In a matchup with history dating back to 1906, Wichita State men’s basketball won its 41st meeting against cross-town foe Friends University, 87-72, on Sunday evening. The programs have now met 52 times, having played both of the last two seasons after an 80-year hiatus.
Wichita State won its eighth-straight game against the Falcons and improved to 10-3 on the season. The game was an exhibition for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) opponent and will not count against Friends’ overall record.
Wichita State head coach Paul Mills said the way the game went was “expected” with a few players out with injuries and after the team’s 8-day break for the holidays.
“You’re kind of out there (like), ‘Let’s look at some different opportunities.’” Mills said. “You really don’t know what you’re going to get, but I am glad we won.”
The Shockers played sloppy basketball, turning the ball over 18 times — a new season-high — and only forcing 14 turnovers from the Falcons. In a continued trend with senior forward Ronnie DeGray III on the shelf with an injury, Wichita State also allowed more offensive boards than it brought down, giving up 15.
Senior guard Xavier Bell said the team needs to do a better job of protecting the basketball.
“We kind of get ahead of ourselves,” Bell said. “You know, trying to dribble into situations that aren’t really good for us or the team.”
However, Wichita State continued a recent resurgence from beyond the arc, shooting 43% — the team’s fourth time shooting above 40% from 3-point range in the last five games after hitting the mark only twice in the preceding eight games.
The Shockers dawned an all-senior starting lineup for the first time this season as guards Bell, Bijan Cortes, Harlond Beverly, center Quincy Ballard and fifth-year guard AJ McGinnis got the nod. Fifth-year guard Justin Hill, who had started every previous game, sat out against the Falcons due to hamstring tightness, a precaution against the NAIA opponent.
The new starting lineup all finished with a positive plus/minus, while Wichita State lost points whenever one of its four bench players — freshman guard Zion Pipkin, junior forward Corey Washington, sophomore guard Joy Ighovodja or senior center Matej Bošnjak — were on the floor.
McGinnis started perfect from deep, scoring eight of the Shockers’ first 14 points. His effort helped open up a 10-point cushion, 14-4, in the first half. During that time, the Falcons went on a four-minute scoring drought, crawling to a 2-12 start from the floor.
McGinnis said the plan coming into the game wasn’t for him to get target practice, but to add a level of impact early on.
“It wasn’t really an emphasis,” McGinnis said. “It was just more of, you know, focus — just trying to get into the game and just making an immediate impact and handle business. So there was no conversation had (about getting extra shots up), it was more of a mindset thing.”
Despite the hot start, six Wichita State turnovers and six missed shots later, the Falcons tied the game at 20, sending the Shocker Faithful into a fit of boos. Bell, a Wichita native, said he knew the other team would get their swings. He ripped off a 7-0 run by himself in under a minute of game time to give the home team another lead, 27-20.
“They’re (Friends) a good team,” Bell said. “They know how to play basketball. They know how to make shots. So we knew they were going to swing back at some point … But you know, just staying calm, not necessarily getting into the noise of the crowd or them making noise on the other bench (helped a lot).”
Bell provided the only consistent offense in the first half for the Shockers, scoring 21 points — only three points off his season-high in the previous game against Kansas State University and continuing a three-game stretch of 20-point outputs. Wichita State went into the locker room with a nine-point lead, 45-36.
During the half, Bell shot 8-10 from the floor, including perfect marks from beyond the arc (2-2) and charity stripe (3-3).
Consistent with the rest of the season, the Shockers went into the break shooting 58% from the floor compared to Friends’ 37%, but turned the ball over 11 times and allowed eight offensive boards. With each first-half offensive rebound given up, the groans of the home team’s crowd grew louder and Mills’ expression grew longer.
Mills said Friends’ offensive rebounds came from WSU not being physical and not being able to protect the paint.
“I thought we were running into the paint,” Mills said. “And a lot of those shots were just ricocheting over our heads.”
With a greater sense of urgency coming out of the break, Wichita State held the Falcons to a 1-12 start from the floor, forcing a scoring drought of over two minutes of game time. The Shockers’ lead ballooned to 20 points, 59-39, and by the 12:30 mark of the period, all but one of Wichita State’s starters were on the bench.
Despite McGinnis bumping the Shockers’ lead to 21 points, the Falcons clawed back for their biggest run of the game, a 10-0 stretch to cut the deficit back to 64-53.
After the run, Mills subbed in some of the starters, preventing the Falcons from continuing their momentum. The tactic paid off as Wichita State eventually regained a 15-point advantage following an alley-oop slam by Ballard from Cortes, sending the home crowd into a roar of cheers.
The Shockers’ 15-point advantage proved too much for Friends to overcome, as Wichita State ended the game on a 7-2 run, securing the 15-point margin of victory.
During the second half, the Shockers shot worse than they did during the first at 47% from the floor, 17% from deep and 64% from the free throw line. However, Wichita State did a better job not allowing offensive rebounds as the Falcons only tallied 7 on the offensive glass, compared to the Shockers’ 12.
Ballard set a new career-high with 16 boards, eight of which came on the offensive glass. He added 17 points, a season-high, for his second consecutive double-double.
Bell set a game and a new Wichita State career-high in points with 29 on 11-16 shooting, keeping his perfect stats from the first half in 3-pointers (2-2) and free throws (5-5).
Bell said having that level of performance in front of an all-local crowd was something special.
“But at the same time … I’m just grateful for the opportunity and grateful to come here with these guys that I call my teammates (and) my brothers,” Bell said.
With the win against Friends concluding its non-conference slate, Wichita State will begin its American Athletic Conference (AAC) schedule on Jan. 3 at Temple University. The Shockers, who were picked to finish fourth, come into AAC play tied for the best non-conference record with the University of Memphis.
Tipoff against the Owls is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Philadelphia.
“Anticipating a real good one in Philadelphia,” Mills said.
