The RoundHouse | 11/9/2023 10:06:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
None of the math says Wichita State wins on Thursday against Western Kentucky at Koch Arena.
The Hilltoppers took 27 more shots than the Shockers and committed 12 fewer turnovers. They outrebounded WSU by two, grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and outscored the Shockers in the paint and on second-chance points.
Wichita State won 71-61 and happily chalked the success up to defense, grit, and good vibes.
"That was definitely a hard ride," coach
Paul Mills said. "I thought guys were phenomenal in just maintaining belief. We were pretty positive with those guys at halftime."
The Shockers (2-0) won because WKU missed all 21 of its three-pointers and shot 29.6 percent from the field. Wichita State shot 57.7 percent in the second half, cutting down on turnovers just enough, to outscore the Hilltoppers (1-1) by 12 points in the second half.
WKU's aggressive defense disrupted the Shockers all kinds of ways in the first half, and they committed 11 turnovers, many on bad passes forced by trapping defenders. The second half wasn't much smoother, but the Shockers kept grinding and found a way to score with guards getting into the lane.
Meanwhile, the defense continued to make things difficult on WKU by never letting their shooters get comfortable. The Shockers held WKU to 24-of-81 shooting and blocked eight shots, four by
Quincy Ballard.
Not many games are easy, so the Shockers can take comfort in knowing they can take a punch, adjust, stay on task and win. The Hilltoppers, picked third in Conference USA, forced 22 turnovers in a 90-64 win over NCAA Division II Kentucky Wesleyan.
"It helps us realize who we are as a team in good situations and bad situations and in tough ones," guard
Xavier Bell said. "Knowing we can withstand teams that are physical."
The Shockers threw their usual offensive plan out at halftime after struggling to deal with WKU's pressure. Mills described the change as running a practice drill, designed to space the floor, as the offense. The change gave Bell and
Harlond Beverly room to beat the defender, drive into the lane and get the offense going.
Beverly scored all 13 of his points in the second half. Bell scored seven and made 5 of 6 foul shots. The Shockers made 15 of 26 shots in the second half.
"Coach Mills did some adjustments," Beverly said. "It really fit my game. It helped Xavier out, too. We both could get into paint, making floaters and layups. Great adjustment."
Mills turned the offense over to Beverly and Bell. Foul trouble limited
Colby Rogers to eight minutes in the second half.
"We really talked about a drill that we did, a spacing drill," Mills said. "We went in a halftime and just told them that the drill we work on for spacing, that is about to become our offense. Their ball-screen pressure is really good. We're not there yet. But we do have the ability to go downhill."
All those numbers that said WKU should be winning required the Shockers to ignore their frustrations and stay positive. Beverly committed six turnovers, several of the one-handed pass variety that drive coaches crazy. Mills stuck with him, and it paid off.
"The coaches didn't give up on me," Beverly said. "They kept giving me confidence. It really felt good in the moment they were still with me."
Beverly won't get a pass on his turnovers, he knows, when the Shockers look at the video. On Thursday, Mills' only thought was to keep him thinking good thoughts.
"We knew we had to tighten things up," Mills said. "You realize you're going to struggle through some things. We needed to turn the page. We needed to move on to what's next. I thought they did that."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
