Rick Kindhart (MSU Sports Information) WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State used the momentum of a solid first half to turn back visiting Missouri State, 80-62, here Thursday, with the Bears outscoring the Shockers by nine in the second half.
Shaquille Morris had 13 points for the Shockers to lead five double-figure scorers, while Zach Brown added 12. WSU collected 20 of its points from the foul line and 28 in the paint to set the early tone.
The Bears (15-11, 6-7 MVC) were led by Chris Kendrix and Alize Johnson with 11 points apiece. Kendrix and Obediah Church also matched game highs with 7 rebounds as MSU out-rebounded the Shockers by a 41-34 margin for the game, including 16 offensive rebounds.
Wichita State used a 17-2 run midway through the first half to push ahead by 20 for the first time. A pair of free throws by Conner Frankamp made it a 33-13 game with 7:20 to go in the opening period.
The Bears held WSU with just one field goal in a five-minute span from there, getting three buckets from Alize Johnson and one by senior Jordan Martin to close the gap to 16 twice. But the Shockers shut the Bears out for the final 4:36 of the half and ended the stanza on an 11-0 outburst to lead 48-21 at the break.
The Shockers (22-4, 12-1 MVC) picked things up from there to start the second half, outscoring the Bears 7-0 in the first three minutes of the final period to push ahead by their largest margin of the game, 55-21.
The Bears gained some momentum from there on a jumper by Jarrid Rhodes and trey by Austin Ruder. Later, a triple by Kendrix cut WSU’s deficit under 30, but Missouri State missed its next nine shots, and the deficit stood at 69-37 at the midway point.
Missouri State, however, won the half with solid play down the stretch with Kendrix and Ryan Kreklow combining for three treys, and Jordan Martin providing some muscle down low to trim 10 points off the deficit before the 7-minute mark.
Kreklow would pour in another 3-pointer before the three-minute mark to make it a 21-point game, and Jarred Dixon and Robin Thompson scored down the stretch to get the Bears as close as they had been since the first half. MSU outscored WSU 41-32 in the second half.
Turnovers were paramount to WSU’s run, forcing 21 Bear turns on the game and capping 27 points from them. The Shockers also set a blistering pace down low, producing 28 points in the paint.
The Bears were able to produce just 9 second-chance points off their 16 offensive turnovers, but buried 9 3-pointers, connected on 20-of-54 (.370) overall and 13-of-24 (.542) at the line.
WSU was 25-for-54 (.463) overall, 10-for-22 (.455) from three and 20-of-31 (.645) at the line with 11 turnovers.
The defeat marked just the third time this season MSU had not bounced back from a loss. WSU improved to 91-7 at Koch Arena since 2011.
The Bears now return to JQH Arena on Sunday for a home showdown against red-hot Northern Iowa (12-12, 7-6 MVC) at 3 p.m.
It will be Salute to America’s Heroes Day at JQH with military discounts available at the box office for just $7 with military ID. Food and beverage specials are also available for the game with $1 hot dogs and $1 bottled Coke products at concession stands at JQH.
Tickets for the UNI game – and all remaining home games — may be purchased at the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena or by phone at (417) 836-7678. Regular-priced tickets are also available anytime at MissouriStateBears.com.
