Postgame Comments: Marshall | McDuffie

WICHITA, Kan. – Markis McDuffie scored a career-high 26 points, and Wichita State withstood Loyola's second-half charge to collect its sixth straight win, 87-75, Wednesday evening at Charles Koch Arena.
 
McDuffie hit his first four three-point attempts, the last coming with 17 minutes remaining in the second half, to give the Shockers a 19-point lead. The sophomore finished the night at 8-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep.
 
Loyola (12-6, 2-3 MVC) made things interesting, thanks to a three-point flurry. The Ramblers connected six times over the next 8 minutes to cut the Shocker lead to 71-51 with 4:36 still to play.
 
Zach Brown, who had missed 16 of his last 17 three-point attempts, picked an opportune time to break through. His triple with 3:58 to go turned the tide.
 
Loyola had the ball, trailing 81-75 at the 1:29-mark, but Austin Reaves blocked a Milton Doyle layup and secured possession for the Shockers by diving on the loose ball.
 
WSU (15-4, 5-0 MVC) hit 6-of-6 free throw attempts over the final 49 seconds to go put the game on ice.
 
The win sets up a first-place showdown between WSU and Illinois State (13-4, 5-0 MVC) this Saturday in Normal, Ill. (7 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
 
Landry Shamet finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Daishon Smith and Darral Willis Jr. each added 10.
 
WSU improved to 8-0 against Loyola since the Ramblers' MVC debut in 2013-14. The Shockers have won 10 straight overall in the series.
 
The Shockers were 12-for-27 from three-point range and shot 53.8 percent overall. WSU has made at least half of its shots on six different occasions this year, and Wednesday night marked the seventh time in 18 games that the team has made 10 or more three-pointers.
 
Loyola outrebounded WSU, 35-30, becoming just the fourth team to out-rebound the Shockers this year and the first to do it at Charles Koch Arena.
 
Milton Doyle paced the Ramblers with a near-triple-double (23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds). Aundre Jackson added 18, Donte Ingram had 14, and Clayton Custer chipped in 10.
 
Loyola sizzled early, sinking 8 of its first 10 shots, but slumped over the final 10 minutes of the first half. The Rambler's talented frontcourt took a hit when Clayton Custer picked up his third foul with 7:30 still remaining in the period.




The first eight minutes of the game featured nine lead changes, but the Shockers took control near the 12-minute mark. Down 13-12, WSU closed the half by hitting 12 of its last 17 shots, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
 
McDuffie and Frankamp connected on triples on back-to-back trips to give the Shockers the lead for good, 18-15, with 11:36 to play in the period.
 
The Shockers pounded the ball inside over the next six minutes to loosen up the Loyola defense, then cut loose from the perimeter. Over a 60-second stretch, McDuffie nailed back-to-back and Frankamp followed with another to quickly push a six-point edge to 15, 46-31 with 3:00 to play in the half.
 
Shamet connected one more time with 20 seconds showing to send WSU into the half up 49-35.
 
After Loyola opened the second half with a bucket, the Shockers scored the next seven points to extend their lead. McDuffie swished a long jumper, Brown scored in transition, and McDuffie struck again with a three to give WSU its biggest lead of the night, 56-37, with 17:21 to play.
 
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