Basketball season in the Roundhouse has officially returned, as Wichita State’s women’s basketball team faced off against Lincoln, a Division II school in Missouri.
The Shockers took their first win of the season in a 96-42 blowout of Lincoln that never looked within reach. They finished the game shooting 57.1% from the field and 40% from 3-point range (8-of-20), a stark improvement over last year’s season-opener.
“We had four people in double figures,” WSU head coach Terry Nooner said. “(But we) really (tried) to shoot to see if we could get five. But I thought overall it was a great team effort.”
Graduate forward Bre’Yon White granted the Shockers the opening tipoff. Lincoln drew first blood with a 3-pointer to begin the game.
“(White) and (Cheyenne Banks) must have had a little side deal between each other since she started tonight,” Nooner said. “Bre actually has a nice vertical, like, she can jump. She’s got long arms, she’s a quick jumper.”
Graduate guard Abby Cater scored the Shockers’ first two points of the season at the charity stripe after coercing a foul two minutes into the game.
Graduate guard Jaila Harding hit the team’s first field goal with a 3-pointer. Harding, a Wichita native, went on to exploit the defense for the rest of the game, looking confident on every opportunity. She ended the game with a game-high 17 points on a smoking hot clip of 50% from the floor (6-of-12).
“Just practice, repetition,” Harding said. “That’s the same thing I do in practice. Taya (Davis) finds me the same exact way in practice, so I’m ready to knock down good shots in the game.”
Nooner’s aggressive defensive scheme outdid Lincoln on a physical scale, by being quicker in the passing lanes. While it certainly did enough to make Lincoln shy away from the inside shot, the aggressive trap defense left at least one man open for the 3-pointer.
Despite this, the Shockers forced 31 turnovers and managed to score 39 points off them.
“That’s stuff we’ve been practicing a lot or so with our defense,” Nooner said. “Sometimes when you create traps that’s gonna leave somebody open, and we’ve got to do a better job of scrambling and getting back to shooters.”
Harding finished the first quarter going 3-of-5 on 3-pointers.
“Playing with Jaila has been my easiest year of college,” graduate guard Taya Davis said. “I can find her anytime. I know she’s gonna be looking for me. I don’t look for the big first sometimes because I know she’s going to be in an open spot, in an open window where I can hit her.”
Junior guard Kyleigh Ortiz had the last laugh of the first half with a buzzer-beating corner 3-pointer, giving the Shockers a 37-point lead at halftime, 56-19.
The third quarter was far more dominant, as the Wichita State defense held Lincoln to only six points. WSU held Lincoln to an abysmal 2-of-13 from the field in the period and outscored the Blue Tigers 21-6.
Graduate forward Sophie Benharouga dominated in the post with her size and touch, earning 15 points, going 7-of-10 from the field. In the rebound department, Wichita State dominated the boards, with Shocker free throws turning into a 50-50 on the offensive boards.
With the bench empty, WSU took its foot off the gas pedal in the fourth with the game’s decision practically decided, slowing down their pace and giving less effort on offense, being more careless with the ball.
“I thought we did a great job of enforcing 31 turnovers as a group,” Nooner said. “We had 24 assists, which I thought was excellent. We’ve got to get our turnovers down. 22 is way too many.”
Free throws are still a concern with this team just as last year, as the team shot 16-28 from the charity stripe, just 57.1%.
Wichita State will stay in Koch Arena to play against the Northwestern State University of Louisiana, their first Division I opponent of the season, on Thursday, Nov. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Box score breakdown
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 T
WSU 26 30 21 19 96
Lincoln 12 7 6 17 42
Leaders
Points — WSU: Jaila Harding (17), Sophie Benharouga (15), Abby Cater (12). Lincoln: Taelyn Smith (11), Kiara Cabrera (9), Isis Sanders (6).
Rebounds — WSU: Abby Cater (7), Jaila McDonald (7), Maimouna Sissoko (7). Lincoln: Kiara Cabrera (4), Taelyn Smith (4), Aaliyah Smith (4).
Assists — WSU: Taya Davis (9), Diamond Richardson (4), Abby Cater (3), Jaida McDonald (3). Lincoln: Isis Sanders (2), Taelyn Smith (2).
