Men's Basketball | 2/7/2024 10:03:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Paul Mills talks often about dominating the simple and on Wednesday the Shockers made a good run at that goal for almost all 40 minutes.
 
They made foul shots, all 15 of them. The Shockers committed eight turnovers for a turnover percentage of 11.3 to continue an encouraging four-game trend. Neither of those areas are as simple to execute on the court as they may appear, but they rank high among things a basketball team must take care of to avoid self-inflicted damage.
 
Wichita State handled UTSA 84-64 on Wednesday at Koch Arena with a no-stress victory helped immensely by avoiding mistakes and making those undefended shots from the line.
 
"It's a good step towards (dominating the simple),'' forward Harlond Beverly said. "We can continue to get better. We did do a lot of things right today, and I feel like we can still improve so we can dominate the simple even better."
 
WSU (10-13, 2-8 American Athletic Conference) led for almost 38 minutes and by 10 or more points for almost 32. UTSA (8-15, 2-8) scored a mere seven points off the Shockers turnovers and managed three points off fast-breaks, both lows in AAC plays for opponents.
 
The Roadrunners never made a run because the Shockers never opened the door with mistakes or missed shots. UTSA cut WSU's lead to 16 points with a hot start to the second half. The Shockers quickly built it back to 20 because one bad possession didn't turn into three and give the opponent life.
 
"Just trying to stack possessions," guard Xavier Bell said. "Get a stop on defense. Get the best shot we can on offense."
 
 

Easy peasy 💥@whynotbijan | @Harlond20 pic.twitter.com/XcgUtTi0HJ

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) February 8, 2024

 
 
Limiting turnovers and letting the offense work means everything for the Shockers They recorded 18 assists, their high in conference play, on their 31 baskets.
 
"It's not trying to make difficult plays," Mills said. "There's a big priority and emphasis on making sure we get the most out of our possessions."
 
When they do that, the Shockers can play quite effectively.
 
They made their first eight shots, driving without fear into the lane, to take control early in the game. Their defense dictated the action most of the game by limiting UTSA's three-point shooting and paying attention to the scouting report.
Several Shockers combined to clamp down on Jordan Ivy-Curry and held him to five points, 13 below his average, on 1-of-10 shooting.
 
The Roadrunners are weak defensive team and the Shockers refused to help them with over-dribbling or in-the-air passes. They played off two feet, the Mills description of how to maintain balance, composure and make good decisions with the ball.
 
"There was way more mature basketball being played," Mills said.
 
In turn, the Shockers thrived off good shots, whether it was Beverly driving for layups, lobs for dunks or Rogers getting open shots.
 
"You have to be able to trust your teammates," Mills said. "Through the course of the season, the timing gets better. Your angles get better. The timing gets better, and it's understood by everybody."
 
 

HB → QB plus the foul 😤 pic.twitter.com/DKydd1UwAX

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) February 8, 2024

 
 
The Shockers started the second half of the conference schedule with a win. Of their remaining eight games, five are against teams with losing AAC records and three of those are at Koch Arena.
 
It won't be simple for the Shockers to turn the season in a better direction, but Wednesday's win shows them how much dominating the simple can help.
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.