 games and at least one in the first 19.
Harding is the only Shocker to have started every game this season. Wichita State has tested 13 different starting lineups.
Cater has been perfect from the free throw in eight times this season, including the last two games in a row.
 
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
Behind a career night from Abby Cater, Wichita State earned a 66-59 victory over Memphis on Tuesday evening at Charles Koch Arena. Cater poured in a school record 42 points, shooting 15-for-29 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, as the Shockers came out on top in a tightly contested matchup that featured nine lead changes and 10 ties. Wichita State improved to 4-16 overall and 1-6 in American play, while Memphis fell to 7-12 (1-5 American). The Tigers jumped out early, scoring the first nine points of the game, but Cater went on a 10-2 run by herself to make it a one-point game. Memphis carried a slim 18-16 edge after one, but the Shockers settled in defensively in the second quarter, holding the Tigers to just eight points and taking a 28-26 halftime lead. Wichita State outscored Memphis 21-17 in the third quarter. Cater continued to attack offensively, while the Shockers capitalized on turnovers and scoring 12 points in the paint. Memphis made a final push in the fourth, tying the game with two minutes remaining, but Wichita State answered with timely stops and free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Shockers finished with a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint and held Memphis to 31.3 percent shooting. In addition to Cater's career performance, Bre'Yon White added seven points off the bench, while Taya Davis contributed seven rebounds and seven assists. Wichita State forced 16 Memphis turnovers and converted them into key points throughout the night. Cater's 42 points broke the Shockers' single-game scoring record which was set by Kareema Williams at 41 in 1992 against Illinois State.
 
SERIES VS. EAST CAROLINA
The teams meet for the 14^th time in program history with East Carolina leading the all-time series 9-4, and leading the series, 6-1, in Greenville. The Pirates have won the last six straight with Wichita State's last came in January of 2022 in Charles Koch Arena.
 
LAST MEETING
Wichita State fell to East Carolina, 83-56, on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 at Charles Koch Arena as the Pirates used early momentum and a strong defensive effort to pull away. East Carolina opened the game on a 15-0 run and never relinquished the lead, forcing 27 Wichita State turnovers that led to 34 points. Wichita State was led by Treasure Thompson, who finished with a near double-double, scoring a team-high 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds off the bench. Jaila Harding added nine points and two steals, and Diamond Richardson chipped in eight points. The Shockers received a spark from their bench, which accounted for 28 points on the afternoon. After sitting out the first 16 games due to an injury sustained in the exhibition game, Karys Washington made her Shocker debut, tallying seven points, four rebounds and three assists. After trailing, 26-13 at the end of the first quarter, Wichita State had its best offensive quarter in the second, scoring 18 points, but ECU still extended its lead to 50-31 at halftime. Harding hit the Shockers' lone three of the game in the second quarter, extending her streak to 17 games with a three pointer this season and moving up to tie for fifth all-time in Wichita State history for single-season threes (51). East Carolina kept its foot on the gas after the break, holding Wichita State to 25 points in the second half while extending its advantage behind efficient shooting and points off turnovers. The Pirates finished the game shooting 44.8 percent from the field. East Carolina closed out its dominant performance with a 17-15 fourth quarter to win 83-56 in a wire-to-wire win and improve to 3-1 in conference play. The Shockers finished the game shooting 33.3 percent from three-point range and scored 32 points in the paint. Wichita State also totaled 28 bench points and 13 fast-break points.
 
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
Led by head coach Kim McNeill, East Carolina is 14-6, 7-1 American, and is on a five-game winning streak. The Pirates lead the American Conference in scoring, averaging 74.0 points per game. They also lead the American in free throw attempts per game (21.71) and turnovers forced per game (21.14). Four Pirates are averaging double figures, led by Kennedy Fauntleroy with 12.7. Fauntleroy leads the conference in steals per game with 2.62 and ranks fifth in assists per game with 4.4. Anzhane' Hutton is the team's leading rebounder with 6.3 per game. Taylor Barner ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage, shooting 84.5 percent from the line. East Carolina was picked seventh out of 13 teams in the American Conference Preseason Poll.
 
TREY-LA HARDING
Jaila Harding is the best shooter on Wichita State's roster, shooting 33.5 percent from beyond the arc. The graduate transfer and Wichita native ranks third in the conference in made threes per game with 54, hitting four or more threes in seven different games and tying her career high of six at Tulsa. Her 54 total threes this season landed her on Wichita State's all-time top-10 list for single-season threes, currently sitting No. 4. The record was set by Courtney Sims at 73 during the 1999-2000 season.
 
SERVING POINTS ON A PLATTER
Abby Cater broke Wichita State's single-game scoring record in the win over Memphis, scoring 42 points to tie for No. 7 in the nation this season for single-game points. Cater shot 15-for-29 from the floor, hitting a career-high four threes and shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. The Shocker record was previously held by Kareema Williams, who set it at 41 points in 1992.
 
Cater poured in 47 points over two games, leading the Shockers to back-to-back wins over LMU and Oral Roberts. She shot 11-for-12 from the field against Oral Roberts and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line against LMU. At Florida Atlantic, she put up 17 points and recorded a career-high eight steals, good for No. 7 all-time in program history for single-game steals.
 
THE MAIN DISH
Taya Davis is described as a true pass-first point guard, leading the Shockers in assists with 2.9 per game.
 
DEPTH CHART
The Shockers rank third in the conference in bench points per game, averaging 23.2 with 11 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.
 
NON-CONFERENCE IN REVIEW
The Shockers finished their non-conference slate 3-10, opening with a 96-49 win over Lincoln before hitting a nine-game slump. Wichita State got back on track with back-to-back wins over Loyola Marymount and Oral Roberts before falling to Middle Tennessee State in a 45-46 heartbreaker in the non-conference finale. Seven of the 10 losses were single digit games. Jaila Harding and Abby Cater led the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. Cater recorded back-to-back 20-plus point performances in the wins over LMU and ORU, and Harding put up 21 at UC Irvine. Jaida McDonald led the Shockers on the boards, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.
 
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 return home to face UAB on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.