Shocker women’s report: Cal 78, Wichita State 66
WICHITA ST. (29-5): Bonner 3-10 0-0 6, Jacobs 4-9 0-0 8, Decker 4-11 3-4 14, Harden 7-11 7-9 22, Dapprich 6-17 2-2 16, Martin 0-0 0-0 0, Chapel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 12-15 66.
CALIFORNIA (24-9): Cowling 4-7 3-4 11, Jefflo 4-11 4-6 14, Boyd 3-8 5-6 12, Gray 9-13 4-7 22, Green 4-8 1-2 11, Davidson 0-0 0-0 0, Shine 0-0 0-0 0, Range 3-5 0-0 6, Waters 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 28-54 17-25 78.
Halftime – California 37-27. Three-point shooting – WSU 6-19 (Decker 3-9, Dapprich 2-6, Harden 1-1, Bonner 0-3), Cal 5-15 (Green 2-3, Jefflo 2-9, Boyd 1-3). Rebounds – WSU 27 (Harden 9), Cal 38 (Gray 9). Assists – WSU 9 (Bonner 7), Cal 17 (Cowling 5). Fouls –WSU 14, Cal 15.
Leading to the end
In her final game, Alex Harden came through a performance fitting of her career.
Harden finished with team-highs in points (22), rebounds (9), and steals (4), while showcasing the athleticism, intelligence, and play-making ability that lived up to everything California coach Lindsay Gottlieb had seen on tape.
Gottlieb was so moved by the performance that she made sure to stop Harden at the end of the handshake line.
“I told her you can play anywhere,” Gottlieb said. “You could play for us, you could play for anybody in the country.”
This was Harden’s finest season, as she finished averaging 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.3 steals. She was the MVC Player of the Year this season and the MVC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for the third year in the row.
On Friday, Harden was near her best for a final time.
“She just took over,” fellow senior Kelsey Jacobs said. “She did what her role is as a scorer, a leader. She was our everything, our go-to.”
Harden is rare to show emotion following a game, win or lose, but on Friday there were tears filling up her eyes as she walked through the handshake line one last time.
But she left little doubt as what she will be remembered as at Wichita State, as Adams was asked after the game.
“As the best player,” Adams said, a proud grin forming on her face.
Cal’s cast delivers
Much like Wichita State, California relies on a short rotation (just six players) and has standouts in Reshanda Gray and Brittany Boyd.
So Adams devised a game plan that focused on limiting Gray’s touches in the paint and containing Boyd at all costs, which meant surrendering open shots to the other four players.
“We were going to gamble on the numbers and percentages,” Adams said.”We did that, but their role players stepped up and knocked those shots down.”
Entering the game the other four players California regularly plays were averaging a combined 34.9 points and 41-percent shooting. On Friday, those four players combined for 42 points on 15-of-31 (48 percent) shooting.
“We wanted to rely on what we think we’ve grown to be, which is a team with five threats on the floor,” Gottlieb said. “I thought our kids did a great job of being in attack mode.”
All season Wichita State has been the aggressor, the team making the other one bend. But on Saturday, the roles were reversed and it was California that was slicing up WSU’s defense and making them adjust.
Allowing 78 points and 51.9-percent shooting for the game is what bothered Adams the most.
“You see that score and that’s just not what we do,” Adams said. “We don’t really do 78 points. So that’s not really indicative of us.”
The future
Losing Harden, Jacobs, and Bonner appear on the surface to be devastating blows to Wichita State’s run of conference titles. After all, that is more than half of the team’s production in almost every statistical category and their leadership goes beyond what can be replaced.
But the team was still defiant that this is not the end of its run.
“Jody still has a lot of potential,” Jacobs said. “The players that had to stay at home and didn’t travel with us and had to redshirt, you just wait for them next year. They would have really helped us on this trip.”
Jacobs is referring to Diamond Lockhart and Rangie Bessard, two players who will become eligible next season and are expected to be instant contributors.
Wichita State also returns Michaela Dapprich and Alie Decker, as well as Jaleesa Chapel and Brittany Martin from its rotation. Aundra Stovall, Kayla White, and Moriah Dapprich are also underclassmen.
“I’m going to be their No. 1 fan from now on,” Jacobs said. “I’m so proud and happy that I came from California all the way to Wichita to become a Shocker. I would make the same decision if I had to go back. I’m so proud of what we accomplished.”
Taylor Eldridge
This story was originally published March 20, 2015 at 11:23 PM with the headline "Shocker women’s report: Cal 78, Wichita State 66."