The RoundHouse | 11/4/2019 9:46:00 PM

 
Wichita State's ability to swarm on defense and run on offense started over the summer with mini-triathlons in the Heskett Center.
 
Five miles on an exercise bike. A mile-and-a-half on the track. Eight-hundred meters in the swimming pool. 
 
"The hardest part was the swimming, I'm not going to lie," senior guard Maya Brewer said. "If you see Carla (Bremaud) or Natalia (Ryng), they make it look so easy. But when I swim, it's out of control."
 
Wichita State coach Keitha Adams wasn't too worried about swimming form. She wanted the Shockers in great shape and saw the triathlons as way to improve their conditioning and push them mentally with new challenges. The Shockers want to play fast this season and conditioning is at a premium.
 
On Monday, the Shockers looked like a team that can run and run some more. They handled NCAA Division II Missouri Southern State 80-33 in an exhibition at Koch Arena. They swarmed and ran and swarmed and ran some more in the first quarter on their way to a 21-3 lead in a preview of how Adams wants her team to look all season.
 
"Our defense has got to set the tone for us," Adams said. "It created a lot of offense for us in transition."
 
The Shockers struggled through the second quarter against Southern's zone defense. And they committed 21 turnovers for the game. Almost everything else went their way. 
 
They forced 28 turnovers, recorded 16 steals and out-rebounded the smaller opponent by 14. Wichita State scored 21 fast-break points and finished with 12 assists, six by freshman DJ McCarty.
 
Brewer led the Shockers with 17 points, making all four of her three-pointers. After the sluggish second quarter, the Shockers started the third quarters on an 11-2 run fueled by eight Brewer points, two on a fast-break layup and six on three-pointers. Bremaud, who scored 16 points, finished that run with a three-point play.
 
"Our defense is what got us going," Brewer said. "Our defense turning into offense."
 
Based on a first look, pushing the ball after steals and rebounds suits this team.
 
"Our team can really run," Bremaud said. "We could see tonight that when we really run, that's effective for us."
 
That is what Adams envisioned when she put the Shockers on bikes and in the water over the summer. Wichita State opens the season on Saturday against Northern Iowa (5 p.m.) at Koch Arena. UNI is picked third in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
"We committed to our conditioning and have done a better job with our conditioning going into this year than where were at last year," she said. "Most of our players had never done (triathlons) before, trying to also build confidence, mental toughness. We put in some work."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.