Wichita State women string two wins together (+video)

It wasn’t a resounding victory or a convincing finish, but it was a win and right now that will work for the Wichita State women’s basketball team.

A comfortable lead became a game that was determined on the final shot when WSU began trading turnovers for three-pointers, but a pair of free throws in the final seconds were enough to escape with a 55-53 victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday afternoon at Koch Arena.

The game was the finale to the Shocker Winter Classic. The Shockers (3-7) entered with one win on the season and left with two in two days, as well as a noticeable boost for the team’s psyche.

“The bench changed and our effort changed,” WSU coach Jody Adams said. “Everybody was willing to sacrifice what they do well for what this team needed them to do to get the win, no matter what it was. This team was willing to give and sacrifice, and that’s a big step.”

Wichita State appeared en route to its second straight double-digit victory, as the hot shooting of TaQuandra Mike (game-high 18 points) and low-block presence of Rangie Bessard (16 points) built a 46-35 lead near the end of the third quarter.

But in the fourth quarter’s first 10 possessions, WSU scored just two points and turned over the ball eight times. Meanwhile, North Carolina A&T drilled three straight three-pointers and rattled off a 14-2 run to take the lead, 49-48, with 5 minutes remaining.

The game was tied at 53 with 38 seconds remaining and Marija Pacar was on her way to a dribble hand-off just inside the perimeter when she tripped and fell. The referee deemed it foul-worthy and Pacar drained the first of her two free throws with 22 ticks left.

North Carolina A&T had plenty of time to for a final shot, but instead made two passes, no dribbles, and settled for a guarded three-point shot that was boarded out by WSU with two seconds left to secure the win.

To Adams, it was indicative of how WSU played the past two games. Even with 21 turnovers, the team found a way to come up with the defense it needed.

“We did not allow our offense to affect our defense,” Adams said. “They were really locked into the game plan and we did not let anything affect what they needed to be doing. That’s a sign of growth, that’s a sign of maturity, and that’s a sign of trust.”

The players sounded like they had regained their confidence afterward after two wins in two days.

“We’re a very capable team,” Bessard said. “When we put our heart and effort and grind into it, you can’t stop us because now we want it. It’s all about the will and the best is yet to come.”

While no facet of Wichita State’s play is ready for the rigors of Missouri Valley Conference play yet, the team is confident it has found its chemistry this past week at home.

“We’ve really focused on becoming a team this past week,” Pacar said. “I think we really figured it out and how to support each other and how to be there for each other. We know you can’t always play a perfect game, but you can always give perfect effort.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 7:11 PM with the headline "Wichita State women string two wins together (+video)."