Here’s how the WSU women’s basketball team pulled off its first 3-0 start since 2002

For the first time since 2002, the Wichita State women’s basketball team is 3-0 to start a season.

The Shockers continued their undefeated start Wednesday at Koch Arena in a 63-55 victory over Sam Houston State. Jaida Hampton scored a team-high 13 points to go along with five rebounds and four steals, while Carla Bremaud delivered 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting.

For WSU to be 3-0 is a notable accomplishment, considering it is one of the most inexperienced teams in the country with coach Keitha Adams being forced to rebuild on the fly. Though the Shockers have yet to leave Koch Arena (and will only play one true road game in the nonconference), their win over a solid Missouri State team earlier this week deserves recognition.

Also deserving recognition has been WSU’s defense, which has produced countless stops. The Shockers are holding opponents to 0.63 points per possession because they simply can’t hit shots against WSU. Opponents have a 33.1 percent effective field goal percentage through three games against WSU, a rate so astonishingly low that it simply cannot continue but also something the Shockers can be proud of in the early going.

Saturday’s home game against Houston Baptist figures to be more of the same for WSU: an outmatched opponent ideal for a team this build to continue to build confidence against. A win there would give WSU its first 4-0 start to a season since 1996.

But before they can worry about how long their undefeated start can last (a road trip to South Dakota next Wednesday is a stiff challenge), the Shockers have plenty areas where they can improve.

WSU’s offense has been sloppy to say the least, as 30 percent of possessions are going to waste due to turnovers (the Shockers are averaging 23.7 turnovers per game). WSU is also committing way too many fouls (nearly 23 per game). The Shockers had struggled rebounding their first two games, but they improved in that aspect on Wednesday and outrebounded Sam Houston State by two, 33-31.

Senior Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage has been the team’s best player early in the season. She has made 68 percent of her shots and is averaging a team-high 13.3 points, while Bremaud, the freshman from France, has added a jolt to the offense with her 10.7-point average. Seraphine Bastin has handled point guard duties, while Raven Prince (team-high 6.3 rebounds), Jaida Hampton and Ashley Reid have all provided crucial plays during WSU’s 3-0 start.