By:
Southeast Missouri (4-4) at Wichita State (1-4)
Date: Dec. 4
Tip: 12 p.m., Central
Location: Wichita, Kan.
Arena: Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Radio Talent: Steve Strain
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Quickly...Wichita State (1-4) plays host to Southeast Missouri State at noon, Friday, in the annual "Schoolhouse Rocks with the Shocks" promotion where area elementary school students are invited to attend the game. Along with at ticket, they are given a math packet with problems to solve.
-A year ago, 10,087 attended the "Schoolhouse Rocks with the Shocks" game, which was the fifth-best attendance in Shocker history.
-WSU's attendance record is 10,612 in 2000-01 (Levitt Arena), while the most inside Charles Koch Arena is 10,307 during the 2012-13 season.
-WSU is coming off a 76-62 win against Florida International in the FIU Turkey Slam. Taquandra Mike scored a game-high 28 points.Â
-The Shockers lost, 63-50, two days earlier against undefeated Richmond to fall into the consolation game.
-Prior to the tournament, the Shockers lost, 67-40, at Arkansas State, and also dropped their home-opener Nov. 18, a 57-37 loss against Missouri. WSU also opened the season with a 79-54 loss at Creighton Nov. 13.Â
-WSU is led in scoring by freshman
Jyar Francis, who averages 12.6 points a game off the bench.
-The Shockers returned five players from last year's NCAA Tournament team, including three who came off the bench for WSU. Junior guard
Jaleesa Chapel returned with the most experience, having played in 63 games with two starts the previous two years.Â
-Six Shockers will suit up against the Redhawks. Freshman
Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage has not been released to play after knee surgery prior to her arrival at WSU, and
Rangie Bessard, who transferred from Minnesota prior to the Spring semester has to sit out this semester per NCAA rules. Junior transfer
Marija Pacar and junior
Brittany Martin are also out with injury.
-WSU won its first of two exhibitions, 68-61, on Nov. 8 led by
Jyar Francis' 21 points. WSU also plays a second exhibition Dec. 29.
-Catch a feature with
Aundra Stovall on KAKE-TV Thursday night during the 6 p.m. newscast or on KAKE.com Friday.
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Mike Named MVC N-O-W... Wichita State junior transfer
TaQuandra Mike was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week Monday.
  Mike scored a Shocker career-high 28 points in the final game of the FIU Turkey Slam to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team. She led the Shockers in scoring in the two games with 14 points against Richmond and 28 against Florida International to average 21.0 points on 58.3 percent shooting (14-of-24).
  Mike also made 8-of-16 three pointers for a 50-percent effort from beyond the arc. She also added six free throws and averaged 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals in the two games.
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Series History... WSU and SE Missouri meet for the second time in women's basketball. WSU won the first meeting, 67-46, on Nov. 23, 2013.
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More on Southeast Missouri... Southeast Missouri (4-4) fell to the undefeated Missouri Tigers (8-0) Wednesday evening, 74-32. The Redhawks are led in scoring by Senior Olivia Hackman, who averages 17.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. Head Coach Rekah Patterson i sin her first season and spent the past two seasons (2013-15) as the associate head coach at Ball State. She previously worked on the staffs at Baylor (2002-04, 2009-13), Creighton (2007-08), Ball State (2006-07) and Eastern Illinois (2004-06).
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Tough Schedule… Wichita State opponents are 18-9 overall combined, including Missouri that is 9-0 with a RPI of 18. Future opponent Tennessee is listed at No. 6 after a loss to Texas.  This week, Missouri is ranked No. 31 in the AP poll in pointes received,while Arkansas State is 45th in the Coaches poll. Future opponent Tennessee is No. 8 in the AP and No. 8in the Coaches poll.
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Last Time Out...Wichita State defeated tournament host Florida International, 76-62, behind the career-high 28-point effort of all-tournament team member
TaQuandra Mike Sunday afternoon in the FIU Turkey Slam.
  WSU played the final 6:16 of the game with just five players, including Mike, who carried four fouls the final 7:39 of the game. Freshman
Jyar Francis had 21 points to back Mike, while she also had seven boards for the game-high.
