PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – A major statement win wasn't in the cards for Wichita State. No. 10 Louisville used a stingy defensive performance to hand Wichita State its first loss of the season Thursday afternoon, 62-52, in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
 
WSU (5-1) scored seemingly at will in its first five games, averaging 91 points while shooting over 50 percent from the floor. However, a large Louisville front line and swarming defense put the young Shockers on their heels.
 
The Cardinals won the battle of the boards, 46-33, and successfully defended the lane. WSU's 10 baskets in the paint came at the expense of eight blocked shots. The Shockers were unable to convert from outside, either, hitting just 6-of-22 from deep and were held to a season-low 31.6 percent overall.
 
Markis McDuffie and Shaquille Morris led WSU with 10 points apiece, while Conner Frankamp added nine points on 3-of-7 three-point shooting.
 
Quentin Snider and Donovan Mitchell led Louisville with a game-high 14 points each, while Deng Adel added 11 and V.J. King 10.
 
WSU (5-1) will play No. 24 Michigan State Friday in the third place game at Noon on ESPN2, while Louisville (5-0) advances to the championship game where they will meet No. 20 Baylor
 
After trailing for a combined 51 seconds in their first five games, the Shockers experienced the opposite extreme. They led for 17 seconds and trailed for over 38 minutes.
 
That short-lived lead came at the 16:31-mark of the first half when Frankamp connected on his first triple for a 5-4 WSU advantage.
 
Darral Willis Jr. answered a Louisville bucket with a free throw to knot the game at 6, but the Cardinals responded with a 12-0 run to take an 18-6 lead.
 
WSU cut the gap to five following a three from Frankamp and jumper from Austin Reaves, 20-15, but back-to-back three-pointers from Louisville put the Cards right back up 11, 26-15, at the five-minute mark.
 
WSU trailed 33-17 at the half after hitting just 1-of-7 first half free throw attempts and 27 percent from the field.
 
The Shockers showed some life in the second half, answering Louisville's physical play with some of their own. A 9-0 WSU spurt helped make it a 43-36 game with still 12 minutes to go. Reaves, Frankamp and Daishon Smith all connected on threes during the push.
 
Wichita State pulled within six on a couple different instances, but could get no closer than that in the second half.