The RoundHouse | 1/5/2023 10:58:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Wichita State is struggling in many ways on the basketball court and the Shockers know all about it. They watch the games and watch the video.
"We're not executing our stuff to a high enough standard," guard
Craig Porter Jr. said. "When we do, we get good results."
Any type of recovery is going to come the hard way because the Shockers aren't going to outscore teams. Defense. Hustle. Rebounding. Free throws. Screening, passing, cutting to make good on the team's modest scoring talents. Thursday's 70-61 loss to Cincinnati at Koch Arena showed that again.
The Shockers (7-8, 0-3 American Athletic Conference) committed a school-record two turnovers and outscored the Bearcats by eight points at the foul line. They grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, three more than Cincinnati (11-5, 2-1).
Those are helpful numbers.
On Thursday, they didn't add up because the Bearcats made 13 of 29 three-pointers and scored 15 second-chance points on their 10 offensive rebounds. Wichita State shot 33 percent from the field and 27 percent (6 of 22) from three-point range. The Shockers totaled four assists, a product of the poor shooting and an offense that stutters. The absence of injured starter
Jaykwon Walton, who averages 11.7 points, added to the issues.
Defense, a strength most of the season, is slipping as the missed shots weigh on energy and focus needed to get in a stance, fight over screens and talk while defending.
"We didn't defend at all," coach
Isaac Brown said. "Defense is all about effort."
The missed shots put too much pressure on the Shocker defense. Cincinnati's offensive rebounds led to open shots for the Bearcats and put further stress on the defense.
"We couldn't score at the rim," Brown said. "At some point, you've got to step up and make shots."
The Bearcats led 39-22 at halftime and extended that lead to 22 points early in the second half. They led by 17 in the final four minutes before a Shocker burst cut the lead to 68-60. An 11-0 run in the final minutes didn't do anything to change the result, but it at least showed the Shockers what can happen with energy and momentum.
"Bring it from the start and keep it the whole game," center
Kenny Pohto said. "Put a whole 40 minutes together."
The Shockers aren't going to overwhelm opponents with size or talent or shooting. In games in which they embrace gritty defense and play smart offense, they have a chance.
"It's wanting to play hard," Porter said. "We preach it. We, as players, let it go in one ear and out the other. We preach it every day."
Some of the Shockers are listening and showing it on the court. Porter carried the offense with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting in 40 minutes. Guard
Melvion Flanagan came off the bench to score 11 points and play irritating defense that gave Shocker fans reason to cheer.
"They say I'm a spark," Flanagan said. "I just hope we can push forward and win some games."
Flanagan scored 10 of those points in the second half and contributed a steal and a rebound. His play helped produce Wichita State's best moments in the second half.
"He came in with a lot of energy," Brown said. "He's fearless. We've got to get other guys to step up, because he's stepping up off the bench."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
