Shocker report: Wichita State 62, Evansville 43
Sunday’s box score
No. 13 Wichita St. 62,
Evansville 43
EVANSVILLE | Min | FG | FT | OR-TR | A | PF | PT |
Brown | 13 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Wing | 29 | 0-5 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Balentine | 28 | 2-10 | 4-6 | 0-3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
Simmons | 25 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
Mockevicius | 31 | 5-7 | 5-5 | 4-11 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
Stafford | 16 | 2-4 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
Benzon | 13 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Gibson | 14 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Brzoja | 22 | 1-8 | 1-2 | 1-4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Moore | 8 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Howard | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 200 | 15-48 | 12-17 | 6-37 | 9 | 18 | 43 |
Percentages: FG .313, FT .706. 3-Point Goals: 1-12, .083 (Stafford 1-3, Wing 0-2, Brzoja 0-2, Simmons 0-2, Balentine 0-3). Team Rebounds: 5. Blocked Shots: 1 (Balentine). Turnovers: 13 (Brown 3, Balentine 2, Wing 2, Brzoja 2, Benzon, Moore, Gibson, Simmons). Steals: 2 (Gibson, Mockevicius). Technical Fouls: None.
WICHITA ST. | Min | FG | FT | OR-TR | A | PF | PT |
Wessel | 27 | 4-8 | 1-3 | 3-4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
Carter | 27 | 1-6 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
VanVleet | 33 | 8-13 | 2-4 | 2-8 | 5 | 1 | 22 |
Baker | 33 | 5-13 | 4-6 | 2-15 | 1 | 2 | 18 |
Cotton | 33 | 0-7 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
Kelly | 19 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 2-5 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Brown | 4 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Henderson Jr | 6 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Holland | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wamukota | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Morris | 9 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Glass | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 200 | 22-57 | 8-18 | 10-40 | 16 | 14 | 62 |
Percentages: FG .386, FT .444. 3-Point Goals: 10-27, .370 (VanVleet 4-6, Baker 4-9, Wessel 2-6, Henderson Jr. 0-1, Cotton 0-5). Team Rebounds: 1. Blocked Shots: 4 (Morris 2, Carter 2). Turnovers: 8 (VanVleet 3, Cotton 2, Brown, Morris). Steals: 9 (Cotton 2, VanVleet 2, Henderson Jr. 2, Carter, Kelly, Baker). Technical Fouls: None.
Evansville | 14 | 29 | — | 43 |
Wichita St. | 30 | 32 | — | 62 |
A—10,506. Officials—Don Daily, Keith Kimble, Ray Natili.
Record-breaking pass
Let history record Wichita State guard Fred VanVleet broke the school’s career assists record with 5:05 remaining when he passed to Rashard Kelly for a layup and a 53-36 lead.
“It was just a great pass from a great player,” Kelly said. “That’s what he does. He makes everybody else look good.”
VanVleet started the afternoon with 426 assists and needed five to pass Toure Murry, who played from 2008-12. Warren Armstrong, who played three seasons from 1965-68 (before freshman eligibility) was in second with 429. VanVleet had two in the first half, one to Ron Baker and one to Evan Wessel, both for three-pointers.
In the second half, he hit Baker for another three and Kelly for a basket to tie Murry.
"It’s really special, with the history of guys in this program," VanVleet said. "You can’t get assists without having anybody else, so it speaks to the teammates I’ve had."
After the game, he took a picture with former WSU women’s basketball player Kathy Garofalo, who played from 1978-82 and tops the women’s career list with 476 assists.
VanVleet grabbed two steals to pass Jamar Howard (153) and move into third place on WSU’s career list with 155. Next up is Murry, with 180. Jason Perez is WSU’s leader with 222.
It all adds up
The Shockers won their 31st straight home game to extend the nation’s fourth-longest streak. Gonzaga leads the list wtih 40 in a row, followed by Arizona (36) and North Carolina Central (33).
WSU tied Southern Illinois (2001-03) and Oklahoma State (1943-45) for sixth on the Missouri Valley Conference’s career list. SIU (2003-06) is fifth with 33. Cincinnati holds the MVC record with 86 straight home wins from 1957-64.
To move up, WSU must defeat No. 11 Northern Iowa on Saturday in the regular-season finale at Koch Arena. WSU coach Gregg Marshall called it the biggest game of his seven-plus seasons. The presence of ESPN’s “College GameDay” adds to the atmosphere.
“It will be awesome,” he said. “It will be a zoo. Don’t call me for tickets. I don’t have any. Go to StubHub. Get ready to come off the hip.”
Worth noting
WSU improved its series lead to 27-16. It has won the past five by an average margin of 20.6 points … WSU freshman Zach Brown played four minutes in his first action after missing four games. Brown suffered a concussion earlier this month when teammate Bush Wamukota accidentally elbowed him in the head during practice … Evansville center Egidijus Mockevicius recorded his 16th double-double of the season … WSU has won 25 or more games for the seventh straight season.
Paul Suellentrop
This story was originally published February 23, 2015 at 6:12 AM with the headline "Shocker report: Wichita State 62, Evansville 43."