Shocker Success in St. Louis

(St. Louis, MO) – Wichita State gains some confidence in St. Louis. The Missouri Valley Conference team has struggled winning games in the Gateway City, but Sunday earned a hard fought victory over Saint Louis University.

Prior to this season Head Coach Gregg Marshall has amassed a winning percentage of .622 (.719 after his 11-20 first season) and yet the Shockers are only 7 and 6 in St. Louis.  Those 13 games have all been a part of Arch Madness, the MVC’s conference tournament.

In a great college basketball environment at Chaifetz Arena, Saint Louis U and the Shockers put on a show. There were clutch shots, great defensive plays, extensive runs and in the end, the Shockers did what they’ve struggled to do in St. Louis.  They won a tight (70-65), meaningful game.

Marshall’s frustrations in St. Louis have included two championship game losses. Five of the six St. Louis losses have been by four points or less. Only Northern Iowa’s 2010 dream season team put the Shockers away easily.

But these 12^th ranked Shockers are a different lot. Battle tested and forged in the fires of last year’s Final Four run, this team knows how to win the ‘grind it out’ games. They just finished winning the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. They’re 8-0 and have so many ways they can beat an opponent.

Ron Baker, the darling of last year’s run has taken his game to that proverbial ‘next level.’ During Sunday’s win he eclipsed the 20 point mark for the fourth straight game.  Cleanthony Early who is Wichita’s most decorated player struggled offensively, but with the game on line buried two dagger-like three pointers.

Chadrack Lufile, Tekele Cotton and Darius Carter are really good role players and point guard Fred Van Vleet is the floor general that every championship team needs. Van Vleet hit big shots and consistently put his teammates in the right place at the right time.

In front of 9,031 vocal SLU fans, the Shockers won a ‘true road game’ against an NCAA qualifier from last season.

They did it the Shocker way. Wichita State ruled the glass (38-27), made free throws (17 of 19) and played stingy defense.

Could this be the season that Marshall and the Shockers cut down the nets in St. Louis?  Sunday’s game could have been a favorable sign of things to come.

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