|
Box Score (PDF) |
Highlights |
Senior Day Video
WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State sent its five seniors out on a strong note, rolling to an impressive 74-58 Senior Day win over Illinois State, Saturday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena.
Each of the top three scorers for WSU (23-7, 16-2 MVC) were seniors.
Fred VanVleet and
Anton Grady scored 16 each, and
Ron Baker chipped in 10 points.
VanVleet (6-of-10 from the field, 3-of-6 from deep) posted nine assists to moved into the top-5 on the Missouri Valley Conference's all-time list. He also set a new modern conference record by participating in his 63
rd MVC victory.
Grady hit 6-of-9 attempts from the field and grabbed five rebounds.
In a fitting farewell game of his own, glue guy
Evan Wessel cleared a team-high eight rebounds (four on the offensive end), three steals and two assist, while also taking a charge.
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell led the Redbirds with 15 points and MiKyle McIntosh chipped in 14 before fouling out.
WSU's 45
th-consecutive sellout crowd helped turn a tight game into a party. Up 26-24 at the 7:11-mark of the first half, the Shockers (23-7, 16-2 MVC) launched a 17-0 run to take control.
During that stretch, ISU (18-13, 12-6 MVC) turned it over six times in nine possessions. The Redbirds burned two timeouts in an effort to regroup, but it did little to slow WSU's momentum. The hosts hit 7-of-8 from the field and led by 11-or-more points the rest of the way.
The Shockers avenged an early February loss at Illinois State that snapped their 12-game winning streak and spoiled an 11-0 start to MVC play. Since dropping a home game a week later to UNI, WSU has regrouped with five-straight wins by average of 26.4 points.
Already the national leader in turnover margin, WSU posted a double-digit differential for the seventh time this year. The Shockers forced 17 Redbird turnovers with help from seven steals and finished with just six giveaways of their own (+11).
As a result, WSU outscored ILS 24-3 in points off of turnovers.
WSU also reversed its rebounding fortunes. In the loss in Normal, the Shockers were out-rebounded by 11 and surrendered 13 offensive boards. They were much better Saturday, winning the battle 40-33, while this time snagging 16 offensive caroms of their own.
The Redbirds scored their first 15 points off of three-pointers, connecting on 5-of-6 to start the game. That allowed them to keep pace, despite an amped up crowd and a proficient offensive start for the hosts.
Down 15-12,
Conner Frankamp (8 points) and VanVleet hit consecutive treys. Two Grady free throws capped an 8-0 push that gave the Shockers are 20-15 advantage with 10:52 to play in the opening half.
Paris Lee provided ILS with its first field goal from inside the arc at 10:42, and Nick Banyard connected on another Redbird triple to tie the score at 20.
ILS was unable to keep up its torrid three-point pace. After draining 10 in the first 10 minutes, the Redbirds hit just 3 (on 15 attempts) over the final 30.
While ILS struggled for new sources of offense, WSU dropped the hammer two minute, 11 second stretch of dominance, scoring 15 quick points. Grady scored three field goals, VanVleet threw a highlight reel alley-oop to
Markis McDuffie in transition and later pulled up for a 25-foot three-pointer. A Kelly putback and a McDuffie jumper closed out a 17-0 run.
The Shockers led briefly by 20 but settled for a 46-28 halftime lead.
ILS rallied to within 51-40 with 13:24 to go, but WSU never seemed to be in any danger. Another 18-4 Shocker run followed, capped by back-to-back alley-oop assists from VanVleet. The first came
Rashard Kelly and the last to
Shaquille Morris, as WSU claimed a 25-point lead (69-44) with 7:31 to go.
Marshall played his five seniors together for two minutes before subbing them out one-by-one over the final minute and change. Grady took a seat at 1:19, Wessel went to the bench at :49. VanVleet, Baker and Wamukota made staggered exits with :23 to go.
In a postgame ceremony, WSU honored the five seniors, accepted the 2016 MVC championship trophy and cut down the nets. The Shockers are just the second Valley team in 46 years to win a regular season title in three-consecutive years, joining Southern Illinois (four-straight from 2002-05).
Notes:-WSU improved to 9-1 on senior day under Gregg Marshall. Its only loss came in 2013 to Evansville.
-Illinois State fell to 1-12 since Charles Koch Arena's 2003 renovation and has dropped 14 of its last 15 games in Wichita.
Up Next:The Shockers head to St. Louis for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament March 3-6 at the Scottrade Center. Wichita State will be the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of the No. 8 Loyola and No. 9 Bradley on Friday, March 4 at 12:05 p.m. The game will air on the MVC-TV Network, which can be seen locally on Fox Sports Kansas City.
