A balanced effort led Wichita State to a hard fought victory Nov. 29 in their final game in the Paradise Jam, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where the Shockers defeated the Clemson Tigers, 63-48, at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center.
Wichita State (4-2) finished the Paradise Jam with a record of 2-1, while Clemson (3-4) went 0-3. The Shockers dropped their opening tournament match against Florida Gulf Coast, 56-39, on Nov. 27, and then regrouped for a 70-55 win over Ohio State the next day. Alex Harden was named to the Paradise Jam Island Division All-Tournament Team.
It was the second time in school history for the program to play in the USVI tournament, but the first time under head coach Jody Adams. The Shockers have won two in-season tournaments under Adams, including the 2011 Beach Classic and the 2013 Winter Classic when the Shockers topped Austin Peay and Texas Pan American.
The Shockers entered the Paradise Jam coming off a 71-61 win against UT Arlington at home, bouncing back after an earlier 86-58 loss at Eastern Washington. Wichita State opened the season with a 65-56 win against Big East member and former Missouri Valley Conference member, Creighton, on Nov. 15.
For her performance against Creighton, All-America candidate Harden was named the first MVC and College Sports Madness Player of the Week. She leads the team in scoring with 18.0 points a game, but three different Shockers had team-highs in each of the first three games of the season: Harden had 28 against Creighton; Michaela Dapprich, 21 at Eastern Washington; and Jamillah Bonner had 21 against UT Arlington. Bonner also collected 10 rebounds for her first WSU career double-double.
— WSU Sports Information
