{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Wichita St. 109, Evansville 83
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Where: Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Officials: # Rick Crawford, # Don Dailey, # John Higgins
Attendance: 10506

Wichita State entered the Top 25 on Monday for the first time this season and it didn't take long for the Shockers to prove that their inclusion was deserving.

Shaquille Morris scored 18 points to lead six players in double figures as No. 25 Wichita State defeated Evansville 109-83 on Tuesday night in a Missouri Valley Conference game at Wichita, Kan.

The Shockers (26-4, 16-1 MVC) won their 11th consecutive game while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 56.5 percent from 3-point range, making 13 of 23. The 3-pointers made give the Shockers 263 this season, setting a school record and topping the old standard of 260 in 2010-11.

Wichita State also had eight blocked shots, which ties a school record achieved multiple times.

"I'm also impressed with our 8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said of his team's 24 assists and only three turnovers. "I am not sure if I've ever seen that."

Conner Frankamp, Markis McDuffie and Rashard Kelly each had 13 points for the Shockers. Landry Shamet added 12 points and Darral Willis Jr. had 11.

J.R. Simon, one of two senior walk-ons honored on Senior Night, made all three of his 3-point attempts in the last six minutes off the bench to finish with nine points. That eclipsed his previous career high of six points.

"To go four years and only have one loss in this building is unbelievable," said Simon, referring to Wichita State's 59-1 record over the last three years at Koch Arena.

Evansville (14-16, 5-12) was led by 25 points from Jaylon Brown and 19 from Dru Smith. The Purple Aces also shot well at 49.1 percent from the field and 52.9 from 3-point range, and also made 20 of 23 at the foul line.

"We played well enough in some spots but defensively we had too many breakdowns against a good team like that," Evansville coach Marty Simmons said. "I'm not sure anybody could have beat them tonight."

A 10-2 run capped by Frankamp's 3-pointer gave Wichita State a 34-20 lead with 7:44 left in the first half. The Shockers led by as many as 20 points in the first half before taking a 48-32 lead into halftime.

Frankamp had 11 points by halftime while making 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Shamet contributed nine points while making all three of his 3-pointers.

Wichita State built its lead to 62-37 with 16:43 left in regulation. Evansville could not cut the lead to less than 18 points afterward.

The Shockers finished 16-0 at Charles Koch Arena this year, outscoring their opponents by an average of 30.4 points and winning by double figures each time.

"We'll take a day off from basketball tomorrow but I'm sure I'll guys will be in there getting some shots up," Marshall said. "We're just getting started with our season and hopefully we can take this a long way."

Wichita State can clinch at least a tie for the MVC title Saturday with a win at Missouri State in the regular-season finale. Illinois State has a 15-1 league record. The teams split their season series.

"It's really cool where we've put ourselves at right now," Marshall said. "We've got work to do on Saturday. At the minimum, we know we come out of there as co-champions with a win. We hope to achieve a whole lot more."

NOTES: Wichita State's 11-game winning streak (which began with an 82-65 victory at Evansville on Jan. 17) is one of the 10 longest in school history. During the streak before Tuesday's game, the Shockers held opponents to 34.7 percent shooting from the field. No opponents scored more than 70 points. ... Evansville senior Jaylon Brown reached double figures in each of the last 24 games and 29 out of 30 this season. Brown leads the MVC in scoring at 20.5 points, minutes per game (36.6) and free throw percentage (86.4 percent). ... Since earning its first ranking under Gregg Marshall in February 2012, Wichita State totaled 60 weeks in the rankings. The Shockers spent time in the Top 25 in each of the last six seasons, matching a program best. Over a six-year stretch from 1960-61 to 1965-66, Wichita State logged 63 weeks in the polls. ... Last season, Evansville utilized one starting lineup for the entire campaign. This season, the Aces used a total of 16 starting lineups, tied for the most in the country.
Top Game Performances
 
Evansville   Wichita St.
Jaylon Brown 25 Scoring Shaquille Morris 18
Christian Benzon 4 Assists Rashard Kelly 6
Duane Gibson 6 Rebounds Rashard Kelly 6
Jaylon Brown 10 Free Throws Made Shaquille Morris 8
N/A Steals Conner Frankamp 3
Dru Smith 2 Blocks Darral Willis Jr. 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Evansville 83 49.1 9-17 22-25 15 23 5 0 11
Wichita St. 109 53.8 13-23 26-33 24 31 8 6 3