WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State used an 8-0 run late in the second-half to earn a 69-65 victory over Jacksonville State Wednesday evening at Charles Koch Arena.
Wichita State (5-4) is scheduled to take on Southern Miss Saturday, Dec. 15, at 4:30 p.m. in downtown Wichita at Intrust Bank Arena.
Senior
Samajae Haynes-Jones led the Shockers with a game-high 17 points on 7-for-16 shooting, while
Jaime Echenique (12 points) and
Markis McDuffie (11 points) also reached double figures. McDuffie paced WSU on the glass, snagging nine rebounds.
Neither team could gain more than a two-point lead in the opening minutes of the game until a
Jaime Echenique layup and
Erik Stevenson three-pointer put the Shockers in front, 15-10, with 13:06 remaining in first-half.
Jacksonville State (5-4) pulled back within two at 20-18 after a pair of Ty Hudson free-throws with just over 10 minutes remaining, but a quick 6-0 Wichita State run over the next 1:29 pushed the WSU advantage to 26-18 after a Stevenson layup with 8:17 to go in the half.
The Gamecocks trimmed the advantage down to two again at 33-31 with 1:17 remaining in the frame, however Wichita State scored four of the final six points in the half to take a 37-33 lead into halftime.
Echenique led WSU in the opening stanza with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while McDuffie,
Morris Udeze and
Dexter Dennis each pulled down a team-best four rebounds.
Jacksonville State scored the opening four points of the second-half, tying the game, 37-37, after a Hudson jumper with 19:14 to go.
The Shockers answered though, and went on a 13-4 run over the next 4:43, jumping out to a 50-41 lead when Udeze converted a layup with 14:20 remaining in the stanza.
The Gamecocks responded, however, and rolled off nine straight points over 2:36 to take a 58-57 lead after a Jason Burnell layup with 6:14 to go.
The two teams traded leads until Haynes-Jones drilled a three with 1:43 remaining to give the Shockers a 64-60 advantage. WSU pushed its lead to 67-60 after McDuffie was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three foul shots with just over 30 seconds on the clock, and the Gamecocks could get no closer than four the remainder of the contest.
WSU outshot Jacksonville State in the game, 43 percent to 38 percent, and tallied a 44-33 advantage in rebounding, including a 14-8 edge in offensive boards. In addition, the Shockers outscored JSU in the paint, 42-18.
Hudson and Marlon Hunter each scored 15 points, pacing the Gamecocks.
NOTABLE:
***With its third win in four tries, WSU (5-4) moved back over the .500-mark for the year.
***The Shockers improved to 3-1 at home this year. They're 75-4 at Charles Koch Arena over the last six seasons.
***
Gregg Marshall is 15 wins away from 500 (485-185) and nine shy of 300 as WSU head coach (291-102 in 12 seasons).
***WSU is 61-17 in December games under Marshall.
***The Shockers are now 5-0 when outshooting their opponent this year and 55-2 over the last three seasons (compared to 0-4; 6-14 when outshot).
***
Jaime Echenique has now blocked a shot in each of the nine games this year. It's tied for the fourth-longest streak by a Shocker since 1986 (when the block became an official NCAA statistic).
***
Markis McDuffie scored in double-figures for the eighth-consecutive game.
***
Morris Udeze established a new personal-best with eight rebounds. He had grabbed four on two other occasions.
***WSU outscored JSU 42-18 in the paint.
***The new starting five – Torres, Haynes-Jones, Stevenson, McDuffie and Echeninique – was WSU's fifth unique lineup in nine games this year.
***Stevenson made his second career start. The freshman guard averaged 15.7 points over the last three games off the bench.
***Echenique improved to 7-1 on opening tipoffs.
***The Shockers finished the first half with 16 field goals – one more than they managed in 40 minutes on Saturday at Oklahoma.
***McDuffie passed Ron Washington (1,013 points from 1965-69) for 44th on WSU's all-time scoring list. The senior forward has 1,019 career points – three points behind No. 43 Ron Heller.
***
Ricky Torres connected on his first three-pointer of the season midway through the second half to give the Shockers a 57-49 lead. He had missed his first 18 tries. Officials waived off a would-be halftime buzzer beater after determining that Torres had released the ball a split-second too late.
