WICHITA, Kan.- The Wichita State men's basketball team moved to 2-0 in exhibition play with a 56-42 win against Pittsburg State (0-2) Thursday night inside Charles Koch Arena.
Sophomore
Gal Mekel led the Shockers with 17 points of 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Spencer Magana paced the Gorillas with 14 points, going 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
WSU wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Mekel hit a 15-foot jumper on the team's first possession. The Shocker defense kept PSU off of the scoreboard, and WSU fans on their feet, as Mekel extended the lead to 11-0 on a pair of free-throws with 12 minutes to play in the half.
Cory Abercrombie's turnaround jumper with just under 11 minutes on the clock gave PSU its first points of the game. The Shockers' pressure defense held the Gorillas scoreless for another seven minutes while going on a 9-0 run to take a 20-2 lead.
PSU didn't reach double-digits until Magana banked-in a three-pointer with nine seconds left in the half. WSU went into the half with a 28-10 lead after holding the Gorillas to just 13 percent shooting and forcing six turnovers.
Abercrombie made sure the Gorillas didn't wait as long to score by hitting a jumper in the lane just over a minute into the second half. A Phil Thomasson dunk helped ignite a 10-3 run to give WSU its largest lead of the game, 38-13, with 15:42 to play.
However, PSU would not go quietly as they started to heat up midway through the half. Magana scored eight points in a 13-3 run that was capped by a Chris Roe 3-pointer to pull PSU within 15, 49-34, with 8:43 remaining.
WSU countered with a 6-0 run of its own and the Gorillas never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
“I thought we got a little better tonight,” said head coach
Gregg Marshall. “I thought our team, especially in the first half, was dynamite defensively on the glass. Obviously we are not ready to put two halves together, but if we could play 40 minutes perfectly, then I wouldn't have much to do.”
Thomasson was the only other Shocker in double-figures with 10 points and nearly recorded a double-double after finishing with nine rebounds. While senior
Matt Braeuer did not score, he dished out seven assists and committed just two turnovers.
“They are very good players and they are going to have a very good basketball team,” said PSU head coach Gene Iba. “I saw them on Saturday and they were much better today than they were then. They'll be much better next week and I hope we will be too.”
WSU dominated the boards out-rebounding PSU, 47-24. The Shockers had 13 offensive rebounds and only allowed two offensive rebounds by the Gorillas.
“I think the first half we played unbelievable team defense, not just individual defense,” Mekel said. “We were in the gap, boxed out, and dominated the boards.”
The Shockers begin regular season play on Tues., Nov. 13 as they play host to Arkansas Pine Bluff. Tip-off is at 7:05 p.m. as the game will be WSU's only regular season home game before heading to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam.
