The Wichita State women’s basketball team finished the regular season with a fiercely fought game on Tuesday evening against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The Shockers returned from a 16-point deficit to close the season with a win, 68-65.
WSU finished 9-21 overall and 5-13 in the American Athletic Conference. UAB ends at 9-9 in the AAC.
The Shockers began the game with a 4-0 lead but lost it after a 5-0 run from UAB in the last four minutes of the second quarter. UAB would run out to a 27-11 lead in the second quarter.
Sophomore forward Daniela Abies and redshirt sophomore Jayla Murray combined for eight points in the last 49 seconds of the second quarter, but the Shockers went into halftime behind, 33-25.
The eight-point lead was narrowed as Wichita State shot 50% in the third quarter.
The Shockers fell behind after a 9-0 run from UAB, and it was a battle as WSU played to catch up.
A 3-pointer from freshman guard Salese Blow at the end of the third quarter cut the deficit to one, 61-60, with 2:25 left on the clock.
After the teams traded the lead back and forth, Abies scored a layup to give the Shockers the lead, 66-65, with 24 seconds left. On their trip up the floor, UAB missed a layup and a jumper.
Blow hit both free throws to expand the lead to three points. With less than 10 seconds left, UAB missed a 3-pointer, collected the offensive board and missed one final shot to end the game.
The game against UBA gave WSU 16 points off turnovers and 36 points in the paint. The two teams tied three times over the four quarters.
Abies led all players with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Blow added 14 points, and senior guard Ambah Kowcun was the other double-digit scorer with 11. The Shockers shot 46% from the field as a team, its best mark since January.
Up next, both teams prepare for the American Athletic Conference tournament. Wichita State, the 13th seed in the tournament, will face off against 12th-seeded Florida Atlantic in a first-round game on Saturday, March 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
