Alex Harden becomes Wichita State women’s scoring leader in MVC victory
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Like so many times over the past four years, Alex Harden beat her defender off the dribble and elevated when she sensed an opening, connecting on a mid-range jump shot.
It has become the signature shot of Harden, one she has made so many times that she didn’t think twice after this particular one fell to put the Shockers ahead by 17 points with 6:20 remaining in the second half of what would become a 59-42 victory over Loyola.
The initial cheers at Family Arena went unnoticed by Harden as she headed downcourt. Then they didn’t stop.
“I was like, ‘It was just a bucket,’” Harden said. “Then I realized, ‘Oh, it couldn’t have been just a bucket.’”
This bucket was for the record book, as Harden eclipsed Allison Daniel as the Wichita State women’s basketball program’s career scoring leader at 1,641 points – eventually three more than Daniel after 16 points on Friday afternoon.
With the victory, Wichita State advanced to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the seventh straight season and will play Northern Iowa at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s well-deserved, that’s for sure,” said Kelsey Jacobs, Harden’s teammate for four seasons. “She’s worked her butt off for four years and she’s our leader. I’m so proud and so happy for her.”
When the public-address announcer acknowledged the feat after the next dead ball, Harden showed no reaction. As Wichita State fans showered their star with applause, Harden was busy barking out instructions to teammates.
Even with WSU leading by 17 points with six minutes left.
“There was still time on the clock,” Harden said. “It’s March, anything can happen.
“It’s a special landmark, but we’ve got things to do here first.”
Wichita State coach Jody Adams rarely takes time to reflect on anything other than the task at hand, but Harden’s accomplishment deserved recognition. The coach marveled at the growth of a player who entered the program without much ball-handling ability.
“Now she’s our point-forward, our LeBron,” Adams said. “She can do it all. She didn’t come with that, she worked to that. When other people are sleeping, she’s working.”
The accomplishment overshadowed what was otherwise an average, at best, effort from a Shocker team that didn’t need anything more to defeat the ninth-seeded Ramblers. Alie Decker hit four three-pointers, but WSU shot 35.9 percent as a team.
In that respect, Wichita State has been the envy of coaches around the Valley. The Shockers don’t always have to be good offensively to win because their defense is so tough, so aggressive, so frustrating that it often doesn’t matter.
On Friday, Wichita State held Loyola scoreless on 43 of its 65 possessions, smothering the Ramblers to force 21 turnovers and 37-percent shooting.
“They’re going to get in your grill for 40 minutes,” Loyola coach Sheryl Swoopes said. “I enjoy playing like that.I wish we had the players and the ability to play that type of basketball.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Alex Harden becomes Wichita State women’s scoring leader in MVC victory."