Wichita State women’s defense faces high-powered Drake offense with MVC on the line

The Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball championship won’t be decided Friday night, although it feels like it certainly might be, with how well the Wichita State and Drake teams have fared against the rest of the conference.

The two teams, both atop the standings at 13-1, will square off at Koch Arena in a highly-anticipated rematch of a game in which Drake rallied in the closing minutes to hand the Shockers their first conference loss.

While there are three games remaining for each side after this game with challenging tests awaiting both, there is no doubt the winner Friday will gain the upper hand. WSU is vying for its third consecutive Valley regular-season title.

“It’s a very important game for us,” WSU coach Jody Adams said. “It’s a measuring stick for us. Right now we’re focused on measuring us and seeing where we’re at, so this will be a good game for that.”

The two teams create the most intriguing battle in the conference. Drake is a high-powered, high-efficiency offensive machine that relies on outscoring opponents. Wichita State is a defensive powerhouse, capable of creating mayhem against any team.

In a game with not much separation, the details are crucial and last time the two teams played, Wichita State suffered slip-ups at inopportune times. Cleaning up those mistakes is a necessity this time around.

“It all starts with our pressure,” WSU senior Kelsey Jacobs said. “We have to be really disciplined because they’re so patient with the ball, they just wait for us to make mistakes. That’s where we have to be more disciplined than they are.”

Against most teams, Wichita State’s pressure defense allows it to be stretched out because its athletes are able to cover so much ground so quickly. But against Drake, the Shockers will pay for small creases they give up.

“They just wait for you to be too aggressive and jump out of position, then they make a back cut,” WSU senior Alex Harden said. “Or wait for you to not communicate, then they pop out and hit a three. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”

But Wichita State has advantages of its own, namely Harden.

The two-time reigning Valley player of the week will need a good game, and the Shockers will likely have to shoot well to keep pace with the Bulldogs.

Wichita State is also looking to go undefeated at Koch Arena for the first time in program history. The Shockers are 14-0 entering their final homestand. Northern Iowa visits Sunday.

“That’s what is important to us,” Harden said. “We want to protect our house.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Wichita State women’s defense faces high-powered Drake offense with MVC on the line."