Links to history
Wichita State (13-8, 3-5) at the Temple (9-11, 4-4) Wednesday, February 1, 2023 | 6:00 PM CT | ESPN+ Liacouras Center | KFH 97.5FM/1240AM | ShockerStats.com
ON AIR
Wednesday’s game can be heard on the radio at KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM with Steve Strain calling the action. Strain is in her ninth season as the radio voice for Wichita State women’s basketball. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State recorded its first road conference win in Cincinnati on Saturday with a 69-50 win against the Bearcats. Wichita State completed the regular season sweep of Cincinnati and earned its fourth straight win against the Bearcats. Wichita State led by as many as 24 in the second half and never trailed in the game. After committing a season-high 27 turnovers against ECU, Wichita State regrouped and had only nine, a season-low. Jane Asinde and Ambah Kowcun combined for 45 of Wichita State’s 69 points. Asinde collected her seventh double-double behind her career-high 23 points and 14 rebounds. Ambah Kowcun returned after missing the previous three games and missing a career-high 22 in Cincinnati. Kowcun was a career best 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Led by first-year head coach Diane Richardson, Temple enters Wednesday matchup at 9-11 this season and 4-4 in American play. Temple is led by a three-headed scoring attack in Aleah Nelson, Tiarra East and Jasha Clinton. Nelson leads the team in scoring (15.7 points) and assists (80), while East adds 11.3 points and 6.2 rebounds and Clinton posts 11.1 points and 53 assists. Nelson was a two-time American Athletic Conference Player of the Week and shoots 34.2% from beyond the arc. As a team, Temple leads the American Athletic Conference in free throw shooting with 75.1%.
THE SERIES VS. TEMPLE
Wichita State and Temple have met 10 times before Wednesday’s matchup, with Temple winning the last three meetings. The first ever fight was in November 1983 at a neutral field which Temple won, 83-79. Wichita State is 1-3 against the Owls in Philadelphia.
LAST MEETING
Wichita State and Temple have met just once a season ago: a matchup in Philadelphia that the Owls won, 70-49, on Feb. 2, 2022. Wichita State trailed by 11 in the second quarter, and then by eight in the fourth , while Temple ran away with the win. Wichita State committed 19 turnovers and shot just 31.7% from the floor. Temple has 13 passing the Shockers, including 22 offensive rebounds. Jane Asinde had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Nhug Bosch Duran added 12 points and Shamaryah Duncan added 11.
DEFEND YOURSELF
Wichita State boasts a top-70 defense in the first 21 games of the season. They held all but eight opponents to under 38% shooting and only six teams shot better than 32% from three-point range. Wichita State field defense holds the teams to just 36.9 percent, good for 48th nationally. Opponents only connect on 28.8% of their attempts from long range. Wichita State has held nine opponents under 60 points, including four under 50.
TRIS OF TALENTJane Asinde, DJ McCarty and Trajata Colbert are forming a powerful trio for the Shockers. All three are averaging double-digits on the season and combine for 50.9% of Wichita State’s points on the offensive end. On the glass, they combine to pull down 21.4 rebounds per game. Defensively, the trio account for 62.0% (101 steals) of the team’s steals this season and 56.3% (36 blocks) of the team’s blocks.
KOWCUN IS KOOKIN’
Junior Ambah Kowcun is warming up at the right time for Wichita State. In his last four games, he averaged 13.3 points on 57.1% shooting (16-of-28) and 60% from three-point range (12-of-20). The Australian sharpshooter is hitting a season-high 22 points in Cincinnati on Jan. 28 behind 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
SEE DOUBLE
Wichita State senior Jane Asinde is averaging a double-double in 21 games this season with 11.9 points and 10.7 rebounds. The Uganda native is on course to finish the season with top-10 rebounding in a single season. His current 10.7 boards per game would rank eighth in school history. She is also looking to become the first Shocker to average a double-double in a season since Antionette Wells during the 2006-07 season, when she recorded 13.0 points and 10.4 rebounds.
WANTED FOR THEFT
Junior guard DJ McCarty and senior forward Jane Asinde were nuisances on defense as they tackled offense for 21 games. McCarty has recorded at least one steal in all but three games, and has more than 13 steals in 13 of 21 games. His 46 steals are the most on the team. Asinde is second on the team with 39 steals and averaging 2.11 steals per game and she has the most steals in 11 games this season. They rank 3rd and 5th respectively in the American for steals per game.
COLBERT CASH Trajata Colbert has improved dramatically over the past two years on the free throw line. The Georgia native began her career shooting 42.1% as a freshman, 61.1% as a sophomore and 50.9% as a COVID sophomore. In 2021-22 she is shooting a career high 76.0% and in 20 games so far in 2022-23, she is 62 for 77 (80.5%). Colbert ranks fifth in the American in free throw percentage.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
With 21 games Wichita State ranks in the top 70 nationally in the following categories: No. 23 in rebounding margin (7.9), no. 44 in rebounds per game (40.81), no. 0.56 in free throws made per game (14.0), 60 in fouls per game (15.0), 68 in defensive rebounds per game (27.4) and 70 in offensive rebounds (13.4). Jane Asinde ranks 13th nationally in rebounds per game, 26th in total rebounds and 24th in defensive rebounds per game.
A SHOCKER VICTORY WOULD BE…
… move them to 14-8 on the season … move them to 4-5 in conference play … move them to 4-5 on the road this season … move them to 4-7 all-time against Temple .. . snap a three-game losing streak against the Owls … take Keitha Adams’ record to 76-86 at Wichita State … lead Adams 360-295 at the Division I level … manage Adams’ career as a coach record at 487-332 … make Wichita State 646-734 all-time
A SHOCKER LEAK WOULD BE…
… take them to 13-9 this season … take them to 3-6 in conference play … take them to 4-6 on the road this season … take them to 3-8 all-time against Temple. .. be their fourth straight loss to the Owls … take Keitha Adams’ record to 75-87 at Wichita State … take Adams 359-296 at the Division I level … lower Adams’ career record at 486 -333 … make Wichita State 645-735 all time
NEXT
Wichita State opens its home schedule for the month of February Saturday, Feb. 4 against Memphis for National Day for Girls and Women in Sports.
