Three takeaways from Wichita State basketball’s win over former Valley rival UNI
Another former Missouri Valley Conference rivalry was renewed inside Koch Arena on Thursday, as the Wichita State men’s basketball turned away Northern Iowa in a 79-73 victory.
It was the second straight year for WSU to welcome back a former Valley rival — Southern Illinois last season — and defeat them. This time the victory helped the Shockers improve to 3-0 this season.
WSU junior Corey Washington scored a season-high 19 points with six rebounds, while Justin Hill added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists and Ronnie DeGray III chipped in nine points with seven rebounds off the bench. UNI was led by 22 points from center Jacob Hutson, who hit a career-high three 3-pointers and shot 7 of 14 from the field.
1. Shockers grind down UNI for a 3-0 start
It wasn’t always pretty — WSU head coach Paul Mills warned as much beforehand — but WSU steadily pulled away from UNI and survived some nervy moments down the stretch for a third straight win over the Panthers.
UNI actually briefly led early in the second half when a Jacob Hutson triple out of halftime staked the Panthers to a 35-34 lead. But WSU made its first run of the game with an 11-2 spurt that included three 3-pointers — two from Corey Washington and a step-back triple by Justin Hill — that established a 45-37 lead and gave WSU the cushion it needed.
The Shockers looked poised to blow the game open when Washington’s relentless bucket put WSU up 71-57 with 4 minutes, 55 seconds remaining. Mills waved his arms and the crowd noise swelled, but UNI instantly quieted the home fans with a corner 3-pointer by Ben Schwieger followed by another triple from Hutson.
UNI clawed back to within 72-66 with 2:29 left and produced another defensive stop, but Hill jumped a passing lane and dished ahead to Quincy Ballard for a thunderous slam and a 74-66 lead. Still, UNI would not go away and Hutson answered back with another 3 to trim the deficit to 74-69 with 1:37 left.
WSU split a pair of free throws and UNI scored on a backdoor cut for a dunk by Leon Bond, then came up with another stop but squandered a chance to cut further into the deficit when Tyton Anderson missed two free throws with 21 seconds left.
WSU’s improved free-throw shooting came in handy down the stretch, as Corey Washington and Xavier Bell combined to go 4 for 4 in helping to secure the victory.
2. A more aggressive Croatian shines for Wichita State
With starting center Quincy Ballard saddled with early foul trouble, WSU needed production from reserve Matej Bosnjak.
After playing mostly passively in his first two games as a Shocker, the 6-foot-9 Croatian big man finally broke out of his shell on Thursday. He finished with a career-high nine points on 4-of-8 shooting to go along with six rebounds in 22 minutes.
WSU playing through Bosnjak in the post was nothing new. But he had almost primarily looked to kick out to shooters on the perimeter when posting up in his first two games, as Bosnjak attempted just five shots combined.
On Thursday, Bosnjak looked to score and found early success. He methodically backed down UNI’s Will Hornseth, then finished with a tight spin move that left his defender grasping for air and an easy path to a bucket. Not long after, Bosnjak once again dribbled several times to size up his defender, then spun away and connected on a short bank shot.
In a game where WSU struggled at times to find consistent sources of offense, Bosnjak’s aggressiveness helped the Shockers build a nine-point lead in the first half and take a 34-32 lead into the locker room.
3. Mutual love between Mark Turgeon, Shockers fans in homecoming
The former Wichita State head coach made his first appearance at Koch Arena in 17 years, as he was celebrated for his recent induction into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Turgeon and his wife, Ann, couldn’t help but smile during a short video tribute played on the video board to highlight his seven-year run with the Shockers that saw the program win its first Missouri Valley Conference championship and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in decades.
When given the microphone to address the crowd, Turgeon received a standing ovation. He gave credit to former WSU president Don Beggs and athletic director Jim Schaus, then reciprocated the love to the Shocker fans.
“What made this place what it is was the fan base,” Turgeon said. “You guys are the best.”
Turgeon was accompanied by several former WSU players such as Paul Miller, Rob Kampman, Matt Braeuer and Craig Steven. After a short speech that drew another rousing ovation, Turgeon made time to show his appreciation for WSU’s longtime radio duo, Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl.
“I loved everywhere I coached,” Turgeon told the fans. “But I probably had the most fun and I’m the most proud of what we did here at Wichita State.”
Shockers vs. Monmouth, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18
Wichita State looks for its first 4-0 start since the 2019-20 season, as the Shockers will take on Monmouth from the Coastal Athletic Association for just the third time in program history. The Hawks are currently ranked No. 294 on KenPom’s efficiency rankings, the lowest-rated opponent on WSU’s schedule.
More from the game
- WSU attempted to make Thursday’s game feel like a throwback. Not only did the Shockers play longtime Valley rivals Northern Iowa, but they wore their throwback MTXE jerseys, celebrated former coach Mark Turgeon at halftime and had throwback-themed videoboard content and music playing throughout the game.
- Turgeon, 59, retired from coaching in 2021 and now runs a coaching consulting business from his home in Maryland. He was recently inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, in part due to his seven-year tenure as WSU head coach from 2000-07 highlighted by a Missouri Valley Conference championship and Sweet 16 run in the 2005-06 season.
- WSU and UNI didn’t start regularly playing each other until the 1991-92 season and the series was tied 28-28 entering Thursday’s game. The two played many memorable games during the Turgeon and Gregg Marshall eras, notably a 74-60 win by the Shockers at Koch Arena on Feb. 28, 2015 with ESPN’s College GameDay in attendance. Thursday marked just the third time in the series history WSU and UNI have played outside of MVC competition.
- WSU and UNI signed a home-and-home scheduling contract, as Thursday’s game at Koch Arena will be followed by the Shockers traveling to Cedar Falls next fall to play the Panthers at McLeod Center.
- WSU point guard Justin Hill’s 48 points through the first two games of the season were the most by a Shocker since Jason Perez scored 54 against McNeese State and Prairie View A&M in 1999. Hill is just the third Shocker to score at least 40 points in his first two games since 2000, joining Markis McDuffie (2018) and Tyson Etienne (2020).
- The Panthers returned three starters from last season’s 19-win team and were picked to finish second in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll. They entered Thursday’s game with a No. 133 ranking on KenPom, which likely makes Thursday’s game a Quad-3 game (home games against teams ranked between 76-160) for the Shockers.
This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 8:32 PM.
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