Before the game between Wichita State and the University of Kansas tipped off, KU players and coaches made their way to greet head coach Terry Nooner. Nooner was an associate head coach and assistant coach at KU for three seasons prior to coming to Wichita State. 

When game time came on Sunday afternoon, it was just two in-state rivals that were ready to face off. Wichita State ultimately fell to Kansas 76-56. 

The Jayhawks came swinging during the first quarter, scoring three triples that set an early tone to the match. 

Senior forward Sierra Morrow made her long-awaited debut with the Shockers after the NCAA approved her transfer waiver.

Morrow came off the bench with redshirt sophomore Jayla Murray. Murray returned to the court wearing a mask for the first time since receiving an elbow to the nose against Saint Louis on Dec. 1. 

During the first quarter, both players added momentum to the Shocker offense but the team as a whole would come up short. 

After the first quarter, the Shockers were down by merely three points, but a Jayhawk 5-0 run would allow them to increase the lead by eight before going into halftime, 35-27. 

Wichita State started a slow third quarter, scoring only 11 points. The Jayhawks followed its first-half momentum by making it a double-digit lead, leading by as much as 22. 

“I feel like as a team, we got to come up with the third quarter stronger,” senior Aniya Bell said. 

Bell came off the bench during the third quarter and went 3-4 from the 3-point line. 

“After this game, we need to reflect and figure out how we can come out swinging in the first few minutes and third quarter because that is going to set the pace for us,” Bell said. 

Morrow tied with Bell for a team-high 12 points off the bench and recorded a team-high six rebounds. Murray scored nine points for the Shockers 

The Jayhawks would continue with the momentum of the third quarter to finish with a .558 shooting percentage and a 20-point lead.  

Nooner said that despite losing, he was proud of the team’s effort to fight until the end. 

“I was pleased with how hard we played,” Nooner said. “We just got to fix some things up and clean some things up offensively, and I think we’ll be fine.”

Up next, Wichita State will go on the road to face off against Missouri State on Dec. 16, tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.