Outside shots starting to fall for Wichita State basketball, as Shockers win again
Outside shots have begun to fall for the Wichita State men’s basketball team.
The Shockers drilled 13 three-pointers in Tuesday’s 71-48 win over Mississippi Valley State at Koch Arena, as they have cleared at least 12 makes beyond the arc in three of their last four games.
It’s been a welcomed change for a team that was shooting a frigid 26% from deep on just 5.3 makes per game in the first six games of the season.
WSU improved to 6-4 and won back-to-back games for just the second time this season entering Saturday’s showdown against Oklahoma State at Intrust Bank Arena, while Mississippi Valley State fell to 1-10.
“It’s exciting getting that winning feeling back in this culture and getting our confidence up,” WSU senior Craig Porter said. “It’s just a confidence-booster getting two in a row and I feel like we’re heading in the right direction.”
Jaron Pierre Jr. continued his hot streak, pouring in a team-high 15 points with all five of his three-pointers in the first half. In his last three games played, Pierre has averaged 16 points per game with 3.7 three-pointers made per game.
“It feels great,” Pierre said. “My teammates are finding me for open shots and I’m taking the right ones. It feels good to be doing this.”
Jaykwon Walton added 14 points and a team-high six rebounds and four steals, while Porter chipped in with 13 points, three rebounds, nine assists, a steal and a block. Walk-on Melvion Flanagan followed up his breakout performance with another strong outing, drilling three three-pointers to score nine points in 12 minutes off the bench.
WSU committed a season-low three turnovers on 68 possessions and forced the Delta Devils into 23 turnovers, a 20-turnover difference that marked the largest margin in a game in program history.
“The best part about tonight was that we didn’t turn the ball over and we made shots,” WSU head coach Isaac Brown said. “It’s always good to see your team make shots from the three-point line.”
Up against the second-worst team in the country, per the rankings on KenPom.com, the Shockers made sure there would not be another SWAC upset in the Roundhouse. Pierre made four triples in the first seven minutes of the game to stake the Shockers to a 17-6 lead. The game was never in doubt after that.
While WSU’s outside shooting was encouraging, it masked a very poor performance inside the arc by the Shockers.
Teams have been having their way all season against Mississippi Valley State’s zone defense, as opponents were making 59% of their two-pointers entering Tuesday’s game. But WSU made it look like one of the stingiest rim-protecting teams in the country, as the Shockers shot just 27% (4 of 15) on two-pointers in the first half and 38% (13 of 34) for the game.
Shocker fans were treated to better finishing in the paint during the halftime performance from the local Granny Basketball players who delighted the crowd for their 10 minutes on the court.
“We’ve got to get better at scoring it around the rim,” Brown said. “We didn’t finish shots in the paint. We made a lot of jump shots, but anytime we drove the basketball and went to kick it to a guy for a dump-down dunk or layup, we didn’t finish well at the rim.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2022 at 8:49 PM.
.jpg)