WICHITA STATE (8-22, 5-12 American) at MEMPHIS (9-21, 3-14 American)
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 2:00 p.m.
Memphis, Tenn. | Elma Roane Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN+
Radio: GoShockers.com/Listen with Pat Strathman
 
OPENING TIPS
Wichita State has the chance to end its season with a win as they travel to Tennessee to face Memphis in the season finale.
The Shockers can tie the all-time series with a win as the Tigers lead the series 7-6. Wichita State won the first meeting of the season, 66-59, in Charles Koch Arena. Both teams have been eliminated from the 10-team American Conference tournament, which will begin March 10.
The Shockers have won three of their last four, most recently taking down North Texas, 60-55, on senior night.
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. 8 in the nation this season for single-game points. Cater was named the American Conference Player of the Week following that performance.
Cater is leading the Shockers in scoring, averaging 12.9 points per game and recording five 20-plus point performances and two double-doubles.
Jaila Harding is one of the best three-point shooters in the nation, ranking 35^th in made threes with 80, 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 79.0 percent from the charity stripe and hitting 10 last time out in the win over North Texas.
Taya Davis is No. 6 in the American in assists, surpassing the 100-assist mark in the win at UAB and bringing her season total to 110 last time out.
Treasure Thompson is the team's best shot blocker, ranking fourth in the conference with 1.1 per game.
 
STREAKS & TRENDS
Harding has hit two or more threes in 21 of 30 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 eight of the last 11 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 eight 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
A fourth-quarter surge lifted Wichita State to a 60-55 win over North Texas Tuesday night inside Charles Koch Arena on senior night. The Shockers (8-22, 5-12 American) sent their nine seniors out in style, taking the lead in the final five minutes and holding on to win their home finale. Wichita State outscored North Texas (17-13, 11-7 American) 37-27 over the final 20 minutes, including a 19-13 advantage in the fourth quarter to erase an early double figure deficit and secure the five-point victory. Abby Cater led Wichita State with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double in three games, shooting 10-for-12 from the free throw line, and added three assists and three steals. Treasure Thompson added 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks, while Taya Davis finished with five points, five rebounds and a game-high six assists, her 12th game this season with five or more assists. Jaila Harding chipped in eight points, knocking down a pair of three-pointers to raise her program record for single-season threes to 80. North Texas opened the game on a 10-0 run, building an 11-point lead early in the first quarter, but the Shockers hung around, using a 6-0 run with buckets from Thompson, Diamond Richardson and Karys Washington to cut the deficit to five at half. The Shockers chipped away in the third, using an 18-point frame to pull within one multiple times. Harding hit two threes and Cater scored seven points in the effort. Down one going into the fourth, the Shockers needed to make a push. Two minutes into the period, Harding tied the game at 45-45, hitting a pullup jumper, but the Mean Green responded to stay in front. Cater tied it again, but North Texas went up four before Cater made it a two-point game again, and Bre'Yon White hit a clutch three to give the Shockers their first lead of the game. White scored again two possessions later, and Jaida McDonald blocked a shot and made a layup on the other end to make it a five-point Shocker advantage. North Texas brought it within one again with 39 seconds remaining, but Cater made a crunch time layup with 21 seconds left and hit a pair of free throws with seven seconds on the clock as the Shockers made key stops to secure the win. The Shockers shot 66.7 percent (8-for-12) in the final period and held North Texas to 13 points in the quarter to seal the comeback. North Texas was led by Aysia Proctor's 19 points, while Megan Nestor added 15 points and a game-high 19 rebounds, breaking the American Conference's single season rebounds record in the effort. Wichita State finished the night shooting 39.2 percent (20-of-51) from the floor and 80.0 percent (16-of-20) from the free throw line, including several key makes down the stretch.
 
SERIES VS. MEMPHIS
The Shockers and Tigers meet for the 14^th time in program history with Memphis leading the series 7-6 while the series in Memphis is tied at 3-3. Wichita State won the first meeting of the season, 66-59, behind a program record breaking 42-point performance from Abby Cater. With both teams unable to secure a spot in the American Conference tournament, Wichita State and Memphis will battle to end their seasons with a win.
 
LAST MEETING
Behind a career night from Abby Cater, Wichita State earned a 66-59 victory over Memphis on Tuesday, Jan. 20 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.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Led by head coach Alex Simmons, Memphis is 9-21 (3-14 American), coming off back-to-back losses to UTSA and UAB. The Tigers lead the conference in steals per game, led by Daejah Richmond, who ranks 25^th in the nation with 2.9 per game. Richmond is also the team's offensive leader, averaging 13.5 points and 3.7 assists per game. Memphis was picked ninth 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 32.9 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 80 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. Her 243 three-point attempts this season is the eighth-most by any player in the nation.
 
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. 8 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' only two double-doubles of the season in the win at UAB, recording 18 points and 10 rebounds, and in the win over North Texas, recording 20 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Cater also ranks third in the conference in steals per game, averaging 2.3 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 3.7 per game. She has dished five or more assists in 11 games this season, including seven of the last 10. 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 22.4 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.