Each night it seems there is a different player to step up and play a great game for Wichita State women’s basketball coach Jody Adams.

Michaela Dapprich is the most recent example.

The freshman guard scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Shockers (15-6, 9-0 Missouri Valley Conference) grinded out a 53-46 win over the Indiana State Sycamores (12-8, 4-5 MVC) on Sunday. 

“This team has so much versatility, you can’t just guard one player—you have to guard them all,” WSU guard Jessica Diamond said.

The Sycamores focused their defensive game plan around a zone defense to prevent Diamond and Alex Harden from penetrating into the paint.

“I prefer the team playing zone defense that leaves open gaps—you read the defense and it’s easier to score,” Dapprich said.

There are nights when WSU struggles to score—Sunday they missed 14 out of 21 shots in the second half. But one thing they can count on is that their opponent will struggle just as much—WSU smothered the Sycamores into 46 points on 31 percent shooting.

“Our defense continues to hold this group to the top and we understand that,” Adams said.

That makes nine straight MVC wins as the Shockers remain undefeated in the first half of conference play.

“It’s a great feeling, but like Jody says we celebrated for 24 hours, but then we move on and focus on the next team,” Kelsey Jacobs said.

WSU took its lumps early during non-conference play, going 5-5. Now, Adams is witnessing all the pieces on her team come together, winning 11 of their last 12 games. 

Diamond has established her role as a smooth scorer who can get hot in a hurry, Jasmine Jones is their elite perimeter defender, Jazimen Gordon and Jacobs make for athletic bigs that put pressure on other opposing frontcourts. And Harden is their talented jack-of-all-trades guard who can do a little of everything.

“I feel like that we have all the components and we have everything we need in order win,” Diamond said.