#13 Marshall upsets #4 Wichita State 81-75
Heading into Friday's NCAA Tournament game against Wichita State, the Marshall Thundering Herd's season had already been a success. After all, they won the Conference USA Tournament less than a week ago, taking down the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 67-66. With the win, they had advanced to the tournament for the first time in 31 years.
Well, they did not stop there.
On Friday afternoon at Viejas Arena, #13 Marshall upset four-seed Wichita State 81-75. The win was their first NCAA Tournament win in program history.
Coach Dan D'Antoni could hardly contain his excitement after the game, expressing his joy and saying he was at a "loss for words." He also said that he was not immediately looking towards the upcoming round of 32 match-up that will come on Sunday, because he wanted to savor the victory.
The Thundering Herd got to the free throw line early and often in the first half, going 12-14 from the free throw line. Leading the way was junior guard Jon Elmore. After averaging 22.8 points per game in the regular season, Elmore scored 14 points in the first half on 2-7 shooting. The West Virginia native was 9-11 from the free throw line.
Elmore's team led for nearly all but two minutes and 59 seconds in the opening half. After leading 33-26 with 04:17 to play, Wichita State closed the first half on an 11-1 run to take a 37-34 halftime lead.
When asked if he was worried about the run headed into halftime, D'Antoni said he was not: "Everyday in practice we play one play, one possession and then look up and see the score at the end. I like our style. I like our kids. Our kids fit the style real well. They're hustlers," he said.
Redshirt senior guard Connor Frankamp led the Shockers in first-half scoring, registering 14 points on 5-8 shooting. Frankamp was the only Shocker who could seemingly knock down a three, going 3-4 in the first half. The rest of the team shot 1-11.
The Shockers held a commanding advantage on the boards heading to the locker room, winning the rebound battle 23-16. Both teams struggled from the perimeter in the opening 20 minutes. Marshall shot 2-9 (22.2%) from three, Wichita State 4-16 (25%).
Coming out of the break, Wichita kept Marshall at an arms' distance for the first seven minutes of the second half. They were able to stretch the lead to as much as seven, but could not manage to pull away.
After a Elmore three tied the game with 13:11 to play, Wichita and Marshall went back and forth for next eight minutes. During that time period, the lead changed twelve times.
The turning point in the second half, according to Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall, came with about seven minutes to go. Down three at the time and with the shot clock winding down, Marshall guard Jon Elmore, knocked down a "remarkable" contested three-pointer to tie the game.
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The Thundering Herd took the lead for good on an Ajdin Penava jump shot with 3:50 left to make the score 71-70. Marshall extended the lead to four on the next possession via a three-pointer by Jarrod West. After Wichita cut the lead back to two on a dunk by center Shaquille Morris, a layup by Penava and a dunk by C.J. Burks ballooned the lead to six with two minutes left, practically putting the game away.
Both teams improved their shooting in the second half. After shooting only 39% in the opening 20, Marshall shot a blistering 53% from the field and 50% from three. Wichita improved from 38% to 46%.
Marshall was led in scoring by Jon Elmore, who scored 27 points in the contest. He was one of four to score in double digits. Adjin Penava (16), CJ Burks (13), and Jansson Williams (10) also reached double figures in scoring.
For the Shockers, the upset was a disappointing ending to a regular season that saw them go 25-7. Connor Frankam ended the afternoon 10-17 from the field, leading his team in scoring with 27 points. Gregg Marshall's team had 11 second-half turnovers and shot 30.8% from three.
Wichita State finished the game 8-29 (27.6%) from beyond the arc. Frankamp and Darral Willis Jr. were a combined 8-13. The rest of the team went 0-16.
"Some guys regressed, you can't have that. You've got to get better and continue to evolve, as an individual, as a team, and as a coach. We've just got to be better," Coach Marshall stated after the loss.
Marshall will await the winner of West Virginia-Murray State and will play on Sunday with a sweet 16 berth on the line.
