TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Darral Willis Jr. and Markis McDuffie combined for 47 points to help Wichita State win its seventh consecutive Missouri Valley Conference opener, 80-72 over Indiana State, Wednesday evening at the Hulman Center.
 
WSU's boxscore archive traces back to 1975. Over the last 40 seasons, Willis' 25 points are the most ever recorded by a Shocker in his conference debut, topping Chad Elstun's 21 points as a freshman on Jan. 2, 1993 (also in Terre Haute).
 
In addition, Willis (9-of-19 from the field and 7-of-9 at the foul line) became the first WSU newcomer in that span to kick off his Valley career with a double-double, collecting a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
McDuffie scored 15 of his career-high 22 points after halftime, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field during the second half. He finished the game at 9-of-11 overall and collected seven rebounds.
 
Landry Shamet factored heavily, as well, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the first half.
 
Zach Brown struggled from the field at 1-for-9 but ripped down eight boards to go with six points. He also played strong defense against Indiana State standout Brenton Scott, who scored 14 points but shot just 3-of-14 for the night.
 
Matt Van Scyoc (11 points) and Jordan Barnes (10) joined Scott in double-figures for Indiana State (6-7, 0-1 MVC).
 
WSU's trademark depth during the non-conference gave way to a shortened bench. With Shaquille Morris again out due to injury, Marshall went nine-deep but relied most heavily on his starters. Shamet (34 minutes), Brown (32) and Willis (32) either matched or set new career-highs for playing time, and McDuffie (32) finished a minute shy of his own.
 
WSU (11-3, 1-0 MVC) won its sixth-consecutive true road game and improved to 26-2 on the Valley road since the start of the 2013-14 campaign.
 
The Shockers have now won nine-straight and 18 of the last 20 against Indiana State. The victory in Terre Haute was their ninth-in-a-row (a program best).
 
The Shockers converted on 48 percent of their field goal attempts, but were just 4-of-18 from long range. WSU dominated the rebound battle, outrebounding the Sycamores, 47-30.
 
Indiana State knocked down 10 three-pointers on the night, but shot only 39 percent from the field overall.
 
Each team held a six-point lead in the opening 20 minutes, only to see the opponent respond.
 
At the break, Wichita State and Indiana State played an evenly-matched half, as the squads entered the locker room tied at 38.
 
Willis Jr. and Shamet combined for 27 of Wichita State's 38 first half points, led by Willis' 15 and seven rebounds. Shamet scored 12 on 5-of-7 shooting.
 
As a team, the Shockers shot 44 percent compared to Indiana State's 43 percent.
 
Near the midway point of the second half, WSU used a 10-1 run to take its first double-digit lead of the game, 58-47. Rauno Nurger was an integral figure during the run. Nurger had a big offensive rebound and putback and two blocked shots to help the Shockers extend the lead.
 
The Shockers were able to hold off a late Indiana State charge that saw the Sycamores whittle the lead down to two late in the game. A McDuffie three-pointer all but sealed the win for WSU with 1:25 remaining.
 
Up Next:
WSU plays its Missouri Valley Conference home opener on New Year's Day against Bradley in a 1 p.m. CT tip on COX Channel Kansas. The Shockers have won 13 straight versus the Braves since 2010.