The RoundHouse | 11/1/2022 9:40:00 PM

Win an exhibition game against an NCAA Division II school and it should be quickly forgotten as routine.
 
Wichita State didn't talk as if the Shockers would soon forget the lessons of Tuesday's 72-70 overtime win against Missouri Southern State at Koch Arena.
 
Rebound. Communicate on defense and stay with good shooters. Get the offense flowing early in the shot clock.
 
"We played sloppy," Wichita State center Trajata Colbert said. "We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds. We just had to play hard and play tough."
 
The Shockers needed a last-second basket to force overtime, where they didn't lead until 1:32 remained. Missouri Southern missed a three-pointer in the final seconds and the Shockers survived against a team ranked No. 19 in NCAA Division II.
 
"No question we've got a lot of work to do," Wichita State coach Keitha Adams said. "We're going to take this film and this is going to be great for us to be back in the gym."
 
Wichita State opens the regular season against Alcorn State on Nov. 9.
 
Colbert sent the game to overtime with a basket with 1.1 seconds to play. Newcomer Curtessia Dean led the Shockers with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting and Jane Asinde added 15 points and 17 rebounds.
 
The Lions shot poorly (27 of 81) but made 11 three-pointers and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds to score 15 second-chance points. They made 6 of 12 threes in the third quarter to erase Wichita State's 30-20 first-half lead.
 
"Don't take shooters for granted," guard Curtessia Dean said. "Get out on every shooter. Learn from our mistakes."
 
Many of those shots came when the Shockers lost track of their assignments and allowed dribble penetration to lead to open shots.
 
"We've got to get better at defending," Adams said. "Too many drive-bys. Then you're having to help and then you're having to rotate."
 
The Shockers led 16-5 in the first quarter and 30-15 in the second quarter. They failed to put the Lions away because of their own poor shooting (25 of 73) and defensive breakdowns.
 
"They got way too many offensive rebounds," Adams said. "I'm looking forward to practice. Our boxing out and being more physical team is something we've got to improve on. We let a lot of people drive by us. We were chasing the ball."
 
The Shockers avoided the upset when Colbert scored on an inbound play called "home run." In 2020, she scored in the final seconds on the same play to beat Temple 72-70.
 
"We've run this play for years and years," she said. "It's a very good play. I just have to be willing and determined to finish."
 
In the overtime, Colbert's layup gave the Shockers a 67-65 lead. DJ McCarty made three of four foul shots in the final 23 seconds to hold off the Lions.
 
Those points allowed the Shockers to leave Koch Arena feeling better about a win and knowing they came through when they had to get a score. That is a better feeling than losing.
 
"We knew what to dial up," Adams said. "Tonight's a great night for them to go home with confidence about what we do. We executed and look what happened."