WICHITA STATE (7-21, 4-11 American) at TULANE (10-17, 5-10 American)
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 | 1:00 p.m.
New Orleans, La. | Devlin Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN+
Radio: GoShockers.com/Listen with Pat Strathman
SCHEDULE UPDATE: This game has been moved to 1 p.m. after previously being scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
OPENING TIPS
Wichita State looks to keep winning and move up the conference standings as they head to New Orleans, La. to take on Tulane on Saturday afternoon in Devlin Fieldhouse.
The Shockers and Green Wave meet for the 18^th time in program history with Tulane leading the series 10-7 and 4-3 in New Orleans. Tulane has won the last four-straight meetings with the Shockers' last win over the Green Wave coming in 2023 in Wichita.
The Shockers have won their last two-straight, holding on to edge UTSA 62-61 at home and finishing strong at UAB to win, 60-54.
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 against Memphis and took down the No. 2-ranked American Conference team on the road, defeating East Carolina, 63-54.
In the Jan. 20 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 is leading the Shockers in scoring, averaging 12.2 points apiece per game. Cater and Jaila Harding each have recorded four 20-plus point performances this season.
Harding is one of the best three-point shooters in the nation, ranking 35^th in made threes with 75, breaking the Wichita State single-season threes record in the win over UTSA. She leads the conference in three-point attempts and is averaging 2.7 threes per game.
Cater ranks third in the conference in steals per game with 2.3, recording a career-high eight at Florida Atlantic, good for No. 7 all-time in program history for single-game steals. She has recorded five or more steals in five games this season. She also ranks seventh in the conference in free throw percentage, shooting 78.2 percent from the charity stripe.
Taya Davis is No. 6 in the American in assists, surpassing the 100-assist mark last time out in the win at UAB.
 
STREAKS & TRENDS
Harding has hit two or more threes in 19 of 28 games and at least one in all but three.
Harding is the only Shocker to have started every game this season. Wichita State has tested 15 different starting lineups, the third-most different starting lineups in the nation.
Taya Davis recorded five or more assists in seven of the last nine games, dishing a season-high 11 against Tulsa, the first Shocker to finish with double figure assists since 2022.
Cater has been perfect from the free throw line 10 times this season.
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 six wins 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 women's basketball closed strong down the stretch to secure a 60-54 road victory over UAB Wednesday night at Bartow Arena. The Shockers (7-21, 4-11 American) picked up their fourth conference win, matching their conference win total from a season ago. Graduate forward Treasure Thompson put up a season-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and three blocks in the win. Abby Cater also had a strong showing, recording Wichita State's first double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds, the graduate guard's fifth-straight game in double figures and 15th of the season. Jaida McDonald tied her Division I career-high of 12 points, and Diamond Richardson dished a career-high seven assists. Wichita State trailed by as many as 10 in the first quarter but cut the deficit to three at halftime (30-27) before grinding its way back with defense and second-chance points. The Shockers knotted the game at 38-38 late in the third quarter and then took their biggest lead of the game (7) in the fourth, outscoring UAB 22-13 over the final 10 minutes. The Shockers scored 32 points in the paint and capitalized on extra opportunities, turning offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points. Wichita State also pressured UAB into 15 turnovers, converting those into key buckets during the fourth-quarter push. After UAB (10-17, 3-12 American) briefly reclaimed the lead midway through the final period, Wichita State answered with an 8-2 run, highlighted by a Thompson finish and clutch free throws from Taya Davis down the stretch to seal the result.
 
SERIES VS. TULANE
The Shockers and Blazers meet for the 18^th time in program history with Tulane leading the series 10-7. Tulane has won the last four-straight meetings with Wichita State's last win over the Green Wave coming in 2023. Tulane holds a 4-3 advantage over the Shockers in New Orleans.
 
LAST MEETING
Wichita State's fourth quarter comeback effort was not enough to overcome a strong inside attack as Tulane secured a 70-60 win Saturday, Jan. 3 at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers trimmed a third quarter deficit to get the game bacl within reach, but the Green Wave controlled the paint and capitalized on turnovers to hold the lead for nearly the entire contest. Tulane jumped out to a 19-10 advantage after the opening quarter, scoring 10 points off turnovers in the first 10 minutes and ending the quarter on a 10-0 run. Wichita State responded in the second period, outscoring Tulane 18-16 to cut the halftime margin to 35-28. The Shockers continued to fight in the third quarter, with Diamond Richardson attacking the lane and Abby Cater providing a spark defensively. Wichita State pulled within single digits multiple times after the Green Wave led by as many as 16, but Tulane answered each run and continued to capitalize on Shocker turnovers. In the fourth quarter, Wichita State went on a 10-0 run to make it a one-possession game with less than two minutes remaining, but Tulane sealed the game at the free-throw line down the stretch to secure the 10-point victory. Jaila Harding led Wichita State in scoring for the sixth time this season with 18 points. The Wichita native hit four threes, bringing her season total to 49 to tie for eighth all-time in Wichita State history for single-season threes. Richardson joined her in double figures with 15 points, and Treasure Thompson chipped in seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds to anchor the effort on the glass. Wichita State shot 22-for-56 from the field but only 5-for-22 from the three-point line. The Green Wave held a 40-26 advantage in points in the paint and scored 28 points off Shocker turnovers. Three Tulane players finished in double figures, Dyllan Hanna and Amira Mabry both with 14 and CC Mays with 12.
 
SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE
Led by head coach Ashley Langford, Tulane is 10-17 (5-10 American), coming off a road loss to Tulsa after winning back-to-back games over Memphis. The Green Wave rank second in the conference in three-point defense, holding opponents to 28.5 percent from beyond the arc. They average 14.4 assists per game, led by Kendall Sneed with 4.0 per game. Kanija Daniel leads the Green Wave in scoring with 11.1 points per game, while Mecailin Marshall and Amira Mabry are also averaging double figures, chipping in 10.2 and 10 points per game, respectively. Tulane was picked fifth out of 13 teams in the American Conference Preseason Poll, and Kendall Sneed was selected to the Preseason All-Conference Second Team.
 
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 threes per game with 2.7, hitting four or more threes in nine different games and tying her career high of six in both games against Tulsa. Her 75 total threes this season set a new Wichita State program record for single-season threes, breaking the previous record 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. Cater recorded the Shockers' lone double-double of the season in the win at UAB, recording 18 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Cater also ranks third in the conference in steals per game, averaging 2.4 and recording five or more five times this season with the goal of becoming the American Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
 
THE MAIN DISH
Taya Davis is described as a true pass-first point guard, leading the Shockers in assists with 3.6 per game. She has dished five or more assists in 11 games this season, including seven of the last eight. She recorded a season-high 11 at home against Tulsa. She averaged 7.3 assists per game her sophomore season at Garden City CC.
 
DEPTH CHART
The Shockers rank fourth in the conference in bench points per game, averaging 22.5 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 their final home game of the season, facing North Texas on Tuesday, March 3 at 6 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena on Senior Night.