The Wichita State Women’s Basketball Program made their debut game of the season in strong fashion in an exhibition match against NCAA Division II Missouri Southern State University. The Shockers won 89-61. 

“For our first outing, I think there were a lot of positives,” Head Coach, Keitha Adams said.

The Shockers started off in a 2-2-1 press, battling it out in the first few minutes of the first quarter. They then took an early lead and finished the quarter 27-19.

Both teams dished it out most of the second half of the game but the Shockers rebounded to create their largest lead of the night, sinking in 36-points. The Shockers cruised their way to victory at the end of game with a 28-point victory margin.

“Going into the exhibition match the expectation was to see the team pressuring the ball and offensively it was looking to see who plays well with one another,” Adams said.  

Newcomer and junior college transfer forward Jane Asinde made her debut for the Shockers scoring a team-high of 17- points and eight rebounds. 

“I did learn a lot from our point guard and running the floor,” Asinde said.

Another standout player was junior point guard Seraphine Bastin who had the second most amount of points on the team. She scored 15 points and got eight rebounds on the night. 

“She has played a lot for us, for three years, and I know the inside of her hand and we know each other because of all of our experiences,” Adams said.

The Shockers struggled towards the end of the game due to 13 turnovers. Going into their next match up, the Shockers will be working to clean up their transition defense in hopes of not giving up fast breaks. 

“We would like to have less than 10 turnovers a game, but it was still pretty good for this game,” Bastin said. 

Senior guard Asia Strong played a powerful game with nine points, 10 rebounds, and seven defensive rebounds. Bastin said that both Strong and Asinde fought hard to get the ball in their hands. 

“When we have Jane [Asinde]  and we have Asia [Strong] running the floor, every time we have to give them the ball,” Bastin said. 

 The incoming freshman and transfers this season on the roster has created a lot of depth for the Shockers

“Having some depth, we’ve added some nice newcomers and with our returners, this year’s team I think we’re gonna have more options and more depth,” Adams said.

Adams said one of the key take-aways from the game was the chemistry that the team has built leading up to their matchup against Missouri Southern.  

“I think that comradery and that chemistry that they have with each other off the court has made it a lot of fun,” Adams said. 

This was the first match since the start of the COVID – 19 pandemic that there has been fans and almost a sense of normalcy. 

“It felt great to be back and have the band, smell of popcorn, and have fans in the stands,” Adams said.

The Shockers will open up their regular season with a match up against Chicago State University  on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at Charles Koch Arena.