Koch Arena magic: AfterShocks pull off miracle TBT comeback to stun Creighton alumni
It was only fitting that Koch Arena would produce perhaps the wildest Elam Ending in The Basketball Tournament history. And it was only fitting that the Wichita State-Creighton rivalry would bring it out.
With the next basket ending the game and the AfterShocks trailing by four points on defense, the Wichita State alumni team needed a miracle. They got one.
Markis McDuffie used every inch of the long limbs on his 6-foot-8 frame to pry loose the ball on a full-court trap, a steal that led to a Conner Frankamp layup to cap a late rally for an improbable 76-73 win for the AfterShocks over the Omaha Blue Crew.
Only at Koch Arena could a Sunday night in July feel like March Madness, as McDuffie’s steal and Frankamp’s winning basket led to pandemonium for the 3,481 in attendance.
“The final five seconds were maybe the craziest five seconds of my life and I’ve played a lot of basketball in my life,” said Frankamp, who immediately dropped his stoic demeanor after the game-winning score to celebrate.
“To see Conner react that way, we were just joking that I’ve never seen him react that way in my life,” AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said. “It was awesome. Pure joy.”
It was such a euphoric feeling for the AfterShocks and their fans because their hope seemed all but dashed just minutes earlier.
With the Elam Ending triggered and the target score set at 75, the Blue Crew took a 73-69 lead and would have four possessions that could have potentially won the game. But the AfterShocks’ defense ratcheted up another level and forced four straight turnovers to prevent the Creighton alumni team from even hoisting a possible game-winning shot.
“If you watch those last few possessions in the Elam Ending, I think all of us were locked in on another level,” said AfterShocks’ Rashard Kelly. “I still don’t know how we pulled that one out, but we just kept fighting. Man, the crowd was electric.”
Frankamp’s game-winning basket sealed what one TBT official described as one of the most clutch performances during an Elam Ending they’ve ever seen. The Wichita native scored 11 of his team-high 24 points during the Elam Ending, as the AfterShocks outscored the Blue Crew 13-6 to steal the victory.
“We played together growing up when I was young and I felt like I always knew what Conner was capable of and was going to be,” said Bush. “Over the years, he’s faced his hardships and overcome things and I think everyone who’s played with him has the utmost respect for his game and who he is as a player. To see him do this is so cool because everybody else is getting to see what we already knew.”
As a result, the $1 million dream lives on for the AfterShocks. A trip to Dayton and a spot in the TBT Elite Eight will be on the line at Tuesday 8 p.m. when the AfterShocks play Team Challenge ALS in a Wichita regional championship game. Aftershocks’ TBT tickets will be sold at half-priced at GoShockers.com.
For many who experience the WSU-Creighton rivalry during their collegiate playing career, Sunday’s game was a taste of what it was like back in the Missouri Valley days.
“How much fun is that?” Bush said. “(Blue Crew coach Josh Jones) looked down during the Elam Ending when it was either one of us score and win and he just started smiling and was like, ‘This is fun.’ I said, ‘It’s the rivalry, baby.’ He said, ‘Either way it goes, it’s a blast.’
“Man, we’ve got to get that game back in the (non-conference schedule for WSU). It would be so great for both programs.”
The Blue Crew had the momentum entering the Elam Ending, as Jahenns Manigat — one of two Creighton players who played against the Shockers in college — drilled a desperation three as the shot clock expired for a 67-63 lead just before the target score was set at 75.
But that’s when Frankamp went to work.
The Wichita native brought the crowd to their feet when he crossed up Manigat and swished a three in his absence. The next time down, he did it all over again with the back-to-back triples tying the score at 69.
“My teammates were setting great screens for me and I was able to get open and knock down some shots,” Frankamp said. “I was able to get in a rhythm.”
But the game swung heavily in the Blue Crew’s favor after a controversial out-of-bounds call. In arguing the call, McDuffie fell to the ground in his reenactment of what happened and was assessed a technical foul.
The Blue Crew made both free throws, then scored a basket on the ensuing possession to take a 73-69 lead — just two points away from winning.
“I didn’t mean to get that technical foul,” McDuffie said. “I was just in the heat of the game. The game was so high-intense. I think I got caught up trying to demonstrate what happened and they called the tech. I really got nervous because I didn’t want to hurt my team.
“After that, I was just like, ‘I’ve got to make them turn it over. I’ve got to get the ball back.’”
Frankamp scored on a drive to cut the deficit to 73-71, then the AfterShocks forced a shot clock violation on the next possession. Frankamp split a pair of free throws, then Rashard Kelly (13 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists) jumped the passing lane and came up with a steal and a pass ahead to McDuffie (12 points, 6 rebounds) led to two free throws that he made to put the AfterShocks ahead 74-73.
Needing a defensive stand, McDuffie came through with a steal of his own — only for Clevin Hannah to dribble off his foot trying to set up the possible game-winner to give the ball back to the Blue Crew.
But when the ball was in-bounded to Deverell Biggs, Frankamp and McDuffie quickly converged on him for a trap near the sidelines. Biggs lost his balance and lost control of the ball. McDuffie quickly snatched it up and passed ahead to Frankamp for the game-winning layup.
“In that situation, the desperation was crazy,” McDuffie said. “It’s like you’ve got to be there. You can’t be late. Once he lost the ball, my eyes just lit up. I grabbed the ball and I saw Conner and passed to him and said,’ Please Conner, end it.’”
“Mark told us in the timeout that he was going to get the ball back for us,” Kelly said. “He did what he said he was going to do.”
After spending the past week together practicing and hanging out with each other away from basketball, the players were excited for an extra two days — and a possible berth to the TBT quarterfinals in Dayton on July 31.
“I love playing with these guys,” Frankamp said. “We don’t want this week to end. It’s been great seeing all of these guys. I was just excited there at the end.”
“We talk about the Wichita State brotherhood and it’s real,” Bush said. “We love each other and we love spending time together. We don’t want this to end. It was unbelievable when you think all hope is lost, then you get four straight stops like that. Just unbelievable.”
This story was originally published July 18, 2021 at 6:01 PM.
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