In a back-and-forth game at Temple University on Wednesday night, the Wichita State women’s basketball team showed fight in the fourth quarter but ultimately fell short to a last-second buzzer beater, 66-65.

With this, the Shockers drop to a 6-16 record and 2-8 in conference. Temple is now 6-3 in conference and 12-9 overall.

Temple ran out to a 12-2 lead to start the game, but a timeout from Wichita State head coach Terry Nooner allowed the visitors to reset. By the end of the first quarter, the Shockers had cut the Temple lead to two.

The Owls lead 28-27 with 90 seconds left in the first half, but a 3-pointer from freshman guard Salese Blow and back-to-back steals and layups from sophomore forward Daniela Abies gave Wichita State a six-point lead and the momentum halfway through the game.

The Shockers ran their lead up to nine points midway through the third period but never gained full control of the game. Temple was able to tie the score at 52 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, and the remainder of the game saw seven lead changes.

The Owls and Shockers traded buckets back-and-forth late in the fourth quarter. With 2:09 left, senior guard Aniya Bell drained a 3-pointer to give Wichita State a two-point lead, 61-59, but Temple quickly went down the floor to tie it.

After missed shots by both teams, senior guard DJ McCarty gave the Shockers the lead again with two free-throws. Ten seconds later, Temple evened the score.

McCarty hit a clutch driving jumper in the paint to give Wichita State the lead one final time with 17 seconds left. 

On the final Temple possession, a block from Abies seemed to seal the game until the ball was kicked out to Temple junior guard Tiarra East for the game-winning 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

The made three was uncharacteristic from the Owls on the night, as they shot 18% from beyond the arc compared to Wichita State’s 46%.

A few Wichita State players appeared to be stunned on the court after a strong fourth-quarter effort still resulted in a second-half collapse, a trend that has become all too familiar for the team this season. 

Despite nursing a slight limp down the stretch, Abies tallied her sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Shockers in both categories.

The other double-digit scorers for Wichita State were Blow, with 10 points, and junior forward Ornella Niankan, who came off the bench to score 11.

The game was an improvement for the Shockers from the prior matchup against Temple on Jan. 9, where they were blown out, 72-49, at home.

Wichita State returns to Charles Koch Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4 to face East Carolina. Tipoff is at 2 p.m.