WICHITA, Kan. ? Senior Gina Hugelier tallied a season-high 13 points and added three rebounds and assists in the Western Illinois women's basketball team's 65-62 loss to Wichita State at Charles Koch Arena.

The Shockers (3-4, 0-0 Missouri Valley) started a 17-5 run with ten minutes remaining in the second half to tie the game and pull ahead by as many as six points over a seven-minute span. The Westerwinds' (1-5, 0-0 The Summit League) only points during the run came from the free throw line.

Senior Stephanie Lovingood hit Western's next two field goals to get the team within two points. Wichita State then stepped up its defense and only allowed the Westerwinds to score three more points the rest of the game while tallying four of its own to earn the victory.

“The team played hard tonight,” said head coach Leslie Crane. “It is coming down to a mental discipline. We missed three lay-ups going down the middle of the floor and are not getting enough offensive rebounds.”

The Shockers got on the board first at 19:31 and garnered a basket and free throw before Western got on the board at the 18:10 mark with a jumper by junior Katy Davenport. Her shot sparked a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to give the Westerwinds a 12-7 advantage.

Wichita State regrouped and went on an 12-1 run of its own over a three minute span to get within one point before Western responded with a 14-5 run in the final 5:30 of the half to lead by eight (37-29) heading into the locker room.

Shooting fortunes were reversed in each half. The Westerwinds shot 50 percent from the field and beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes of play and then saw that percentage drop to 33.3 and 20 percent, respectively, in the second half. The Shockers started the game with a 35.5 percent shooting percentage and then hit 14 of 25 (56%) shots attempted in the second stanza.

“We didn't shoot the ball very well during the second half,” said Crane. “When you aren't shooting well you have to go back inside and missing those three lay-ups hurt us.”

Western returns home for a three-game home-stand starting with Drake, December 5 at 7 p.m. on Waste Management Court at Western Hall. The home stand also includes the first Summit League contest of the 2007-08 season when IUPUI makes the trip to Macomb, December 8 for a 4:30 p.m. game. The last game of the two-week period will be against Robert Morris, December 16 at 2 p.m.

Notes: It was the first career start for sophomore Katy Clark...senior Samantha Quigle tallied her first points of the 2007-08 season with 3:06 remaining in the first half...Quigle ended the game with a career-high four points and two steals...after tallying six three-point shots in the first 20 minutes Western only hit one in the second half...this was the first time this season that Western was defeated after taking a lead into the locker room...Hugelier (13), Davenport (12), and Lovingood (10) all recorded double-digit points for Western.