Coming into its game against Wichita State’s men’s basketball team, Montana State University (MSU) made 46% of its 3-pointers. But the Shockers held the Bobcats to 28% from beyond the arc on Saturday night in an 89-69 rout in front of the Shocker faithful.
With the win, Wichita State starts 2-0 for the sixth straight season.
“To be honest with you, (I) was really nervous about this one,” head coach Paul Mills said. “Simply because of their (MSU’s) ability to make threes.”
Wichita State dominated the first half from the opening tipoff, never trailing through the opening period. The Shockers made huge 15-2 and 10-0 runs to give them a 33-15 lead within the game’s opening 14 minutes.
Fifth-year guard Justin Hill and senior guard Harlond Beverly punctuated the half for Wichita State. Leading 37-22, Hill broke his defender’s ankles and sunk a pull-up jumper, 39-22. After the Bobcats made a 3-pointer on the other end of the floor, Hill converted a stepback 3-pointer of his own, allowing the Shockers to open up a 17-point, 42-25 advantage.
Hill said making the back-to-back plays was a fun test of the team’s faith in him.
“You know, just having my teammates trusting me,” Hill said. “(And) my coaches trust me to make those plays and execute what they call.”
Beverly said he was impressed by Hill breaking a defender’s ankles.
“Usually, he’s the one getting dropped in practice,” Beverly said while laughing. “So it was really good to see it the other way around.”
To end the half, Beverly slammed home an alley-oop pass from Hill as time expired, giving Wichita State a 46-31 halftime lead.
Recalling what he thought when he slammed home the oop, Beverly said, “I just had to catch it.”
“I was glad that we called it because last game we hadn’t put it in (the play) yet,” Beverly said. “So we went over it a couple (of) times today. He (Hill) threw a really good pass.”
The Shockers managed 51% shooting, 38% from beyond the arc and 88% from the free-throw line in the opening period, led by an 11-point effort from Beverly. Wichita State outrebounded MSU 23-14 and owned the paint, outscoring the Bobcats 28-6 down low.
Senior forward Ronnie DeGray III said the defense’s intensity during the first half helped the team build such a big lead. DeGray scored 11 points, nabbed six rebounds and tallied a block in his 21 minutes of game time.
“(We’re) getting (to) the shooters, pressing them, running off the line, making them play a game that they don’t want to,” DeGray said. “And they turned the ball over in transition. So (the) guys are focused on detail to start the first four minutes and the second unit continued (it).”
The second half was over before it started. The closest the Bobcats came was cutting Wichita State’s lead to 6 points, 52-46. Leading 66-58, the Shockers went on their biggest run of the half, 7-0, to take a 73-58 lead.
From there, free-throw shooting and bench points contributed to the 20-point margin of victory. During the half, Wichita State hit 15-18 free throws and outscored MSU 16-8 off the bench. Senior guard Xavier Bell carried the load, scoring all eight of his points in the second half. The Shockers ended the game hitting their last three shots in a row.
Wichita State ended the game shooting 52% from the field, including 85% from the charity stripe. The Shockers more than doubled the Bobcats’ points in the paint with 52.
Hill scored a game-high 17 points, grabbed five rebounds and assisted five buckets. Four more Shockers ended the game with double-digit points. Senior center Quincy Ballard ended the game with four blocks, a career-high.
Wichita State men’s basketball will stay in the confines of Charles Koch Arena when it plays an old Missouri Valley Conference rival, the University of Northern Iowa on Thursday, Nov. 14. The clash of undefeated teams will tip off at 6:30 p.m.
