Lady Shockers suffer three straight losses

Wichita State women’s basketball had a tough week, suffering three consecutive losses at the Cancun Challenge Tournament at the Moon Palace Resort in Mexico. 

The Shockers fell 49-44 against the Missouri Tigers on Thursday.

Jessica Diamond scored a game-high 18 points for the Shockers and Alex Harden added 10 rebounds, but it was not enough to get through Missouri’s 41 percent shooting average. 

The Shockers seemed to have trouble keeping a steady pace with their shots, shooting only 26 percent from the field. Even with the Tigers’ 22 turnovers, WSU could not battle Missouri’s aggressive offense or maintain a strong enough lead to win the game. 

Despite efforts to move the ball and make baskets, Missouri’s defense shut the Shockers out. While WSU did battle closely in points, they fell short by five in the final minute of the first tournament game, resulting in a loss.

The second game showed a little hope for the Shockers, but the Richmond Spiders upset them, 49-46. Diamond scored another 17 points for WSU and Harden assisted with 12. The Spiders took control of the scoreboard by shooting 41 percent over the Shocker’s 39 percent from the field. 

Both teams took their turns with the lead, but Richmond pulled through at the end by three points, leaving WSU to lose the second game in the tournament.

Good news did not come for the Shockers in game three, when they fell to James Madison University, 63-58. 

Though the game had seven ties and 15 lead changes, James Madison pulled ahead for the victory. Diamond scored 14 points for the Shockers and Jazimen Gordon scored 10. 

Even though WSU did not incur a single win during the tournament, all games were within five points. The Shockers will play Grambling at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday in Charles Koch Arena.