The RoundHouse | 3/18/2021 9:07:00 PM

 
 
A three-month ride full of joy and exceeded expectations ended in pain and frustration.
 
The NCAA Tournament is all about the stories and jubilation, the tears and the disappointment. The stories are so compelling and the emotions so real because of the finality and the reality that good teams lose to other good teams. Wichita State felt that cruel end to a season on Thursday in the First Four with a 53-52 loss to Drake at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.  
 
It should not detract from the accomplishments of the 2020-21 season for the Shockers (16-6). It will take time, and lots of it, for that realization to fight through the gloom of Thursday and the images of Alterique Gilbert, Morris Udeze, Tyson Etienne and other Shockers hunched over or prone on the court in pain and disbelief after the buzzer.
 
Gilbert's long three-pointer bounced off the rim after a missed foul shot by Drake's Joseph Yesufu with five seconds to play gave the Shockers a chance. One of the season's worst shooting nights ended with one more miss.
 
"I went to the locker room and I didn't even talk about the game," coach Isaac Brown said. "Great effort. We just didn't get it done tonight."
 
The Shockers had their chances. They led by 12 points twice. They shut down Drake's dribble-drive offense with excellent perimeter defense. They held the Bulldogs (26-4) to 10 points in the game's first 15 minutes. Udeze scored in the lane and got the Bulldogs into foul trouble.
 
Wichita State led 18-6 and 21-10, but failed to build on that edge.
 
"I felt like we had them the first half," Udeze said. "Credit to them for hitting shots. It happens."
 
A similar scene played out in the second half. The Shockers rebuilt their lead to 12 points with 11:24 to play and led 41-31 with 9:25 to play. Again, Drake answered, this time with three-point shots, and the Shockers couldn't get untracked.
 
"We kept letting them hang around," Brown said. "They stepped up. They made some timely baskets. They were the better team."
 
Missed foul shots played a major role. In a low-possession game, every ball in the air seemed to carry enormous weight. The Shockers missed chances to build leads or hold off Drake at the line.
 
Udeze scored a career-high 22 points, making 8 of 13 shots, to carry an offense hobbled by poor shooting. Dexter Dennis added 13 points, including a steal and three-pointer with eight seconds to play to cut Drake's lead to one point.
 
The Bulldogs locked up Etienne and Wichita State's offense largely sputtered. 
 
"They did a good job of staying with (Etienne)," Brown said. "BasIcally like a box-and-one, not allowing him to get the ball."
 
The Shockers shot 33.9 percent from the field, third-lowest this season. From three-point range, they missed 15 of 18 shots for a 16.7 percentage, second-worst of the season.
 
The game played out perfectly to deliver painful jabs to the Shockers. They were picked seventh in the American Athletic Conference and burdened by turmoil on and off the court in the run-up to the season. They overcame that to win the regular-season title and earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

• The tournament-special story line gave Drake a chance to bite back at a team that dominated it for most of their time together in the Missouri Valley Conference. In 2017, the Shockers left the MVC for bigger things in the American Athletic Conference, departing with an 11-game win streak over the Bulldogs. Bragging rights go to the MVC and the Bulldogs. 
• A season-long tendency to lose leads bit them at the worst time. After winning nine of their first 10 games with a margin under five points, the Shockers lost their final two.
• Etienne, after marvelous sophomore season, scored one point. Drake's defenders shadowed him all game, not willing to help or worry about other Shockers, and kept him from getting open shots. He missed all six of his shots.
• Udeze, who worked hours to become an improved foul shooter this season, missed five of his 11 free throws. His teammates struggled there, as well, and the Shockers went 11 of 22 from the line. That negated a potentially game-changing edge – Drake went 6 for 10 from the line.
• Wichita State's bench, carefully nurtured by Brown all season, scored one point. Four reserves combined to miss nine shots.

Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.