Men's Basketball | 4/2/2019 10:27:00 PM

 
NEW YORK
 
Wichita State's defense wore down Lipscomb, turning the Bisons into a team that rushed shots, looked unsure and failed to score in the lane over Shocker shot-blockers. The Shockers stood just a few minutes, three or four stops, a few baskets away from the NIT title game on Thursday. They led by 11 points with 6:08 remaining and their performance in the second half said their height, size and tenacity registered decisively.
 
Then everything changed. 
 
Lipscomb figured out ways to score, even in the face of good defense. More disastrously, the Shockers couldn't score and their offensive pace and crispness faded. They lost that 11-point lead by missing their final 10 shots. Lipscomb outscored Wichita State 21-3 over the final 6:08 to win 71-64 in the semifinals of the NIT on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
 
 "We went stone cold," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "We got some decent looks. We got some so-so looks."
 
The Shockers (22-15) led 61-50 and the defense continued to work toward Thursday. Jamarius Burton smothered Lipscomb's Garrison Mathews into a bad shot. The Shockers couldn't score. They got another stop and couldn't score. A steal by Erik Stevenson turned into another miss. Three possessions with a chance to expand on an 11-point lead went to waste.
 
"We just didn't make shots," Shocker senior Markis McDuffie said.
 
Lipscomb's Andrew Fleming made a three to cut the lead to eight points and things got much tougher for the Shockers. The Bisons (29-7) cut off scoring in the lane by double-teaming and swarming the Shockers. The Shockers couldn't make shots and turnovers added to their problems. 
 
McDuffie slipped on a drive and traveled. The Shockers forced a turnover and McDuffie appeared to draw a foul on a jump shot. No whistle. Samajae Haynes-Jones made a potentially game-saving defensive play by locking up Lipscomb guard Kenny Cooper for a 10-second violation. That, too, went for nothing when Stevenson stepped out of bounds with the Shockers down 67-64 with 25 seconds to play.
 
"We've got tough kids," Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said. "I told them at the 8-minute mark – just keep playing. We're barely off. Just keep playing. Trust yourselves."
 
While the Shockers struggled, the Bisons closed with a rush of shot-making and execution. Nathan Moran came off the bench to make his lone basket of the game, a three to cut the lead to 64-60. Mathews, who finished with 34 points, made a three for a 67-64 lead. He made six of eight free throws in the final 15 seconds.
 
The Shockers went 14-4 to close the season and survived some offensive droughts to do so, leaning on defense, rebounding and a low-turnover offense. On Tuesday, the offense struggled too much and Lipscomb is talented and gritty enough to take advantage. Wichita State shot 35.3 percent from the field and missed 18 of 23 three-pointers.
 
"We weren't beautiful offensively, but we haven't been beautiful offensively for the whole stretch," Marshall said. "They learned they can win with the defense and rebounding. We hold a tremendous team, Lipscomb, to 71 points. You would think that would be enough."
 
McDuffie missed 5 of 6 threes and finished with 12 points and three turnovers. Haynes-Jones missed 5 of 6 threes and finished with 11 points. Freshman Dexter Dennis led the Shockers with 13 points, making 3 of 6 threes. 
 
The Shockers put together two strong stretches, one in each half, to give itself a shot. Their defense frustrated the Bisons with Dennis and Burton harassing Mathews into tough shots. Lipscomb didn't get much scoring from others during those stretches with the Shockers denying passes and bothering shooters.
 
In the first half, Wichita State trailed 14-7 before surging to a 19-14 lead. 
 
In the second half, the Shockers broke a 43-all tie with seven unanswered points. They led 51-47 before defense sparked a 10-3 run that gave them the 61-50 lead, a run capped by a steal and dunk by Haynes-Jones.
 
"(Wichita State is) physically strong, tough, big, physical kids, that's how they play," Alexander said. "That's what's made their program so good. They won that battle during that stretch."
 
In the end, Wichita State's three NIT wins and 14-4 finish to season will outweigh Tuesday's disappointing six minutes. The Shockers turned potential disaster into a season-defining stretch that will pay off next season.
 
"It's hard to be disappointed with this group," Marshall said. "It was dark, it was tough, it was not good in late January, early February. These kids just continued to work. Those two seniors (McDuffie and Haynes-Jones) continued to lead."
 
February, March and April changed the mood for the Shockers, both in the present and in the future. The seniors stayed upbeat and played hard and that example found its way to the newcomers and turned the Shockers into a dangerous team.
 
"This was a year where we could have taken a big dip," Marshall said. "We won 14 out of the last 18 and we're in Madison Square Garden playing in April."
 
McDuffie and Haynes-Jones ended their careers with the satisfaction that they turned a struggling season into a trip to New York.
 
"I can't believe it's over," McDuffie said. "It's been amazing. The fans have been unbelievable. They're like family forever now. These guys I've been around, they're my family forever. I appreciate the brotherhood that's been here the last four years."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.