GREGG MARSHALL ON... …Motivation for today's game"This game was about us continuing to play well, answer any doubters and put ourselves into a position in be in that national tournament. We knew they (ISU) were a good team and we had to play well to beat them…It's not like we were making a ton of jump shots today, but we were being very aggressive in getting the ball inside. We scored 46 points in the first half, that's a lot of points for us, and usually we win when we can do that."
…Saying goodbye to his five seniors"All we did was thank them for picking us and for believing in us. I just feel like one of the luckiest coaches in the world because all I did was put them together. They came here with great skill, talent and intellect in a basketball state of mind. They're tough and passionate, they're leaders and winners and they have taken us all on a tremendous ride. We are just honored to be able to coach them every day."
RON BAKER ON… …What was different defensively today compared to last time"I thought our defense up there was okay. We just didn't get defensive rebounds at key times. Today, our energy on the ball was a lot better than it was up there…we forced them into tough decisions. Any time you can do that, it puts the offense on their heels a little bit and favors the defense."
…Senior Day, and going out on a high note at Charles Koch Arena Emotions hit me pretty heavily when I lifted my [framed] jersey up and just did a 360 and looked at the crowd. There's a lot of mornings where I'll come in here and the place is empty. It amazes me how dedicated our fan base is. Not only to the seniors and me, but [also] to this program. How they support this program has been really special…it shows your fan base is the real deal and they really appreciate greatness.
…The tragedy in Hesston, Kansas, and how it affected the team"Seeing that makes you want to think. It could've been anybody. It could've been Wichita, it could've been Colby, Kansas; it could've been Parsons, Kansas… Our team and our coaching staff were thinking about those people in Hesston. Today's game and win were pretty much dedicated to them."
FRED VANVLEET ON… …The extra emotion on display today"I just wanted to set the tone early. It's the last time [the seniors] get to play here; that was definitely on our minds. They beat us before, so we had that fresh in our minds. We've got bigger and better goals that we're all so passionate about, and I think it all spilled out during the game.
I think it would've been hard for any team to beat us today. Incredible fans, the passion we play with, it's pretty special."
…The difference between today's game and the last time WSU faced Illinois State"We made shots. We executed versus the zone. We rebounded the ball pretty well. Paris Lee didn't kill us like he did the first time…I thought we guarded them pretty well the first time too, it seemed like the way that game was going, the ball wasn't bouncing our way and they kept getting to the foul line…to keep them off the glass and make a few more shots to loosen up that zone always helps."
…The tragedy in Hesston"Obviously we all heard about it…our thoughts and prayers are with those families and those people affected by it. I think [our coaches] had the ribbons on their suit jackets. Every game, we try to find extra little things to play for – we've got enough things to play for already – but anything like that, we try to go out there and be as passionate as we can, give some people some hope and shed a little light on such an unfortunate situation. I want to send our condolences to the people up there [in Hesston] dealing with that, it's very, very sad."
…Reflecting on Senior Day"I definitely [got emotional], the video helped. I just enjoyed it with these guys. I wish guys from the previous years could've been here to go through that with us today. There's so much work that we've put in, and this is the best part about it…When you get to experience a day like today, it all pays off.
Looking back at everything that we've accomplished, it's pretty special. It's even more special when you look next to you, and see the type of guy that's got your back no matter what. That's what's important to me: the brotherhood and the guys that we've been able to go through this process with.
EVAN WESSEL ON... …The atmosphere on Senior Day"I think it would be difficult on any team coming in here, especially on our senior day. We just wanted to come out with a lot of energy and I think our team responded…I think everyone was really locked in and wanted it to be a great day."
…Making a statement for postseason play"I think we've definitely shown progress…I think we've continually gotten better, which is what you want to do before the tournament. Obviously we're not done yet. That Valley championship weighs heavy on us; it's one of our goals. We want to go up there [to St. Louis] and play well. If everything goes right, we don't have to worry about an at-large bid."
…Reflecting on Senior Day"Fred nailed it. The best part of looking at those videos is you see us celebrating together on the bench, cheering each other on no matter who's playing. Those moments show how close our team is. It relates to Wichita State and Shocker nation. You see our fans sell out every game. I'm really fortunate that I'm at a place that does that, because there's a lot of places in the country that don't sell out their games. It shows what the city of Wichita and Shocker nation brings…It was a special moment, especially with all the seniors…I'm glad I was able to share that with my family too. I know their hearts are big for Shocker nation, and they're really proud, it was awesome.
There's more to come, it's not over yet."
-Wichita State-