  WSU held a steady lead and finished off the Panthers by making six free throws over the final 1:47, including three by Mike and freshman
Ellie Lehne.
  Overall, WSU shot 60 percent from the field (27-45) and 43.8 percent (7-16) from the arc, and held FIU to 41.1 percent (23-56). WSU also made 15-of-19 free throws and had 13 assists on its 27 baskets. Â
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In-Season Tournaments... Overall, WSU is now 67-80 in the 64 in-season tournaments the Shockers have played since 1974-75. In 1981-82, the Shockers played in five in-season tournaments and went 6-6. Overall, WSU has won 11 in-season tournaments.
Coach Adams is 14-9 in in-season tournaments since coming to WSU, and has won three in-season tournament titles.
WSU will play in its second in-season tournament of the season Dec. 18-19, in Wichita. WSU faces Prairie View A&M and North Carolina A&T on consecutive days.Â
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Defense Holding…  Wichita State has held its last three opponents to below their season average as Richmond scored 63 points while averaging 65.5 per game, Missouri scored just 57 points while averaging 78 points headed into the game, and Shockers held Arkansas State to 67 points after the Red Wolves had averaged 77 points a game.
FIU averaged more than 70 poitns a game and WSU held them to 62.
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Boards and Blocks… Brittany Martin took over the rebounding lead with 11 rebounds at Arkansas State and currently averages 6.0 a game, while she had 10 blocks in the first three games before her injury to average 3.3 a game. A year ago she had 25 blocks in 30 games off the bench.Â
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MU Breaks WSU's 17-Game Home win Streak... Prior to the Missouri loss, the Shockers had won 17-straight regular-season home games dating to a loss Feb. 23, 2014 to Indiana State in 2013-14. The Shockers won all 16 regular-season home games in 2014-15 and went 14-2 in 2013-14 for a two-year home record of 30-2. WSU's other loss in 2013-14 was to St. Joseph's in overtime.
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Francis MVC POW... Jyar Francis, who was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week the first week of the season, had a team-leading 15 points and eight rebounds in the loss at Creighton and also led WSU in scoring in the Shockers' first exhibition. She shot 50 percent from the field (5-10) and made 4-of-9 free throws against Missouri, and also had an assist and a steal in her first regular-season game as a Shocker. WSU won its first of two exhibitions, 68-61, on Nov. 8 and were also led by Francis' 21 points.Â
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Shockers Picked Fifth...The Shockers were picked fifth in the MVC Preseason vote of coaches, SIDs, Radio play-by-play and beat writers. Missouri State was picked as the favorite, and the Lady Bears are coming off another successful season, advancing to the 2014-15 MVC Tournament championship as they closed out last season winners of 10 of their final 12 games, and received 22 of 40 first-place votes and 373 total points, out-distancing Drake (347), UNI (320) and Southern Illinois (297). It is the Shockers' lowest position in the preseason poll since 2010-11 when the Shockers were also picked fifth. Despite winning the league, the league tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons, WSU has only been the favorite once, in 2014-15, in the 32 years of the poll. The Shockers were chosen second in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and came away with the title at the end of loop play.
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On the Web... Wichita State's home games this season will be broadcast on the internet at www.goshockers.com/watch/ with Steve Strain, who is in his second season calling the action for the Shockers. Steve is a veteran of radio and television, called women's basketball for the Texas Tech Lady Raiders from 2009-13. Strain will also call road games on KNSS 1330 with the exception of the game at Creighton which will be  internet-only due to afternoon conflicts with KNSS programming.
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On the Central Oklahoma Exhibition... Wichita State defeated Central Oklahoma in their first exhibition game of the season, 68-61.
   The Shockers were led by freshman
Jyar Francis who finished the game with team-highs in points at 21 and rebounds with six. Sophomore
Diamond Lockhart also contributed 20 points.
   Wichita State out-shot Oklahoma Central 47% (22-for-47) to 44% (24-for-54). The Shockers also out-rebounded the Bronchos 33 to 29.
   The Bronchos were led by McKenzie Solberg who had 19 points and seven rebounds.
