Wichita State Shockers dominate in home opener against UMKC

The seventh ranked Wichita State Shockers began their AAC tenure off with a bang. They destroyed the UMKC Roos to the tune of 109-57.

Wichita State backed up all the hype with a statement win against UMKC to open the regular season, scoring 109 points and holding the Roos offense to just 28% shooting.

The Shockers came out firing in front of an energetic & excited home crowd of 10,000+ Shocker Faithful on Friday Night. The Shockers dominated the Roos in nearly every aspect of the game, which is to be expected for one of the most anticipated seasons ever for Shocker basketball.

The Shockers’ attack was balanced and looked like a well-oiled machine, with six players scoring in double figures. The Shox were a force to be reckoned with down low, outscoring the Roos 47-4 in the paint. The Black and Yellow were also lighting it up from behind the arch, knocking down 13 triples on 23 attempts.

These are not your father’s Shockers!

Perhaps the biggest storing coming out of tonight’s game isn’t the high score or the margin of victory, but the fact that Landry Shamet is back and healthy. Shamet looked very comfortable in his first official game back from a stress fracture in his foot that kept him out most of the off-season. Shamet was able to log 17 minutes, while scoring 17 points and going 4/5 from three point range.

Darral Willis Jr. was the game’s top scorer with 19 points in 22 minutes. Willis’ role has increased significantly with Markis McDuffie’s injury, and Willis has stepped up and filled in nicely in McDuffie’s absence. Willis has extended his range to three point land, adding two triples to go along with the game best 10 rebounds for the first double-double of the season.

Connor Frankamp was calm and collected throughout the game, giving Gregg Marshall 24 quality minutes to lead the team. His nine assists were tops in the game, while collecting three rebounds and adding 11 points of his own.

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Junior transfer Samajae Haynes-Jones also had an outstanding game, coming in off the bench to give Shamet a break. Haynes-Jones added 11 points and 5 assists to just one turnover to jump start his career at WSU.

Shaq Morris and Rauno Nurger were efficient down low, combining for 27 points and 7 rebounds while going 11-14 from the paint. Shaq added a couple of threes and Rauno also went 1-2 from behind the arch. Both players have added range and depth to their game, looking comfortable shooting from anywhere on the court.

Three UMKC players were able to score in double figures with Ross, Robinson & Leek leading the scoring with 12, 11, and 10 respectively. The Roos were never able to get much in the way of offense, shooting just 28% from the field and 35% from behind the arch. The Roos threw up 26 three point attempts in the game, but the shots just weren’t falling as the Shockers closed down quickly on defense, giving the Roos very few open looks.

The Shockers depth is quite apparent, with ten players getting at least ten minutes of court time, adding more weapons to an already talented team. Time will tell whether or not the Shockers can continue to score at this pace, but one thing is for certain: these are not your father’s Shockers!

The Wichita State Shockers have another home game coming up, as they take on College of Charleston on Monday, November 13th at 8:00 at Charles Koch Arena.

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