Shocker notes: Why Darral Willis was so excited about that dunk

Darral Willis was one of the few WSU players who had success last season against Oklahoma State, posting a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double in WSU’s 93-76 loss at Intrust Bank Arena.

Willis once again came through with a solid performance against the Cowboys on Saturday, scoring 12 timely points off the bench for the Shockers and grabbing six rebounds.

Never did Willis come up bigger than when OSU rattled off a 9-0 run to take a 39-36 lead in the second half. Willis was there to answer back with a three-pointer to tie the score, then answered another OSU bucket with a dunk.

“I feel like that was a pretty big momentum swing for us,” Willis said. “It really turned the guys up and we just buckled down from that stretch on.”

Willis showed more emotion than usual following the dunk to conclude his personal 5-0 run. Why?

“Because they actually took away my first dunk on an offensive foul,” Willis said, referencing a hooking call in the first half that negated his dunk. “I didn’t even really hook him. So I got kind of emotional there because I finally got my dunk that I was supposed to have before.”

On renewing the rivalry

Saturday’s game completed the agreed upon two-game series between WSU and OSU, but WSU coach Gregg Marshall said after the game he is confident that will be extended.

“We’re re-upping with Oklahoma and maybe Oklahoma State,” Marshall said. “It may end up being a 4-year deal. I would prefer to play it all the time. I have a great respect for these programs and these coaches. We obviously needed this challenge to go on the road back-to-back Saturdays and win on the road against quality teams. It helps us get better.”

How high will WSU go

WSU fans were already speculating on social media about how high the Shockers might be ranked come Monday when the Associated Press poll is released.

No. 6 WSU picked up its second straight Saturday road victory over a Big 12 team to improve to 8-1, while three teams ahead of the Shockers in the poll lost during the week.

“I think that will help us move up,” Rashard Kelly said. “We’re still trying to be the best team in the country, so we’ll play anybody.”

Postgame notes

WSU won its eighth straight true road game, while snapping OSU’s 15-game non-conference home winning streak. The Shockers also snapped Baylor’s non-conference home winning streak at 42 games last weekend. The Shockers are 43-6 in true road games since the 2013-14 season, the best mark in Division I.

The win also snaps OSU’s dominance in the series. The Cowboys had won 30 of 38 games and four of the last five, and WSU won in Stillwater for the first time since 1957. It was also the first time the Shockers have scored more than 67 points in Stillwater. Marshall is now 6-3 against Big 12 teams as coach.

▪ WSU outrebounded its 14th straight opponent by winning the rebounding battle 36-26 against OSU. The Shockers grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, as Kelly and Willis led the way with 13 combined rebounds.

▪ After connecting on 12 three-pointers in Stillwater, WSU has now made at least 10 three-pointers in four straight games. The Shockers are shooting 44 percent (45 of 102) during that span.

▪ Conner Frankamp extended his school-record streak of consecutive games with a made three-pointer to 31 after knocking down two more beyond the arc against the Cowboys.

This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Shocker notes: Why Darral Willis was so excited about that dunk."