Postgame press conference quotes from head coach Gregg Marshall, senior Rashard Kelly, junior Samajae Haynes-Jones and sophomore Landry Shamet:
 

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MARSHALL ON…
 
... opening statement:
"For all the fans that were hoping we could play some close games this year, that one was for you—as well as all of the rest of them. Hats off to Mike (Balado) and his team. They battled. I don't know how they were 4-7 coming into that game, because I've seen their schedule. Obviously they are getting better, which is a mark of a well-coached team. There is no way, if they play like that, that they are a 4-7 team. He's getting them to improve. Deven Simms was a monster... Thank goodness we figured out how to slow them down in the second half. Our goal was 60 for the game—their low point total for the year was 61. Well, we gave up 30 in the second half, so at least we got that part right. And it would have only been 28 were it not for my technical foul, so that's not on the boys... We received a lot of great contributions tonight."
 
… three guard lineups:
"Well, they are a smaller team. They do not have the traditional big guy, and they were giving up an inch or two, even three at most positions. They were giving us a hard time guarding them on the perimeter, so when we had Kelly at the three, Darral at the four, and Rauno or Shaq at the five, it gave us some problems. They would spread us out, penetrate and pitch to knock down open three pointers. They made ten threes in the first half. That is a lot of threes to give up in the first half. So I wanted to get out and extend our defense a little more.
 
... offense attacking the ASU zone:
"I thought we needed three guards that could get into the crevices and penetrate and kick, or even score themselves."
 
… taking charges:
"I think (Reaves) drew at least one. But, for sure, Darral Willis took two. And that gets him on the board. I think Darral Willis is part of the party now—the charge party. But that's what it took. It took a valiant effort. You have to give your body up. I thought Kelly gave us a big lift driving and rebounding. Obviously, Landry and Samajae were tremendous scoring the ball."
 
… teams taking more threes against Wichita State:
"We honestly have not changed anything that we have done defensively in 11 years. Man-to-man wise we try to do the same stuff we were doing day-1. We just have better players now than we did year-1. But I don't know if we have hit a bad streak, or I don't know if I am not doing nearly a good enough job, or if the personnel is just different."
 
… how McDuffie's return could change defensive woes:
"Well, it just gives me another option to go with. Markis is a great player, and he also tries to defend every possession. He plays with a lot of energy and passion.  If you don't defend or you don't rebound, you are probably going to have to come out, because I have other options that will."
 
… if there were halftime defensive adjustments:
"Absolutely not, it's the law of averages.  Our defense was horrible in the first half, and very good in the second half. And we didn't change a thing. What does that tell you? I know it doesn't make for a great story for you guys to write, but that's just the way it is."
 
… Kelly's dunk:
"Oh it was a tremendous thing! I honestly didn't think he was going to make it there, but he really stretched out, and got his arm up, extended, and finished that thing. We need plays like that. We need guys to make plays. He's an athlete, he attacks the rim, and he rebounds.  It was a really good, athletic play and well-timed by him."
 
… if the Shockers are defensively tough:
"I guess that will be determined; we have a long year with 21 games left in the regular season. We will have the American Athletic Conference tournament, and hopefully something after that. But that will be determined; and I will not say yes or no, it will play itself out."
 

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HAYNES-JONES ON...

...his 27 point performance tonight:
"Just getting healthy. That was the big key to me. Staying out there, and I felt good out there, I just played as hard as I could."

....not being able to be 100-percent with stomach issues:
"I didn't really know what it was, at first. I'm trying to go out and practice and play hard like I play every day, and when I go out there i just don't feel the same. I can't run like I want, I just start throwing up. I had to figure out what it was, I had to find out what medication would help it out. I found that, and I feel good now."
 

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SHAMET ON...

...big minutes from Reaves and Haynes-Jones:
"They both played tremendous. Austin was super-scrappy today, defensively. He was getting us going [and] had a ton of deflections. Samajae, obviously, scoring it at times when we needed the ball to be scored, and played good defense. I just tried to go out there and do what I do every night, just stay consistent, and those two played a hell of a game tonight. They deserve a lot of credit."

...what gets Samajae going in games like tonight's:
"I think, just like any player, just early confidence. Obviously, when the first one falls, the basket gets a little bigger, and just keeping that confidence. I think he's a confident player. He's a good player. He knows how good he is. Like he said, being healthy, that's the biggest thing. That was the only thing holding him back, really. He's still the same player, and now he is feeling good. Hopefully he will be able to keep doing what he did tonight."

....Kelly's momentum-changing dunk:
"I know he is athletic, but that was kind of different. I haven't seen him doing nothing like that. That was like Larry Nance or something- like way above the rim. That was crazy. It speaks for itself. You can't really say a whole lot about it."

...keeping composure with all the side action that is going on outside of the game itself:
"Just reminding people- 'hey don't get caught up in everything going on.' You know, in a close game, the last five minutes is going to be a grind. I think we'br got a real poised group. Five guys on the floor that are going to stay locked in and do what we've got to do for the remainder of the game."

...guarding the three better in the second half:
"I think, Zach [Brown] at halftime said 'you guys want to be known for being the best offensive team in Wichita State history or the worst defensive team?' I think that is a really good point. That's kind of where we are headed, and I don't think any of those guys in there want to be like that. A lot of it was us just kind of blowing schemes and stuff and doing things that we shouldn't do or don't normally do. We'll clean it up though."

....what they did defensively in the second half to lower Arkansas States' shooting percentage:
" It wasn't schematics. We didn't change anything. It was just sitting down and wanting to guard. Taking it a little more personal I think. Having a little more intensity, which we needed to do from minute one. They were hitting tough shots in the first half, and we just weren't really guarding them as well as we did in the second half. That is the biggest difference."

....what has to change defensively, giving up 50-or-more first-half points in three-straight home games:
"Like I said, just that intensity down the stretch needs to come earlier. Not wait, that's what we have been saying- don't wait. It'll come ,I think. I have confidence in myself, and I have confidence in the rest of the guys that we will be able to do what we did in the second half for a whole game."
 

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KELLY ON...

... his monster dunk late in second half, and how it changed momentum of game:
"It started with a defensive stop, and I'm just trying to communicate with Landry because I know he was going full speed, and I just let him know I was trailing behind him, and he flipped it too me, and I just kind of made a good play."

....if he thought he had that dunk in him:
"That's what I like to do. I don't like to shoot jump shots. That's what I try to do every day."

... stepping up the defensive effort in the second half:
"Taking pride. Guarding the yard. The last 8 out of 10 games we had previously, the best player on the team kind of got their numbers- got their average. We weren't dictating or determining what they did on offense. We were just kind of on our heels letting them do what they wanted to do, and we reacted from it. We just had to take pride and be men."