Three takeaways from Wichita State basketball’s win vs. ETSU in best start since 2019
One of the finest halves of basketball in the Paul Mills era propelled Wichita State to an impressive 96-87 win over East Tennessee State at Koch Arena on Saturday.
The Shockers improved to 8-1 and continued their best start to a season since 2019 with their fifth straight home win.
After falling behind by as many as 21 points, ETSU made things interesting with a late charge behind a season-best 14 3-pointers and a superb performance from former Shocker Jayden Seymour, who finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks. But the Buccaneers (6-4) were unable to get within two possessions and WSU closed out the win with no drama.
Corey Washington (17 points, 13 rebounds) led the Shockers with his first career double-double, while Justin Hill scored a team-high 20 points. Bijan Cortes contributed a career-high eight assists, Quincy Ballard added nine points, six rebounds and five blocks and Harlond Beverly chipped in 14 points with four assists.
1. Shockers deliver one of best halves of Paul Mills era
It would be difficult to find many 20-minute sets better than the first half the Shockers played on Saturday.
WSU torched a solid ETSU team, a top-130 team in the NET, for 54 first-half points on 58% shooting and 1.42 points per possession.
The Shockers had a 12-3 lead before the first media timeout. When ETSU clawed back to within four points, the Shockers finished the first half on a 17-4 run that opened up a 17-point halftime advantage and gave the team the cushion it needed to cruise to victory.
Koch Arena still has a long ways to go before returning to sellout status, but the loudest pop of the season occurred near the end of the first half: In a 35-second sequence, Corey Washington slammed home a tip dunk, drilled a 3-pointer and Justin Hill blocked a shot that started a fast break, ending with Bijan Cortes finding Quincy Ballard for an emphatic alley-oop slam.
Even with a handful of careless turnovers sprinkled in, WSU’s offense produced its most aesthetically-pleasing performance of the season. Some of that had to do with 3-pointers finally falling, but WSU generally had good ball and player movement, which showed with 11 assists on 21 first-half baskets. WSU finished with 17 assists, tied for second-most this season.
Adding to WSU’s superb play was Ballard’s rim protection — he swatted away five shots in the first half alone — and its drastically improved defensive rebounding. ETSU entered as the 13th-best offensive rebounding team in the country, retrieving more than 39% of its own misses. But WSU limited the Buccaneers to just 26% on the offensive glass — their second-lowest mark this season.
2. Wichita State 3-balls begin to fall
Before Saturday’s game, the Shockers ranked 306th in the country in 3-point percentage at a tick below 29%, and an Eagle film study showed the team was shooting an even worse percentage on open catch-and-shoot looks since the season opener.
There was no problem from distance in the first half on Saturday.
WSU drilled 8 of 14 looks beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, including three during a 17-4 run to close the first half and open up a 54-37 halftime advantage.
Washington was the most effective Shocker, as he cashed in on three 3-pointers and scored 15 points in the first half. But the most memorable 3-ball came at the very end of the first half when Ballard blocked a shot at one end and then Xavier Bell’s rainbow splashed home as the buzzer sounded to give WSU a 17-point advantage.
The Shockers cooled off after halftime, making just 1 of 7 attempts beyond the arc, but still finished the game shooting 43% on 3-pointers.
3. Corey Washington notches first Shocker double-double
No one rose to the occasion on Saturday more than Washington, a 6-foot-5 junior forward who is playing in his first season with the Shockers.
Washington scored 17 points and grabbed a team-best 13 rebounds for his first double-double as a Shocker and fifth of his career.
WSU’s two problem areas entering the game were 3-point shooting and defensive rebounding, and Washington was at his best in both on Saturday.
Not only did Washington drill three 3-pointers, but he was vital to WSU’s defensive rebounding by flying in and securing loose balls on the regular. He finished with 11 defensive rebounds.
Up next: Shockers at DePaul, noon Saturday, Dec. 14 on FS1
For the first time since the season-opening game, Wichita State will play in a true road game.
After a dreadful 3-29 record last season, DePaul has been rejuvenated by former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann. The Blue Demons are off to a 7-1 start and are currently ranked No. 97 on KenPom.
Other info about Wichita State-ETSU basketball game
- Saturday was the first meeting between the two programs. The Buccaneers used to employ Steve Forbes, a former WSU assistant, as head coach from 2016-20 before he left for the Wake Forest job. ETSU is on its fourth head coach in the last six years, as Brooks Savage is in his second year.
- Another connection between the two programs is ETSU senior forward Jaden Seymour, who is in his fourth season with the Buccaneers and began his career at WSU in the 2020-21 season. The 6-foot-8 forward was averaging 16.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game entering Saturday’s game.
- WSU is still missing three players due to injury: senior forward Ronnie DeGray III (wrist), senior center Zane Meeks (knee) and freshman wing T.J. Williams (knee). DeGray and Meeks both have target dates of returning by the start of conference play in January, while Williams is working his way back into practice.
- WSU was coming off its best shooting defense of the season. Last time out, the Shockers held Alcorn State to 26% shooting — just off a top-5 performance in program history.
- The Shockers entered Saturday’s game ranked No. 12 nationally in defensive rebounds per game (30.0), 23rd in turnovers per game (9.8), 34th in free throws made per game (18.1) and 42nd in 3-point defense (28.2%).
- On this date, Dec. 7, Sasha Radunovich drew a foul with one second left and hit two free throws to lift the Shockers to a 92-91 road win at Oral Roberts in 1988; and WSU erased an eight-point halftime deficit to win by 13 to keep its perfect record alive in 2013.
This story was originally published December 7, 2024 at 8:01 PM.
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