Final WSU 58, NAU 53. Ugly, but a win. WSU has its first two-game winning streak since last December.
34.2 remaining: WSU 54, NAU 53. WIlson with another three.
1:14 remaining: WSU 54, NAU. 50. WSU ball after a timeout.
1:53 remaining: WSU 54, NAU 50. Josh Wilson, who scored 25 for NAU last season, made his first bakset of the game, a three. WSU, up seven, had a bad possession and didn’t get off much of a shot before Wilson’s jumper.
3:42 remaining: WSU 52, NAU 45.
7:22 remaining: WSU 47, NAU 38. Both teams in the double-bonus. Durley again gave WSU a lift in the second half. Hawksin now has 12 points. Clemente has a double-double with 10 and 11.
First sellout of the season at CKA. 10,502.
11:56 remaining: WSU 37, NAU 34. The teams combine for 30 fouls. This is a hard game to watch. WSU needs to find some offense other than Hannah and Hawkins. Mantas Griskenas is in for the first time. I expected to see more of him after he played 17 minutes against Gardner-Webb. Chamberlain moves to shooting guard with Hannah at the point. That may work if he can hit the threes Hatch and Murry have missed.
12:25 remaining: WSU 36, NAU 34. Johnson scored six straight for the Jacks. WSU called timeout in an attempt to stop an 8-2 run.
15:59 remaining: WSU 33, NAU 26. Murry picked up his third foul. Hannah has five of WSU’s 10 second-half points. Hawkins has the other five, both on drives to the basket where he drew a foul. I can’t say that the Jacks do anything impressive. Yet, here they are. They were a better team last year when they had legit big man in Kyle Landry.
Halftime: WSU 23, NAU 21. Ugly half. The teams combined for 15 fouls, 16 turnovers and 34 missed shots. WSU looked like the more aggressive team for several stretches, but couldn’t make it show up on the scoreboard. Clemente is 5 for 5 for 10 points and eight rebounds. Hawkins is 1 for 8. Murry is 0 for 4.
3:28 remaining: WSU 19, NAU 17. WSU 9 of 25. NAU 6 of 18. It’s not pretty. The Jacks are flirting with foul trouble. Starters Jones and Comagic both have two.
7:50 remaining: WSU 12, NAU 12. UNA’s Matt Johnson will have three free throws when we return. The Jacks came out flat and didn’t do much for 10 minutes. Yet, WSU’s poor shooting, and six turnovers, kept the game close. WSU took a 10-2 lead with 15:04 to play and didn’t score again until 8:08 remained in the half.
11:30 remaining: WSU 10, NAU 4: Shockers are 5 of 16 from the floor. Defense is good. They are up 15-6 on the boards. UNA is 2 for 12 and WSU has already blocked four shots.
15:26 remaining first half: WSU 8, NAU 2. Perhaps WSU’s strongest start of the season. I know it has been awhile since the Shockers came out and looked this confident and aggressive. Clemente has four points and three rebounds. UNA is 1 for 7 from the field.
WSU starters - Hannah, Clemente, Murry, Hawkins, Stutz. Jacks - Johnson, Jones, Comagic, Wilson, Johannsen.
Wichita State has not won two straight games since beating LSU and UAB in late December last season. Think about that. Think about always fixing holes, plugging leaks and running uphill instead of gaining momentum.
WSU freshman David Kyles is wearing a suit, which means he will not play tonight, a disciplinary measure for missed class.
Around the Valley
- Indiana State beat DePauw 66-60 today. DePauw is an NCAA Division III team with a 5-4 record.
- Drake beat Iowa 60-43. People who thought the Bulldogs would fade are on notice.
- The Des Moines Register wonders what happened to all the double-double players.
- Illinois State goes for 10-0 tonight against, perhaps, its toughest opponent. Coach Tim Jankovich is blowing off those who question his schedule.
- Get used to this: Valley coaches on the defensive.
- UNI’s Jon Montgomery is transferring.