Missed free throws haunt WSU in first home-opening loss since 1995
It’s been nearly a decade since the last time the Wichita State men’s basketball team was in full rebuilding mode.
Fans at Koch Arena aren’t used to seeing the Shockers be outrebounded or miss so many free throws or turn the ball over so frequently. And they sure aren’t used to seeing WSU lose.
But that new reality was introduced on college basketball’s opening night, as WSU lost its first home-opener since 1995 in a 71-58 loss to Louisiana Tech at Koch Arena.
WSU shot 37 percent from the field, 28 percent from beyond the arc and 42 percent from the free-throw line. The Shockers were outrebounded 37-26 and committed 15 turnovers, as their offense produced just 0.83 points per possession.
Freshman Erik Stevenson led WSU with 16 points, including four three-pointers, while freshman Dexter Dennis added 10 points.
Louisiana Tech is a solid enough team. The Bulldogs returned the majority of their players from an up-and-down season and are expected to be in the top-half of Conference USA this season. DaQuan Bracey (16 points) is a talented guard who is tough for any team to guard.
But make no mistake, this is a foe that WSU teams of old would have taken care of. These Shockers could have too, if not for a horrendous shooting performance (11 of 26) from the free-throw line, which was contrasted by a 23-of-34 shooting game by Louisiana Tech.
Even without good performances from either of WSU’s two seniors, Markis McDuffie and Samajae Haynes-Jones, who combined for 15 points on 5-of-24 shooting, the Shockers still had a chance.
McDuffie split a pair of free throws with 1:19 remaining to cut Louisiana Tech’s lead to 63-58, but WSU fouled and Louisiana Tech made both of its free throws. An empty possession by the Shockers and more free throws by the Bulldogs iced the game.
A highlight for Shocker fans came midway through the second half when the crowd was brought to life by Stevenson, the sharpshooter from Lacey, Wash. Stevenson got a shooter’s roll on a three on the left wing, then swished a deep triple from dead-on on the next possession to cut Louisiana Tech’s lead to 47-41 with 15:34 left.
But WSU missed its opportunity to extend its run when it couldn’t capitalize on four straight defensive stops. Instead, Louisiana Tech survived with its cushion and extended it with an 8-0 run for a 55-43 lead with 9:49 remaining in the second half as WSU went on its own scoring drought.
The game’s first 10 minutes were steady, as WSU built a 15-11 lead following a Markis McDuffie three-pointer. But then the youthful mistakes began piling up.
In a six-possession stretch, WSU missed the front-end of bonus free throws twice, freshman Jamarius Burton turned it over and sophomore Asbjorn Midtgaard missed back-to-back layups. In less than four minutes, WSU’s four-point lead and turned into a 22-15 deficit as Louisiana Tech reeled off an 11-0 run that forced Gregg Marshall to use a timeout.
WSU is a young team that needs as much time to run through its sets as possible. Louisiana Tech didn’t allow the Shockers that luxury by applying a full-court press. It didn’t lead directly to turnovers, but it caused WSU to continually start its offense late in the shot clock.
WSU thought it had a spark when McDuffie dove head-first to save a loose ball under WSU’s basket that led to a Burton layup to cut Louisiana Tech’s lead to 23-18 with 5:04 remaining. The crowd was engaged, but WSU’s defense couldn’t produce a stop as Dennis fouled Exavian Christon for a three-point play.
Koch Arena fans sat in stunned silence as Louisiana Tech went on to put the Shockers in a 14-point hole in the first half from a fast-break dunk following a WSU turnover. Stevenson rallied WSU in the final minute, scoring on a layup and then a deep three-pointer to trim the Bulldogs’ lead to 39-29 at halftime.
WSU will leave Wichita on Wednesday to travel to Annapolis, Md., where the Shockers (0-1) will play Providence (1-0) in the Veterans Classic on Friday night on Navy’s campus.
This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 9:33 PM.