DECEMBER, 10TH, 2023
WSU COMMUNICATIONS / goshockers.com
WICHITA – Wichita State dropped its second-straight home game, falling 76-56 to in-state foe Kansas Sunday afternoon in Charles Koch Arena.
S’Mya Nichols had a game-high 23 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 10-for-12 from the field, to lead the Jayhawks (5-4) past the Shockers (4-6) for the fourth-consecutive meeting.
Despite the Shockers shooting their second-best three-point (.333) and free throw (.722) percentages of the year, the offense still struggled to find its stride, scoring just 11 points in the third quarter. Wichita State’s third quarter has been its lowest-scoring quarter in six games this year.
Senior transfer from Miami (OH), Sierra Morrow, made her long-awaited Shocker debut after the NCAA approved her transfer waiver, tying for a team-high 12 points off the bench and recording a team-high 6 rebounds.
Aniya Bell entered the game partway through the third quarter and shot 3-for-4 from behind the arc to tie with Morrow for a team-high and career-high 12 points, hitting back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter to spark a 7-0 run for the Shockers.
Jayla Murray put up nine points for the Shockers as she made her return to the court after taking an elbow to the nose in the Dec. 1 win over Saint Louis.
The Shockers grabbed 19 offensive rebounds on their way to out-rebounding their opponent for the third-straight game (37-27) but only scored nine points on those second chances.
Wichita State held KU’s Holly Kersgieter, who averages 12 points per game, to just 2-for-5 and six points.
The Jayhawks hit three triples in the first quarter to set the tone for the game as they went on to shoot 9-for-19 (.474) from three, the most three-pointers the Shockers have allowed this season.
The Shockers were only down three after the first quarter and hung around in the second quarter with four points apiece from Tre’Zure Jobe and Morrow, but Kansas went on a 5-0 run to increase its lead to eight going into halftime.
The Jayhawks turned that 5-0 run into a 21-2 run as they scored six unanswered out of the break and led by as many as 22 in the third quarter.
Bell created a spark for Wichita State as the Shockers fought to within nine in the fourth quarter, but Kansas didn’t take its foot off the gas and finished the game 30-for-51 (.588) from the field, the highest field goal percentage by a Shocker opponent this season.
Wichita State hits the road for the first time since Nov. 25 as they take on Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. on Saturday, Dec. 16.