The RoundHouse | 2/7/2021 5:12:00 PM
Wichita State is accustomed to winning a basketball game because the best player on the floor wears its uniform. You know the names and several of them proved it in the NBA.
On Sunday, the Shockers defeated Temple 70-67 for several reasons and it certainly qualified as one of "team" wins coaches love to talk about.
Dexter Dennis and
Trey Wade made three-pointers. Monzy Jackson added a game-changing charge call with 25 seconds to play to his growing list of hustle plays.
Tyson Etienne made it all pay off. He added another performance that should land him on the American Athletic Conference all-conference team and helped the Shockers survive persistent rebounding problems, foul trouble and the absence of backup center
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, out due to a death in the family.
Etienne, a sophomore guard, scored 20 points and handed out five assists, including a perfect bounce pass off a pick-and-roll to
Morris Udeze for a dunk, in 38 minutes. He made 4 of 8 three-pointers. He made four of five foul shots, including two with 17 seconds remaining for a 70-67 lead.
Most important, his three-point play with 42 seconds to play gave the Shockers a 66-64 lead. He drove from the wing and scored near the basket, handling the foul from 6-foot-9 senior J.P. Moorman II.
"The last four minutes of the game, you've really got to be on point," Etienne said. "I knew I could at least draw a foul. Everybody was loaded up to the other side. My teammates did a great job moving without the ball and giving me the lane."
Then Etienne hit the note that always comes up in discussions about his game.
"I put in a lot of time in the weight room," he said.
So much time that interim coach
Isaac Brown said Etienne came to Wichita wearing large shirts and now needs XL. So much time that
Dexter Dennis said Etienne probably works out twice before each game and gets up at 5 or 6 a.m. for shooting drills on his own.
"Tyson – it's just work," Wade said. "I see it every day. He brings a big piece to the team."
Dennis thought back to last season when he saw Etienne in his first workouts as a Shocker. Normally, freshmen struggle with conditioning as they adjust to a faster tempo, more demands and bigger opponents.
Not Etienne, who appeared ready for college from his first moments.
"Most freshmen come in and they're out of shape," Dennis said. "He had one of the best first workouts I've ever seen. It was incredible to watch."
Etienne also possesses the mind to excel. He read the defense correctly for the go-ahead basket and foul. Earlier in the second half, he recognized his advantage when guarded by Temple's Brendan Barry and waved off teammates so he could go at him and make a three for a 51-46 lead.
"He's a weapon," Brown said. "He just put the work in this summer. The kid is always the first guy in the gym and the last guy to leave. He is constantly working on his ball-handling. He is constantly working on his body."
Wichita State (11-4, 7-2 American) won its third straight game and starts a stretch in which it plays three of four on the road. Temple (4-7, 3-7) lost its third straight.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
