Men's Basketball | 2/5/2022 8:41:00 PM
Because he knew the questions would focus on Wichita State's offense and two 20-point scorers,
Tyson Etienne commandeered the room and wisely put the focus on defense.
Dexter Dennis' defense.
The offense mattered, a bunch, in Wichita State's 72-57 win over SMU on Saturday at Koch Arena.
Dennis' lockdown of SMU guard Kendric Davis set up the scoring to provide plenty of cushion. The Shockers led for all but 15 seconds, built their edge to 21 and never allowed the Mustangs closer than 10 in the second half.
All great stuff for the Shockers (12-8, 3-5 American Athletic Conference), who have won three in a row at home. Dennis' defense, as Etienne highlighted, on Davis proved crucial. He helped hold Davis, the AAC's top scorer, to a season-low eight points on 1-of-7 shooting, 12 points below his season average.
With Davis constantly pressured by Dennis and off his game, the Mustangs made 19 baskets, committed 17 turnovers and stumbled to their lowest point total of the season.
"Kendric Davis is electric," Etienne said. "Dex. He did a hell of a job."
In an encouraging trend, so did the Shockers on the offensive end of the court.
The Shockers held their lead, refused to allow two or three empty trips to spiral into five or six. When turnovers threatened to become a problem, they tightened up their ball-handling and passing. They committed one turnover in the final five minutes, that when Etienne tried to spin away from several Mustangs intent on mugging him before fouling.
The Shockers made 18 of 20 foul shots, 15 of 17 in the second half and nine of 10 in the final six minutes. A switch to a zone defense late in the game choked off SMU's driving lanes and turned the Mustangs into jump shooters.
When SMU (16-5, 7-2) cut the lead to 59-49 with 6:10 to play,
Ricky Council IV stopped the Mustangs momentum with two free throws. The Shockers led 61-50 when Council scored again with 3:35 to play, stopping an ugly stretch in which Wichita State committed two turnovers and missed a three.
"You just can't feel pressure," Council said. "I just try to hit the shot how I would do if it were first five minutes of the game."
He made two more free throws with 2:26 to play to extend the lead to 65-50 and banish negative vibes from past blown leads for the evening. His windmill dunk after a steal put an exclamation point on Wichita State's fifth straight win over SMU.
"It's putting everything together," Etienne said. "You learned enough from what we were going through. I believe we are making that turn."
Council scored 20 points, 12 in the second half, on 6-of-9 shooting. Etienne got the Shockers off to a hot start and finished with 20. He made 4 of 10 threes and all four of his foul shots.
Wichita State coach
Isaac Brown played Council starter's minutes again – 26:32 – on Saturday. He likes the instant offense boost off the bench he gets from Council. When he avoids turnovers, Council is the dynamic scorer who can solve the offensive droughts. Defenses can load up on Etienne, as they often do. It is more difficult to stop the Shockers when Council is taking good shots and handling the ball wisely in order to use his physical gifts and shooting touch.
"We put him positions to make plays and that's what he does," guard
Craig Porter Jr., said. "In late-game situations, we look for him to score and carry us a little bit."
Council scored 31 in a win over UCF. Against Tulsa, he scored all 11 of his points in the second half in a 10-point win. He committed one turnover against UCF and none against Tulsa. On Saturday, he limited his turnovers to one again.
"He's fearless," Brown said. "He's one of those guys that can really create."
For most of the season, the Shockers played strong defense. They did not get enough scoring, or turnovers short-circuited the work on defense. Council can change that script with his scoring. Late in games, the Shockers need that fearlessness on offense.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
