Shockwaves

Final – WSU 80, FDU 64. Murry leads WSU with 16 points.

WSU 73, FDU 55 (6:10) - Five Shockers in double figures.

WSU 64, FDU 41 (11:42) - Murry takes the scoring lead with a three for 16 points.

WSU 52, FDU 36 (15:42) - Durley out with three fouls. Stutz playing with three. WSU shooting 38.5 percent from three and 70 percent from the line.

WSU 43, FDU 26 halftime - Durley has 13 for WSU. Solid half for WSU. The offense slowed down a few times. Considering it’s the first game and Clevin Hannah is out, that’s not unexpected. The defense gave up too many layups, although FDU is shooting 37 percent from the field. Hannah would be a big help against the FDU zone. Three turnovers by WSU. That’s something Gregg Marshall was worried about.

WSU 29, FDU 10 (6:00) - Murry banks in a three. Then he finds Durley for a layup on the break. He has three assists.

WSU 22, FDU 8 (7:50) - WSU is 2 of 9 from three. Neither team can score. WSU can’t figure out the FDU zone. The Shocker man to man is not giving up many easy shots. Kenny Manigault played briefly, which removes him redshirting. Tyler Richardson is in uniform. Hasn’t played.

WSU 19, FDU 5 (11:44) - Durley with six points. FDU can’t play WSU man to man. Its zone is slowing down the Shockers. Knights are 2 of 11 from the field.

WSU 11, FDU 2 (16:03 remaining) - FDU is 1 of 5 from the field. Energetic start for the Shockers, who are 5 of 7 from the field.

WSU starters - Ellis, Williams, Hatch, Durley, Murry. Big shot of trust in freshman Demetric Williams. FDU – Grier, Scott, Baptiste, Svrdlik, Mofunanya.

One word about the styrofoam cups at Koch Arena. Yucch. What happened to the days of souvenir plastic cups? Young kids are being cheated out of the essential Shocker experience of walking out of a game with a stack of cups in their hands.

I’m down on MVC women’s basketball, because it has not been good for most of this decade. I’m talking one-bid, No. 14-seed bad. Last night slapped me in the face a bit. Let’s give the Valley women some credit for Illinois State’s win over UCLA and Indiana State’s win at Kansas State.

Things are not going as well for the men this opening weekend. Creighton lost at No. 22 Dayton. Bradley lost at BYU. No shame in that. Drake lost at home to IUPUI. Josh Young did not play due to injury.

Injuries and suspensions are already a problem for the Valley. Justin Carter, Clevin Hanah, Young, Chad Millard, Antoine Young, Dwayne Lathan – it seems a long list for Nov. 15.

Which brings me to Hannah and his three-game suspension. I understand that the NCAA takes on the impossible job of policing its 330-some Division I members, coaches and fans, many of whom work each day to find loopholes or ignore rules to gain an advantage. If coaches, players and fans didn’t create a need, the NCAA wouldn’t need so pages and pages of wacky rules and policies that sometimes seem unfair. We should always remember that the NCAA schools set the rules. Railing against the NCAA isn’t alway accurate. Schools are often judged by their peers.

There is a problem, however, when the NCAA can’t look at an individual case and give the benefit of the doubt to an athlete such as Hannah. Neither he (nor WSU) is trying to put one over on the NCAA. Fine WSU. Penalize WSU in some other way. It doesn’t seem right to sideline Hannah for three games for something not of his doing. My same thought applies to Ehimen Orukpe, who is exactly the kind of student you want IN your school. He’s a serious, bright student, in addition to being a 7-foot center. Instead of giving him a chance at WSU, the NCAA sent him on a two-year delay to junior college.

Disappointing.

• SIU easily beat Tennessee-Martin with Carlton Fay coming off the bench. He was suspended for exhibition games.
• Evansville newcomers Bryan Bouchie and Colt Ryan both scored 17 points in a win over Oakland City.