WSU women snap 3-game losing streak with a tight victory over East Carolina

Wichita+States+Seraphine+Bastin+dribbles+past+East+Carolinas+defense+during+the+game+at+Charles+Koch+Arena+on+Saturday%2C+Feb.+1%2C+2020.

Selena Favela

Wichita State’s Seraphine Bastin dribbles past East Carolina’s defense during the game at Charles Koch Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020.

Wichita State squeaked out a 57-55 victory Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak. With the win, the Shockers improved to 12-10 on the season and 4-5 in conference play.

The Shockers got off to a slow start as the Pirates took a 13-6 lead following Taniyah Thompson three just as time expired in the first quarter. WSU responded nicely in the second quarter, ending the first half on an 8-2 run to tie up the ball game at 23 a piece heading into the locker room.

In the second half, the Shockers seemed to be more comfortable on both ends. Despite struggling throughout, D.J. McCarty sank a late three-pointer to give WSU a two-point lead with 11.6 seconds left. Lashonda Monk’s last-second shot attempt was unable to fall, securing the Shockers’ victory.

WSU never seemed to find their shooting groove, but the Shockers got to the line, which was a huge catalyst in the tight victory. For the game, the Shockers went 21-30 from the line.

“For the most part, I thought our defense was pretty good today, but our offense, we just struggled,” Head Coach Keitha Adams said. “Defense wins games and our defense was good and our offense did enough to get the win. ”

Another key for WSU was controlling the glass while creating second-chance opportunities. WSU outrebounded the Pirates 33-29 while creating 11 second-chance points.

“I think for us, we talked about two things we needed to be really good at — rebounding, which we won the boards, and taking care of the basketball,” Adams said. “We did a much better job of taking care of the basketball against a team that can really take care of the basketball.”

The Shockers shut down East Carolina’s leading scorer, Lashonda Monk, holding her to one point entering the fourth quarter.

“She’s the head of the snake,” Adams said of Monk. “She’s what makes them go. She’s definitely pro. She can come off a ball screen and knock down a deep three. You give her time and space and she’s gonna knock it down. We trapped her a lot and we wanted to force her to have to give the ball up.”

WSU’s depth was tested throughout the game, due not only to foul trouble but also to injuries up and down the roster. In total, the Shockers had five players out with injuries — Mariah McCully, Ashlei Kirven, Natalia Ryng, Trajata Colbert, and Jaida Hampton.

“This week, we really faced a lot of adversity,” Adams said. “We’ve been struggling and having five players out due to injury. We were pretty frustrated with our performance against SMU. You add the frustration and the injuries and you put it all together, really a rough week. Definitely a week of adversity. Really proud we were able to come through with the win.”

The Shockers will be back in action on Wednesday as they head to Philadelphia for a matchup with the Temple Owls. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.