The RoundHouse | 2/20/2020 9:25:00 PM
It is called "Jacksonville" and it is one of Wichita State's signature plays, used to great effect over the years, even when opponents should scout it to death.
On Thursday, the Shockers needed a basket and they called Jacksonville, a play that distracts defenses with action in the corner while a screen frees a big man on the block. Opposing big men are almost always a step or two late as they try to catch up.
That was the case in Thursday's 65-55 win over USF at Koch Arena. The Shockers (20-6, 8-5 American Athletic Conference) ran Jacksonville for
Jaime Echenique and it produced a three-point play with 3:14 to go. His foul shot extended the lead to 55-47 and the Bulls (11-15, 4-9) got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Dexter Dennis screened for him. The defender almost got to the right place before
Tyson Etienne hit him with a bounce pass.
"It's the play we run with the most precision and timing," Echenique said. "Any play can work, but we go with what gives us results."
Echenique gave the Shockers great results on Thursday with 20 points and nine rebounds. As he has been in so many games, he provided the matchup that the Bulls – an excellent defensive team – couldn't win. Echenique made 4 of 8 shots and 12 of 14 free throws.
USF coach Brian Gregory ran through the choices – none good – for defending Echenique. Do you double team him? Try to push him away from the basket? Use a guard to harass him?
"When you get to the free throw line 14 times, it makes a big difference," Gregory said. "They had a steady diet of getting him the ball. He's big and strong and now, as a senior, he's able to garner that attention and be able to get those fouls and get to the basket and get some angles to get fouled."
Echenique scored six of his eight second-half points in the final 3:14.
"We executed some sets very, very well to get him the ball deep so all they could do is foul him," Wichita State coach
Gregg Marshall said. "He was getting the ball in some pretty advantageous situations."
Echenique scored 12 points in the first half. It took a while for the Shockers to get him rolling again in the second half. When they did, he played a major role in putting the game away.
"I know how I can affect the game," he said. "They didn't have any response, other than fouling all the time."
The win gave Wichita State its 11
thconsecutive 20-win season, half of the program's total. More important, the Shockers emerge from an upset-filled mid-week schedule tied with SMU for fourth place in the American and are one game in the loss column out of second.
Wichita State, largely thanks to Echenique, won the battle at the foul line. They outscored USF 21-9.
USF entered the game outscoring conference opponents 14.5-11.7 at the line. In the first meeting, it outscored the Shockers 17-10. Those points are crucial for the Bulls, who struggle to score.
The Bulls shot 36.2-percent from the field and committed 15 turnovers, far too many for them in a low-possession game. The Shockers created many of those turnovers with their hustle and with Echenique looming near the basket to deter shooters and alter shots.
"The 15 turnovers really hurt us," Gregory said. "They're active. They protect the rim well, so when we drive the ball, there's a rim protector there."
The Shockers did what they had to do with a break in the schedule. They handled UCF, Tulane and USF to rebound from a three-game losing streak, maintain an NCAA at-large resume and emerge in the top four of the conference standings.
They face a challenging stretch run with three of their final five on the road and four of those games against Pomeroy top-100 teams. The fifth is against Temple, a team that defeated the Shockers 65-53 earlier this season.
"We're in it now," Marshall said. "It's going to get tougher."
The road games could offer Wichita State chances at Quadrant 1 victories to strengthen their NCAA resume. They play at Cincinnati, No. 55 in the NCAA NET rankings, on Sunday. In March, trips to No. 73 SMU and No. 63 Memphis might also add to Wichita State's 2-3 Quadrant 1 record.
"It's the home stretch," Etienne said. "It's going to show our character."
Teams ranked up to No. 75 count as Quadrant 1 victories on the road.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
