Wichita State’s women’s basketball team could not keep the ball secure as Temple forced 25 turnovers inside Koch Arena Tuesday night. That led to 22 points for the away team, as the Shockers lost their fourth-straight game, 70-50.
WSU fell to 3-13 overall and 0-3 in American Conference play, and led the Owls (7-7, 1-1) for less than half a minute throughout the contest.
“(We) didn’t take care of the ball like we needed to,” head coach Terry Nooner said. “Too many points in the paint, and too many points off turnovers. We knew this game was going to come down to us protecting the paint. That was the game plan going into it.”
While problems with ball security plagued WSU, so did finishing down low. The Shockers were 10-of-24 on layup attempts throughout the game. Nooner said it was disappointing.
“We work on it every day,” he said. “That’s even worse than I thought it was.”
The Shockers made one change to the starting lineup as graduate guard Abby Cater made her first start in five games. Cater, dealing with a hand injury, finished with seven points and shot 3-of-8 from the field. Her efforts, despite the pain, didn’t go unnoticed.
“I mean, she takes the thing (wrap) off, and if you look at her,” Nooner said, “her thumb is blue and purple after the game. She’s given us everything (she) got.”
It took WSU nearly four minutes of game time to make its first field goal, turning the ball over four times and surrendering a four-point Temple lead.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, graduate guard Jaila Harding hit a three to give the Shockers their first — and only — lead of the game, 7-6. The Owls keyed in on her throughout the game, as WSU’s leading scorer finished with just one triple on six attempts.
Despite being held to six points, Harding hit her 50th 3-pointer this season, moving into sixth place in program history in a single season. The Wichita native needs 23 to tie the record.
“She had some looks tonight that she normally makes, that she didn’t get to go,” Nooner said. “I know anytime she plays that way, she’s going to be outstanding, like she didn’t have as great a shooting night tonight.”
Temple responded with a 10-4 run in the final five minutes of the first quarter after the Shockers stole the advantage and took an 18-11 lead at the end of the period.
Refreshed after the break, WSU began to claw back and tied the game at 21, but the Owls stole any momentum with an 11-0 run right after, 32-21. Graduate forward Bre’Yon White ended the Temple run and ended a three-minute Shocker scoring drought as they trailed 32-23 at halftime.
Sixteen first-half turnovers haunted WSU to begin the third quarter, as the Shockers coughed the ball up twice during another Temple scoring run as the cushion ballooned to 15 points, 38-23.
Nooner said that the Shockers lacked focus coming out of the locker room.
“It was mishandling the ball,” he said. “One was on a dribble hand-off with Diamond (Richardson), and it was another on the inbounds play. We had a person that went to the wrong spot on an inbounds play. And we give them two quick run outs.”
The Owls maintained their large lead throughout the third, and upped it to 21 within a minute-and-a-half of the fourth, 55-34. With a little over two minutes left in the game, graduate guard Diamond Richardson connected on the first 3-pointer the Shockers made during the entire second half.
WSU finishes a three-game homestand with its next matchup against East Carolina. Tipoff against the Pirates is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.
Box score breakdown
WSU — 11; 12; 11; 16 — 50
Temple — 18; 14; 18; 20 — 70
Shooting totals (fg-3p-ft)
WSU (35% – 25% – 69%)
Temple (41% – 20% – 67%)
Leaders
Points — WSU: Diamond Richardson (10), Cheyenne Banks (8), Abby Cater (7), Azjah Reeves (7). Temple: Kaylah Turner (13), Jaleesa Molina (13), Saniyah Craig (13), Tristen Taylor (11).
Rebounds — WSU: Treasure Thompson (6), Abby Cater (6), Cheyenne Banks (4). Temple: Felicia Jacobs (8), Jaleesa Molina (7), Saniyah Craig (5), Brianna Mead (5).
Assists — WSU: Treasure Thompson (2), Diamond Richardson (2), Bre’Yon White (2), Azjah Reeves (2). Temple: Tristen Taylor (5), Kaylah Turner (4).