  WSU also plays Oklahoma Christian in an exhibition Dec. 29.
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On Jody Adams... Adams (Tennessee, '94) is in her eighth season at Wichita State as the only Shocker women's basketball coach to make an NCAA appearance and win an MVC regular-season and MVC Tournament championship at WSU. Her 2012-13 team accomplished all of that, then the 2013-14 and 2014-15 teams repeated the exact same feat. WSU has won three-straight MVC regular-season and MVC Tournament titles while heading off to its third-straight NCAA Tournament.Â
At 29-5 overall, the 2014-15 team broke the school's season win record by three games.
She is 147-85 in her eighth season at WSU and 171-95 overall in her ninth season as a head coach, which includes a 24-8 record as head coach at Murray State in 2007-08.
In addition, WSU is 88-25 (.785) overall at home under Adams, including 16-0 in 2014-15.
Adams is first on the WSU all-time wins list. She passed Linda Hargrove, who won 113 games at WSU from 1989-98, on Fri., Feb. 21, 2014 in a win against Illinois State.
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Titles and Championships...Wichita State, which had a school-record 29-4 in 2014-15, earned its third NCAA Tournament bid in school history with an 85-71 win over Missouri State in the championship game of the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Charles, Mo. The NCAA Tournament appearances was Wichita State's third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance to go with three-straight MVC Tournament titles and three-straight MVC regular-season titles.Â
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Home Court Advantage...Wichita State is 17-1 over the last 18 games and won 17-straight regular-season home games dating to a loss Feb. 23, 2014 to Indiana State in 2013-14. The Shockers won all 16 regular-season home games in 2014-15 and went 14-2 in 2013-14 for a two-year home record of 30-2. WSU's other loss in 2013-14 was to St. Joseph's in overtime.
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First Time in Four Years... For the first time in four years, WSU will be without All-everything
Alex Harden. Harden, who completed her career as WSU's career-leading scorer and honors as an Honorable Mention All-American, was drafted as the 18th overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2015 WNBA draft. She ended her career as the most decorated Shocker women's basketball player in history.
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NCAA Tournament History...WSU is 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament, each under Jody Adams, who brought the Shockers their only tournament appearances. She had one appearance in her only year at Murry State and carries a 0-4 NCAA record. WSU lost at Texas A&M, 71-45, in 2013, at Penn State, 62-56, and 78-66, at Cal a year ago in NCAA Tournament play.
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2014-15 MVC Tournament Recap...In the title game against Missouri State, Tournament MVP
Alex Harden had 27 points and Michael Dapprich had 24 to lead WSU. Harden had been the Tournament MVP for three-straight years. Â Dapprich and
Jamillah Bonner, who averaged 13.0 points in the three games, were also named all-tournament. Against fourth-seeded UNI in the semifinals,
Alex Harden scored 18 points and the Shocker defense held UNI to 25 percent shooting take a 56-42 win against the Panthers. Harden, who made 50 percent of her shots in a 7-of-15 effort, was backed by
Kelsey Jacobs' 12 points and
Jaleesa Chapel's 10 points.
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MVC Title History...The Shockers, which finished the regular-season with a record of 26-4, including a 17-1 mark in league play, clinched its third-staight Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball regular-season title in program history. WSU closed out the regular season on a nine-game winning streak and broke a regular-season win record, MVC regular-season win record, and tied an overall win record. WSU secured a piece of its third-straight Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship with a 66-54 win against UNI, then earned the out-right title with a 77-63 win at Evansville.Â
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20-Win Progression Under Adams ... Â Wichita State ended up with a 29-4 overall record in 2014-15, which was the most wins in a season (29) and most wins in a regular season (26). The 2013-14 team had 26 wins and seven losses including postseason. The Shockers won just nine games a season prior to Adams' arrival, and 13 her first season in 2008-09, while the 2013-14 team lost just seven games, only the second season in Shocker history the team had single-digit losses. Wichita State has won 20 games or more for four-straight seasons and at least 26 games for two-straight. WSU has won 20 games six times overall since 1974-75.
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