Wichita State women’s basketball kicked off its Emerald Coast Classic run in Destin, Florida, with a 3-pointer against Creighton University.
That was the only time the Shockers looked competitive all game as they were crushed by the Blue Jays on Monday evening, 91-63.
It’s the second straight blowout loss for Wichita State against a Power Five Conference opponent, having lost to #9 University of Oklahoma last week. The Shockers are now 2-4 on the season, while Creighton improved to 3-2.
In what has become a trend for the team this season, the Shockers shot miserably from the 3-point line at 2-12. They also committed 20 turnovers, 13 of which came in an error-prone first half.
Creighton capitalized for 19 points off turnovers, scoring an additional 13 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds.
The Blue Jays rode a 13-0 run over six minutes to take a 20-7 lead in the first quarter. The Shockers missed seven shots and committed a whopping six turnovers during that stretch of sloppy basketball.
Wichita State never again cut the deficit within 10 points. By the end of the half, Creighton was leading, 50-25. Sophomore guard Salese Blow was one of the team’s few sources of offense in the first half, scoring nine points.
Wichita State only trailed the second-half scoreline, 41-38, but it was too little too late.
Junior forward Jayla Murray led the Shockers in scoring for the game with 16 points, but 12 of those came in the second half. Junior guard Jasmine Peaks also provided a spark in the second half to score a career-high 10 points, adding four assists.
The entire team caught the turnover bug with eight Shockers committing two or more giveaways. Graduate student guard Taylor Jameson put up an offensive dud with three turnovers and six missed shots without scoring a point.
The Shockers will have another chance to earn a marquee win on Tuesday, Nov. 26, against the University of Missouri. Tipoff for that game between Emerald Coast Classic Monday losers is scheduled for 5 p.m.
