For the seven years since Wichita State departed the Missouri Valley Conference, the Shockers and the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) were knotted at 28 wins apiece in their all-time series.
That deadlock was broken on Thursday night in the Roundhouse, with Wichita State earning the win in the old rivalry, 79-73.
“You can win by doing the things we did tonight, rebounding the ball, taking care of the ball, but you really win through intangibles and character,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said. “And I thought we demonstrated that, especially down the stretch.”
WSU stayed undefeated at 3-0, while UNI dropped to 2-2, losing its last two games.
Northern Iowa out-shot the Shockers from the field, 47% to 43%. The winning difference was at the free throw line, where Wichita State made 19 points to UNI’s nine, and on the offensive boards, where the Shockers collected 14 to the Panthers’ six.
Fifth-year guard Justin Hill, who carried Wichita State offensively through its first two games, had his least impactful game of the young season with 11 points. Junior forward Corey Washington stepped up with a season-high 19 points and added six rebounds.
“I picked it from the start; it was going to get a little physical,” Washington said. “I love those games. In practice, they don’t really like to be playing like that, because they have to go up against it.”
Six Shockers scored at least eight points in the win.
The opening minutes of the game saw numerous groans from the home crowd as Wichita State began the game 2-10 from the field. The Shockers kept the game close with tight defense, however, and senior center Matej Bošnjak scored with two consecutive post-ups. That kicked off a run where WSU cashed on four consecutive trips down the court and led, 13-12.
The Shockers finally broke away with a 7-0 run to take a 27-18 lead with five minutes left in the half. Northern Iowa clawed back, going on a 7-0 run of its own to close the half and cut the WSU lead to 34-32 at the break.
Washington came out firing to begin the second half, knocking down two 3-pointers and another jumper on the wing. Hill and senior guard Bijan Cortes added threes of their own to give the Shockers a 52-41 lead five minutes into the half.
“I (saw) that they were playing more of a backline defense, heavy help,” Washington said. “So those catch-and-shoot opportunities are always there. We just have to be confident and knock them down.”
From there, Wichita State didn’t score from the field for the next six minutes but sank six free throws to maintain the lead, 58-50.
Trailing 71-57, UNI rallied for a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to 6 points with two minutes left as the Shockers struggled to get clean shots in their offensive system. After a missed WSU 3-pointer, Hill stole the ball and dished it to senior center Quincy Ballard, who was all alone for a ferocious slam.
The Charles Koch Arena fans erupted, but the noise would be short-lived as the Panthers drained a 3-pointer 10 seconds later to make the score 74-69.
Down 4 points with 20 seconds left, UNI missed two free throws, while the Shockers converted theirs down the stretch. That’s something Wichita State often struggled to do last year when it shot 70% from the line. This year, the Shockers have made 78% from the charity stripe.
Mills said the end of games is when those free throws matter.
“To be honest with you, I’m not that nervous sitting over there,” Mills said. “Last year, if you could have saw the inside of me, you would have thought, ‘That guy’s about to die.’”
Many Wichita State fans — and some of the players — were frustrated with a few officiating calls down the stretch. Hill said the team kept their heads up through the adversity.
“Some calls went the other way, and they crept back in there with their shot-making,” he said. “And we just stuck to our roots in the game plan and just (pulled) the win out.”
Washington said choppy games like the one on Thursday brings the team closer together.
“I feel like those moments where, calls not going our way, they’re creeping back into the game and we pull it out, that makes this connection way more strong,” Washington said.
Wichita State will return to the Roundhouse on Monday, Nov. 18, when it takes on Monmouth University. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
