Shockers' grinding defense suffocates Dayton in 64-58 win
INDIANAPOLIS -- Tournament flash: Wichita State can play a little defense, too. Just ask the stunned Flyers.
The Shockers' powerful offense stalled out until the closing minutes, but their defense carried them through to a 64-58 victory over Dayton on Friday night in the South Regional.
Make it 16 straight wins for the Shockers (31-4) , who brought their reputation for piling up the points to Indianapolis, along with the feeling that they'd been slighted by their No. 10 seed.
They made the gritty plays in a game lacking style points.
"It was definitely something a little brand new to us from what we've seen in the Missouri Valley," said Zach Brown, who had 12 points, including a late 3. "But I don't know -- we've just grinded it out. It was a tough game."
And they were the tougher team.
Dayton (24-8) came in with a wealth of experience, playing in its school-record fourth straight NCAA Tournament. The Flyers start three seniors and have five overall, with a lot of shared tournament moments. This one ranks at the bottom.
The seventh-seeded Flyers were held to a season low in points and shot a season-low 31 percent from the field. They also got out-rebounded 48-29 and had eight shots swatted away.
"Of course, you've got to give them credit because they're the ones defending, but I think it's more about us," said point guard Scoochie Smith, who had 25 points. "We just had to step up and make shots, and a lot of people on our team couldn't get their shots to fall, couldn't get a flow."
Brown's 3-pointer put Wichita State up 51-45 with 5:38 left, the biggest lead by either team up to that point, and Dayton never threatened again. Landry Shamet led the Shockers with 13 points.
The Shockers haven't lost a game since Jan. 14, going two months with nothing but postgame high-fives. They have relied on their offense to carry them, averaging 82.1 points per game.
"All in all, it was a big grind," Brown said. "And I'm proud, proud of everybody."
BIG PICTURE
Wichita State: The Shockers scored 80 points a school-record 23 times this season. Their 64 points Friday matched their second-lowest total of the season.
Dayton: The Flyers' experienced team includes three senior starters averaging double figures. Aside from Smith, nobody else did much. Smith was 9 of 17 from the field, the rest of the team 9 of 41 (22 percent).
A CLOSE ONE: The Shockers got used to winning comfortably during their streak. The victory Friday was their closest call during the streak. All but two of the wins have come by 15 points or more.
SCOOCHIE SLIDE: Smith had all the style points for Dayton, including his slide on the back across the baseline after making a layup. He also had an over-the-shoulder pass for a layup that got the many Dayton fans chanting "Scoooooch" again.
EARLY SLOG
Aside from Smith, nobody did much of anything on offense in the first half, which ended with Dayton ahead 29-27. Smith had 15 points, going 6 for 10. Nobody else on either team had more than two baskets or five points. The Flyers shot 34.5 percent from the field, while the Shockers shot 35.7 percent.
UP NEXT
Wichita State plays the winner of the Northern Kentucky-Kentucky game Sunday in the South Regional.
