MISSOURI STATE (1-0) vs. WICHITA STATE (1-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 | 6 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
TV: ESPN+ with Tracy Anderson and Shane Dennis
Radio: GoShockers.com/Listen with Pat Strathman
Wichita Proud Night: Buy 3 full-priced tickets, get 1 for $6. See what we did there!?
Giveaway: The first 250 fans will receive a Wichita State skyline flag.
OPENING TIP
Wichita State hosts Missouri State in Charles Koch Arena on Saturday as the teams meet for the 90th time in history.
The Shockers have faced Missouri State more times than any other team with the Lady Bears leading the overall series 52-37, but the Shockers are 21-18 when playing in Wichita.
This is the first meeting in Charles Koch Arena since Nov. 10, 2018, when the Shockers claimed a 63-60 overtime victory.
Wichita State has entered year two of the Terry Nooner era, opening its season with a five-game home stretch.
With nine newcomers on the team, the Shockers return 37.6 percent of their scoring.
Sophomore Salese Blow is back for her sophomore season after leading Wichita State in scoring during conference play, averaging 13.5 points per game in the AAC and 12.3 points per game overall. Redshirt-junior Jayla Murray is back and better than ever after a summer spent in the gym and improving her nutrition. Further removed from her ACL injury, Murray, who averaged 7.1 points per game a season ago, is playing with more confidence.
Graduate transfer and Wichita native, Taylor Jameson, made her official Shocker debut against Oklahoma Christian, leading all scoring with 13 points.
LAST TIME OUT
After winning their season opener against Oklahoma Christian, the Shockers suffered their first loss of the season to Belmont, 75-55. Sophomore Salese Blow led the Shockers with 16 points and four assists, while junior Bre’Yon White grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Graduate transfer Taylor Jameson and junior Princess Anderson also finished in double figures, combining for five of the Shockers’ seven threes of the day. The Shockers led by two at halftime but struggled offensively in the second half, shooting just 7-for-32. Wichita State saw significant improvement in its free throw shooting from game one to game two, going 10-for-14 (.714) from the line. Belmont held redshirt-junior Jayla Murray to four points and three rebounds after she posted her first career double-double against Oklahoma Christian.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
After two games, the Shockers lead the American Athletic Conference in rebounding margin (20.0) and rank third in three-point percentage defense (25.8). Wichita State is ranked in the top 20 in rebounding, coming in at No. 18 (49.5).
LEADING LADIES
Through two games, two Shockers are averaging double figures with Salese Blow leading the team with 12.0 points per game and Taylor Jameson averaging 11.5. Jayla Murray is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 8.0 rebounds per game with one double-double. Taylor Jameson is tied for the national and conference lead in free throw percentage, shooting 100 percent from the line (5-for-5). Aicha Ndour ranks third in the AAC in blocks with three.
SCOUTING THE LADY BEARS
Led by third-year head coach Beth Cunningham, Missouri State is coming off a 63-61 victory over reigning American Athletic Conference regular season champion Tulsa. Three Lady Bears finished in doubles figures, led by Paige Rocca with 15 as she shot 10-for-11 from the line including three in the final minute to win the game. Lacy Stokes and Sarah Linthacum each scored 10 points with Linthacum grabbing 11 rebounds for a double-double. Missouri State was picked fifth of 12 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll after finishing third in the regular season, making a run to the MVC Championship and earning a bid to the WBIT in 2023-24. The Lady Bears return senior Lacy Stokes, who was named the 2023-24 MVC Newcomer of the Year and selected to the All-Defensice team, averaging 12.0 points per game and recording 85 steals.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MISSOURI STATE
Missouri State leads the all-time series 52-37, but Wichita State is 21-18 against the Lady Bears in Wichita. The Shockers have played Missouri State more times than any other team. The teams first met in 1976 when the Shockers claimed a 73-63 victory on the road.
LAST MEETING
Missouri State defeated the Shockers 72-65 on Dec. 16, 2023 in Springfield. Wichita State forced 15 first-half turnovers and took a six-point lead after the first half, but the Lady Bears flipped the script in the second half, causing 13 Shocker turnovers. Missouri State outscored the Shockers 22-9 in the third quarter and won the battle of the boards by 11. Salese Blow and Daniela Abies tied for a team-high 18 points, and Lacy Stokes led all scoring with 21. Three other Lady Bears finished in double figures in Kennedy Taylor, Jade Masogayo and Indya Green, but only Stokes returns for Missouri State.
NOT SO NEW-COMERS
Between the nine new additions to the 2024-25 Wichita State roster, they combine for 20 years of collegiate basketball experience. Nooner brought in three Division I transfers: Taylor Jameson from George Mason, Aicha Ndour from Illinois and Bre’Yon White from TCU.
Princess Anderson (Pratt CC), Kyleigh Ortiz (Coffeyville CC), Jasmine Peaks (Indian River State), and Maimouna Sissoko (Cloud County CC) all transferred from junior colleges, joining Jayla Murray (Florida SouthWestern State) and Ornella Niankan (Odessa College) to make six Shockers who began their careers in the NJCAA.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
The Shockers’ roster features international athletes from five different countries, including Canada (Ornella Niankan), France (Fiona Diomande), Mali (Maimouna Sissoko), Mozambique (Carla Budane), and Senegal (Aicha Ndour).
#MOREBOBO
Salese Blow, nicknamed BoBo by her mom when Salese couldn’t pronounce the L in her last name as a kid, enters her sophomore season after claiming three American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week awards in 2023-24. As a freshman, she increased her scoring from non-conference to conference play, leading the Shockers in points per game against AAC opponents with 13.5. She recorded 21 double-figure scoring games with five 20+ point performances.
SUMMER WELL SPENT
The Shockers embarked on a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands from July 28-August 2, where they played two games against Canadian team, Regina. The trip allowed the team to bond and experience a different culture, growing as a unit on and off the court. Wichita State won the first game 81-76 and the second game 69-60.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
