Wichita, Kansas: Shockers Rally Falls Short in 83-78 Loss at Kansas City

Wichita State women's basketball fell to 0-2 on Friday night, losing 83-78 to Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium after a second-half rally came up short.

The Shockers trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half. They outscored the Roos 49-36 over the final two quarters and cut the margin to three with 54 seconds left, but they could not complete the comeback. Kansas City improved to 2-0 with the win.

Vincent leads the comeback

Junior Ma'Riya Vincent led Wichita State with a career-best 17 points. She shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 at the free-throw line, and added four rebounds, five assists and three steals. Vincent fouled out less than a minute into the fourth quarter, and the Shockers still kept cutting into the lead without her.

Mari Milton added 14 points and a game-high nine assists for Wichita State. The Shockers had opened the season on Monday with a 61-41 loss at Kansas State, and Friday's game followed the same early pattern, with Kansas City in control from the start before Wichita State found its offense after halftime.

A series that had been one-sided

The teams met for the 12th time in program history. Wichita State led the all-time series 9-2 going into Friday and had won all three of its previous games in Kansas City. The Shockers won the last meeting, 72-63 in Wichita on Dec. 9, 2017. The Roos' previous win in the series came in 2016, a 56-54 result. Friday's win is Kansas City's first over Wichita State in ten years.

Kansas City opened its season on Monday with a 120-40 win over Baker. The Roos carried that form into the first half on Friday, building the 20-point lead before Wichita State's rally made the final minute a one-possession game.

Home opener is next

Wichita State returns home on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to face Missouri State in its home opener. The game is the program's annual Kids Day game. The Shockers will try to turn the second-half form from Friday, when they scored 49 points against a Kansas City defense that had held them in check early, into their first win of the season.

The split tells the story of the night. Wichita State scored 29 points in the first half and 49 in the second. Its defense held Kansas City to 36 points after halftime after allowing 47 before it. Both of the Shockers' losses in the first week have come on the road, at Kansas State on Monday and at Kansas City on Friday, and the home opener against Missouri State is the team's first game at Charles Koch Arena this season.