WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State defeated Pittsburg State, 65-48, at Charles Koch Arena on Tuesday night in its lone exhibition game of the 2011-12 women's basketball season. Senior Haleigh Lankster and junior Chynna Turner paced the Shockers with 12 points each and Turner added nine rebounds.
WSU used pressure defense on Pittsburg State all night as the Gorillas shot a dismal 28 percent (18-of-65) from the field and 20 percent (5-of-25) from the three-point line in the game.
Pitt State made things interesting in the second half as the Gorillas went on a 10-5 run to cut the Shockers lead to 47-43 before Lankster buried a long three-pointer to push the lead to 50-43 with just under seven minutes left. WSU went on a 10-0 run led by a jumper and two technical free throws by Jessica Diamond and extend the lead to 60-43. Newcomer Alex Harden added four points and helped put the ballgame away for the Shockers.
Both teams started slowly to begin the game as Wichita State built an 18-7 lead with 7:58 left in the first half with seven points by Lankster and four points from Turner.
The WSU defense helped them go into halftime with a 29-15 lead as they held the Gorillas to 15.2 percent (5-for-33) from the field and 9.1 percent (1-of-11) from the three-point line.
In the first half, Lankster scored seven points to lead all scorers and Turner added six points with a team-high six rebounds.
To start the second half, Pittsburg State closed to within 42-33 with just under 12 minutes to go in the game with an 18-13 run capped by a layup and a free throw from Larissa Richards.
Senior forward and Wichita native Brooke Conley led all Gorillas with 13 points and she added nine rebounds. Richards was the leading rebounder for Pitt State with 10 boards and she scored 10 points to post a double-double.
Earlier in the day, Wichita State Head Coach Jody Adams announced the signing of two student-athletes -- forwards Alie Decker of Edmond, Okla. and Michaela Dapprich of Branson, Mo., for the 2012-13 season.
The Shockers will host Northwestern State this Saturday in their regular-season opener. Tip-off is set for 2:05 p.m. at Charles Koch Arena. It will be a quick turnaround for Wichita State after Saturday's contest as the Shockers will host LSU on Monday, Nov. 14 at 7:05 p.m. It will be the first time an SEC opponent has visited Koch Arena since Arkansas in 2003.
