Story Links


WICHITA STATE (1-4) vs. CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD (1-4)
Saturday, Nov. 22 | 2:00 p.m.
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
Radio: GoShockers.com/Listen with Pat Strathman
TV: ESPN+
 
OPENING TIPS
Wichita State looks to add one to the win column as they take on Cal State Bakersfield Saturday afternoon in Charles Koch Arena.
The teams meet for just the second time in program history with Wichita State winning the lone meeting, 100-69 a year ago in Bakersfield.
The Shockers are coming off a 62-69 loss to Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday in The Roundhouse.
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.
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.
Two Shockers are averaging double figure scoring as Harding is leading the Shockers with 13.4 points per game, and Abby Cater is averaging 11.6. Treasure Thompson is also chipping in 8.5 points per game.
Junior Jaida McDonald is leading Wichita State in rebounding with 5.8 per game, and Diamond Richardson is averaging 5.4 per game, both off the bench.
The Shockers rank second in the American Conference in scoring defense, holding opponents to 61 points per game, and third in steals per game with 11.
Through five games, Harding leads the conference and ranks 11th in the nation in three pointers per game with 3.4.
Taya Davis ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game, averaging 5.0, and Cater leads the conference in total steals with 13 after recording a career-high five last time out against SEMO, the most in a game since Tre’Zure Jobe in 2023.
 
 
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.
Ninety percent of Terry Nooner‘s wins have come when outrebounding the opponent.
Harding has finished in double figures in five-straight games.
Harding has hit more than one three pointer in each of the first five games.
Taya Davis has dished five or more assists in three of the first five games.
McDonald has grabbed five or more rebounds in four of the first five games, leading the team in rebounding three times.
A Shocker has yet to finish with double figure rebounds this season.
The Shockers have been called for 20 or more fouls in all five games this season while their opponents have fouled 12 or less times in each of the last four games.
Wichita State opponents have attempted 70 more free throws and made 52 more free throws than the Shockers this season
The Shockers have attempted 10 or less free throws in the last four games.
Opponents have hit 20 or more free throws in the last three-straight games.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State women’s basketball battled through 20 lead changes and a back-and-forth second half, but a late surge by Southeast Missouri State pushed the Shockers to a 69-62 loss Tuesday night inside Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers (1-4) put together a strong third quarter, outscoring SEMO (2-2) 22-19 to take a 50-47 lead into the final frame thanks to big plays from Abby Cater, Diamond Richardson, and Jaida McDonald. Wichita State sent the Redhawks to the line for 34 free throw attempts, and SEMO converted on 22 of those, while the Shockers shot just 3-for-10 from the charity stripe. Both teams shot 38 percent from the floor, but turnovers proved to be costly for the Shockers as SEMO scored 26 points off 18 Wichita State turnovers. Cater fueled the offense with nine third-quarter points and finished with a team-high 15 points, six assists, and five steals. Four Redhawks finished in double figures, led by Lexi McCully with 18 points, and SEMO’s Zoey Rixter grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Wichita State found its rhythm early after trailing by as many as five in the first. Richardson’s late three gave the Shockers a four-point edge before SEMO answered at the buzzer to take a 15-14 lead after one. Through the first half, the Shockers leaned on their defense and paint presence, scoring 16 points inside and forcing 10 turnovers to head into halftime tied, 28-28. The Shockers gained some momentum early in the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run highlighted by a Cater three and back-to-back buckets from Thompson and Banks to go up five. Wichita State took its largest lead of the game early in the fourth quarter as Jaila Harding hit her third three of the game and Davis scored off a SEMO turnover to give the Shockers a 55-49 lead. SEMO responded with a decisive 15-2 run in the fourth quarter to reclaim the lead for good, shooting 10-for-14 from the free throw line in the period. Despite a clutch three from Davis, the Shockers couldn’t overcome the deficit. McDonald delivered a team-high nine rebounds and six points off the bench, while Richardson added 11 points, a Division I career-high tying seven rebounds and three assists. Harding also scored 11 points, finishing with multiple threes for the fifth-straight game. Wichita State finished with 34 points in the paint, forced 16 turnovers, and received 23 points from the bench, but SEMO’s 22-point fourth quarter proved to be the difference.
 
SERIES VS. CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The teams meet for just the second time in program history with Wichita State winning the lone meeting, 100-69 a year ago in Bakersfield.
 
LAST MEETING
Wichita State put up 100 points in its third-consecutive victory, defeating CSU Bakersfield 100-69 Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024 in the Icardo Center. The Shockers finished in triple figures for the first time since its 105-38 win over South Carolina State in December 2022. The 31-point victory is the largest margin of victory for the Shockers in the Terry Nooner era and evens the Shockers’ record to 6-6. Salese Blow led the Shockers with her first 20-plus point performance of the season and sixth in her career, scoring 23 points. She was 8-for-11 from the field, including 3-for-6 from behind the arc, and she was 100 percent (4-for-4) from the free throw line. Jayla Murray put up a career-high 19 points with six rebounds and two assists, and Princess Anderson and Taylor Jameson also finished in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Ella Anciaux led the team in rebounding for the third time this season, tying for a game-high seven boards. Wichita State recorded its best shooting percentages of the season, shooting 39-for-71 from the field (54.9 percent) and 7-for17 from three (41.2 percent). The Shockers had their second-best game from the free throw line, making 15 of 18 (83.3 percent). WSU out-rebounded the Roadrunners 46-22 and led for 89.5 percent of the game, leading by as many as 33 points. The Roadrunners hit a three to open the game and led two more times throughout the first quarter, but the Shockers finished the first quarter on a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead. Blow shot 100 percent in the quarter to contribute nine points. Blow finished the first half in double figures with 11 points, and Anderson and Murray each had nine in the first half. Jameson hit two first half threes, her seventh game with multiple threes this season, as the Shockers took a 14-point lead at halftime. Wichita State shot 100 percent through the first six minutes of the third quarter to increase its lead to 20, and three Shockers were in double figures before the final period. (Blow, Jameson, Murray). The Shockers’ 28 points in the third quarter were the most in a quarter this season. Wichita State out-scored the Roadrunners 23-14 in the fourth quarter to hand CSUB its 11-straight loss this season. All 11 Shockers who were suited up entered the game and scored.
 
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Led by second-year head coach Ari Wideman, CSU Bakersfield is 1-4, picking up its first win of the season last time out, defeating Omaha 82-73 on Thursday. The Roadrunners rank third in the Big West Conference in free throw attempts per game (22.4). Cal State Bakersfield is led by Chrishawn Coleman, who is averaging 18.6 points per game through the first five games. Coleman leads the conference in free throw attempts (41) and ranks second in made free throws with 26.Tena Ikidi is the team’s leading rebounding with 8.8 per game, ranking second in the Big West and also ranks second in the conference in blocks with nine total. CSUB was picked 11th of 11 teams in the Big West Preseason Poll.
 
THE MAIN DISH
Taya Davis is described as a true pass-first point guard, leading the Shockers in assists with 5.0 per game. Through five games, Davis ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game and total assists with 25. She ranks sixth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.39).
 
TREY-LA HARDING
Jaila Harding is the best shooter on Wichita State’s roster, shooting 40.5 percent from behind the arc. The graduate transfer and Wichita native leads the conference in total made threes (17) and three pointers per game (3.4). She is top 15 in the nation in both of those categories.
 
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 head to California for the UC Irvine ZotGiving Classic to face UC Irvine on Friday, Nov. 28 and Idaho on Saturday, Nov. 29 in the Bren Events Center.
Â