The RoundHouse | 1/17/2024 9:25:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Wichita State coach
Terry Nooner expected to get a lot of mismatches because of Memphis' switching style of defense. He wanted the Shockers to work those advantages and they did.
The Shockers defeated Memphis 71-66 by shooting 48.4-percent, their high in American Athletic Conference play, and outscoring the Tigers 50-32 in the paint.
"We talked about attacking the paint, dominating the paint," Nooner said. "They had a mindset today that they wanted to get buckets in the paint."
Daniela Abies and
Jayla Murray led that scoring emphasis. Abies made 9 of 11 shots to score 18 points and grab a career-high 16 rebounds, seven offensive. Murray added 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
WSU (6-12, 2-4 AAC) snapped a four-game losing streak and erased some of the bad feelings after blowing an 18-point lead at North Texas on Sunday. Wednesday, they held off the Tigers (5-12, 1-5) after building a 61-52 lead entering the fourth quarter.
"It was really needed," Abies said. "We need to get back on track and keep working the same way."
The Shockers did their work in the lane by outrebounding the Tiger 47-35 and turning 15 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points. Abies recorded her fifth game with 11 or more rebounds and her third double-double this season.
Her explanation for rebounding success is simple – box out and go grab the basketball.
"Jump high," she said.
Abies grabbed seven rebounds, three on offense, in the fourth quarter, including one with six seconds to go and WSU up 70-66.
"She's naturally a great athlete with great bounce," Nooner said. "She does a good job reading the basketball and where it's going to be coming off. Then, it's her motor and her athletic ability."
The Shockers held Memphis to 24-of-60 shooting (34.8 percent) and limited guard Madison Griggs to 11 points, six below her average, on 4-of-16 shooting. The Tigers made 9 of 17 shots in the first quarter and led 25-17. Wichita State's changing defenses, especially a 1-2-2 zone, cooled off the Tigers.
"We communicated a lot," Murray said. "We talk about the all the time in practice. When they go backdoor, screaming 'Backdoor, backdoor.'"
Turnovers again bothered the Shockers. They finished the night with 25 and committed six in the final quarter to hamper their efforts to put the game away. Memphis cut an 11-point lead to three, helped by three WSU turnovers.
WSU led 69-66 with 1:05 to play. They ran the clock to 47 seconds before a missed shot. After miss by Griggs with 26 seconds remaining, WSU ran the clock down to 14 seconds as Memphis fouled three times to put the Shockers at the line.
Salese Blow made one free throw for a four-point lead. After another miss by Griggs,
Tre'Zure Jobe made another with five seconds to play.
"It's a relief," Murray said. "We've put in so much work in practice. It paid off."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
