Shocker Radio Postgame: Marshall | Simon & Bush

WICHITA, Kan. – A nondescript class provided one of the most memorable Senior Night performances in Shocker history.
 
Walk-ons Zach Bush and John Robert Simon combined for 11 points and two assists in six minutes to put an exclamation point on No. 25/25 Wichita State's 109-83 victory over Evansville, Tuesday evening at Charles Koch Arena.
 
WSU (26-4, 16-1 Missouri Valley Conference), won its 11^th-straight and can wrap up at least a share of its fourth-consecutive regular season title on Saturday with a victory at Missouri State (11 a.m. CT, ESPN2).
 
Shaquille Morris scored 18 points to lead a group of six Shockers in double-figures. Markis McDuffie, Conner Frankamp and Rashard Kelly finished with 13-each, Landry Shamet chipped in 12, and Darral Willis Jr. added 11.
 
WSU topped the century mark for the third time this season – most since the 1982-83 team – and their 109 points was their highest output in Valley play since a 116-83 win over Bradley on Feb. 1, 1988.
 
Jaylon Brown led Evansville (14-16, 5-12 MVC) with 25 points, and Dru Smith added 19 off the bench.
 
The Shockers enjoyed a comfortable 21-point lead with 7:06 remaining, when Marshall inserted Bush and Simon into the game. Their performances trumped everything that came before.
 
Simon had made just two three-pointers all season but went a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Bush – who'd scored all of 13 points in four seasons coming in – scored on a strong take to the basket and also tallied two assists.
 
In their six minutes of action, the Shockers exploded for 22 points. Both exited to standing ovations with a little over a minute remaining.
 
Simon's first basket also set a record. It was WSU's 261^st three-pointer of the season – one more than the 2010-11 NIT Championship team, which held the previous single-season mark.
 
The Shockers tallied 24 assists on 35 field goals, while committing just three turnovers. Kelly led the way with a career-high six assists.
 
WSU shot 53.8 percent from the field, helped by a 13-of-23 performance from three-point range. Shamet was 4-for-4 and Frankamp finished 3-of-4.
 
Shamet now has 59 for the season – tied with Chad Elstun (1992-93) for the program's freshman record.
 
Evansville shot 49.1 percent against a Shocker team that entered the day ranked third nationally in field goal percentage defense. WSU had held each of its nine previous opponents below 40 percent.



The Shockers wasted little time pulling away. A quick 12-0 run erased a 7-5 deficit.
 
Shamet (9) and Willis (6) combined to score 15 of the team's first 19 points. Shamet buried three consecutive threes.
 
Evansville continued to hang around, but a 6-0 Shocker run put WSU ahead 34-20 with less than eight minutes to go in the half. Three-pointers from Frankamp and Kelly gave WSU its largest lead to that point.
 
WSU bumped its lead to 20 at the 2:15 mark of the first half after another triple from Frankamp and a pair of free throws from Shaquille Morris.
 
At the half WSU led 48-32 behind 11 points from Frankamp. As a team, the Shockers made 7-of-14 three-pointers in the half with Frankamp and Shamet combining for six of them.
 
The Shockers lead hovered around 20 for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
 
The game devolved into a free throw contest when both teams hit the bonus with 12 minutes to play. The teams combined to shoot 48 free throws in the second half alone, sucking up most of the atmosphere.
 
Enter the seniors.
 
Simon and Bush checked in with 7:06 to go and immediately sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy. With WSU leading 86-64, Simon cashed in a three and Bush a bucket plus the foul to help push the lead to 99-68. The duo led the charge on a 13-4 run to put the finishing touches on the victory.
 
Another Simon three pushed the Shockers over the century mark and he would add yet another one from almost the exact same spot, the left wing right in front of the WSU bench.
 
Notes:
*WSU reached the 16-win mark in Valley play for the fifth time in six years.
*The Shockers' 11-game winning streak – which began Jan. 17 in Evansville – is one of the eight longest in school history.
*Shamet has connected on a three-pointer in 19-straight games. That's the third-longest in school history, behind Ron Baker's streaks of 25 and 27. Frankamp extended his own to 16 (tied for fourth on the list).
*The Shockers have won nine-straight against Evansville and now have winning streaks of nine-or-more against seven different Valley foes.

Up Next
Wichita State wraps up the regular season Saturday at Missouri State. The 11 a.m. CT tip will air on ESPN2. The Shockers have won 13-straight meetings against the Bears.

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