Shockers fall to Arizona in OT

{WICHITA, Kan.) — Sophomore guard Jessica Diamond posted a game-high 18 points for Wichita State, but the Shockers fell, 81-72, in overtime to Arizona in Friday's women's basketball regular-season opener at Charles Koch Arena.

Diamond scored 16 points in the second half as the two teams exited regulation tied, 67-67, after Arizona erased the Shockers' 15-point second-half lead.

The Shockers had chances to win the game in the final 28 seconds of regulation with the score tied, but two missed layups and four missed free throws, including two from Chynna Turner with .2 seconds left on the clock forced overtime.

Sophomore guard Davellyn Whyte led her Wildcat teammates with five points in the overtime period.

Whyte, Shanita Arnold and Erica Barnes each posted 16 points for Arizona overall. Barnes led all players with 14 rebounds.

The Wildcats (1-0) outrebounded Wichita State, 56-48, overall. The Shockers (0-1) had 22 turnovers to Arizona's 15.

Haleigh Lankster and BreAnna Dawkins also posted double-digit points totals for Wichita State in front of a crowd of 4,036.

Arizona's visit Friday marked the second time a PAC-10 school has visited Wichita for women's basketball. Washington State beat the Shockers, 93-77, Dec. 28, 1994 in the only other PAC-10 team appearance at Wichita State.

The Shockers jumped out to a 5-0 lead on a 3-pointer from Lankster and jumper from Alicia Sanchez. The Wildcats' first two points came on free throws as Arizona went on to miss its first nine field-goal attempts.

Wichita State extended to an 11-2 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers from Lankster and Dawkins in the first five minutes. The Shockers extended to a 12-point lead with about 12:30 remaining in the first half on another Lankster three.

With about 12 minutes remaining in the half, the Shockers were shooting 57.1 percent from behind the 3-point line and the Wildcats were 1-for-16 overall, shooting 6.3 percent. Ify Ibekwe's layup marked the Wildcats' lone field goal in the first six minutes.

A 3-pointer from Heather Robben midway through the first half boosted the Shockers to 62.5 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point line (5-for-8) and gave Wichita State a 20-4 edge - the Shockers' largest lead of the game.

An 18-0 run from the Wildcats in the final 9:03 of the first half gave Arizona a 22-20 lead. The run gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game with 3:58 left before halftime.

A jumper from Diamond down the stretch regained the Wichita State lead, 25-23, with 2:11 before halftime.

A three-pointer from Dawkins at the buzzer boosted the Shockers to a 32-27 halftime lead.

Lankster led the Shockers with 12 points in the half. Soana Lucet posted seven first-half points for Arizona.

The Shockers shot 37.9 percent overall in the first half and 50 percent from behind the 3-point line. The Wildcats shot 25.8 percent in the first half overall. Each team picked up 24 rebounds in the half, and the Shockers had 12 turnovers compared to Arizona's eight.

Wichita State extended to a seven-point lead early in the second half and again later on a 3-pointer from Morgan Boyd at the 16:38 mark. The Wildcats responded with a 6-0 run. But back-to-back buckets, including a three-point play, from Diamond within a 26-second span pushed the Shockers to a 44-38 edge. Jazimen Gordon's field goal gave Wichita State an eight-point lead.

Diamond's hot shooting in the second half continued as she posted 14 points by the midway point of the second period. She went 1-for-9 in the first half, but 5-for-8 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, as Wichita State put together a 15-point lead.

Arizona cut the margin to single digits with 5:35 left in the game after a 3-pointer from Brooke Jackson and layup from Whyte. The baskets came during a 13-0 run from Arizona that cut Wichita State's lead to 61-59 with less than four minutes remaining in the game.

Michelle Price's offensive rebound and layup gave Wichita State a three-point lead with 2:57 left on the clock, but the Wildcats tied the game, 64-64, on a 3-pointer from Jackson with 1:54 left in the game.

Free throws gave Arizona a 66-65 edge, but a jumper in the paint from Sanchez regained a 67-66 Shocker lead. A Wildcat free throw from Barnes tied the game, 67-67.

The Shockers next hit the road to play at SIU Edwardsville at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Edwardsville, Ill. Wichita State returns home to host George Mason at 2:05 p.m. Nov. 20 at Charles Koch Arena.