Wichita State women’s basketball took on its first Power Four opponent on Wednesday night against a red-hot Red Raiders team. Texas Tech looked every bit of an undefeated Big XII squad, coming in at No. 21 in the NET rankings, whereas the Shockers rank 327th out of 363 teams.
Overmatched and outrun, Wichita State extended its losing streak to eight games in an 83-43 loss, the longest streak of the Terry Nooner era and since the 2004-05 season (10).
An abysmal 23% from the floor from the Shockers (1-8) wasn’t just an inability to make shots, but also the swarming defense from the Red Raiders (10-0).
Early on, Wichita State matched up defensively against Texas Tech, and graduate guard Abby Cater stole the ball twice within the first three minutes of game time.
Offensively, the Shockers did not take advantage of it — only hitting one of their first seven field goals. But they were able to make it to the free throw line three times, hitting 4-of-6 from the stripe before Nooner called a timeout before the six-minute mark, trailing 7-6.
Then the seams burst as Wichita State struggled on the defensive end as the team lost focus.
On the offensive side, the Shockers could not stop turning the ball over. Lazy passes, with the lack of concentration on the other end, spelled doom for the Shockers. Wichita State turned the ball over nine times and made no assisted baskets in the first quarter.
Wichita State remained scoreless for the remaining 6:38 in the period and allowed the Red Raiders to bust open the game on a 22-0 run that spanned into the second. Graduate guard Jaila Harding plugged the wounds on a midrange jumper, 27-8.
Harding’s jumper sparked momentum for the Shockers, as they went on a 9-3 run, including two 3-pointers by junior guard Kyleigh Ortiz.
WSU missed some open opportunities several times afterward, while Texas Tech continued to step on the gas and upped its lead by as many as 23 before halftime. Harding went 0-of-5 in the first half from 3-point range as the Shockers trailed at the break, 40-21.
With the full court press throughout the second half, the Red Raiders defense continued to smother Wichita State.
When the Shockers weren’t getting lit up from beyond the arc, Texas Tech’s redshirt senior forward Jada Malone destroyed them on the low block with her display of post moves. Malone asserted mismatches and went 5-of-7 from the field and 9-of-9 at the line. She had a double-double on the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Even with the Red Raiders’ reserves on the court late in the fourth quarter, the Shockers couldn’t string anything together, shooting 7.7%. Five Wichita State players had a plus/minus of minus-20 or worse. Ortiz was the only net zero on the court for the Shockers.
Wichita State will finish its non-conference schedule with a four-game home stand, starting with Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday at Charles Koch Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Box score breakdown
WSU — 6; 15; 16; 6 — 43
TTU — 17; 23; 22; 21 — 83
Shooting totals (fg-3p-ft)
WSU (23.2% – 20.0% – 65.0%)
TTU (45.9% – 41.7% – 77.3%)
Leaders
Points — WSU: Jaila Harding (11), Kyleigh Ortiz (6), Jaida McDonald (6). TTU: Jada Malone (19), Snudda Collins (13), Bailey Maupin (10).
Rebounds — WSU: Maimouna Sissoko (5), Bre’Yon White (5), Diamond Richardson (4). TTU: Jada Malone (10), Gemma Nuñez (10), Jalynn Bristow (4).
Assists — WSU: Taya Davis (3). TTU: Jada Malone (3), Bailey Mauphin (3).
