NCAA News Wire
Wichita State 65, Indiana State 58
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Travel problems and an opponent with a lot to play for couldn’t keep Wichita State from staying unbeaten Wednesday.
Forward Cleanthony Early scored a game-high 19 points and guard Tekele Cotton added 14 as the No. 4 Shockers held off Indiana State 65-58 in a Missouri Valley Conference showdown.
Wichita State (24-0, 11-0) remained one of two unbeaten teams in Division I, top-ranked Syracuse being the other. The Shockers also opened up a three-game lead on the Sycamores in the conference standings.
Forward Manny Arop led Indiana State (17-6, 8-3) with 16 points, but scored just one point over the game’s final 19 minutes and 25 seconds. Guard Jake Odum and reserve forward Khristian Smith each contributed 11.
It was a damaging loss for the Sycamores’ at-large tournament hopes, which really doesn’t contain a meaty out of conference win. They will likely have to win the Valley tourney March 7-9 in St. Louis to make the NCAA Tournament.
Indiana State had a chance to tie, but center Justin Gant’s layup was blocked. Early responded with a 3-point play with 1:03 left, giving Wichita State a 61-56 lead. Center Chadrick Lufile contributed four clinching free throws in the final 43 seconds.
Although the Shockers did not arrive in town until nine hours before the 8:05 p.m. tipoff — the charter flight Tuesday was cancelled because of Winter Storm Niko, which ripped through Terre Haute — Wichita State began the game hot.
The visitors scored on five of their first six possessions, building an 11-3 lead on a fast-break layup by guard Ron Baker less than three minutes into the game.
The Shockers maintained their lead throughout the half, expanding it to 28-19 when Baker stuck a 3-pointer from the left wing. They led 31-22 after a 3-pointer by guard Tekele Cotton.
Indiana State finished the half on a 13-5 run, thanks mostly to forward Manny Arop. He scored nine points over the last 3:18, including a high-arcing jumper with a toe barely on the 3-point line just before the halftime buzzer that cut Wichita State’s edge to 36-35.
NOTES: Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Wichita State leads Division I in road winning percentage at .805, going 33-8 in that span. … Indiana State is one of only two Division I squads to play in all four postseason tournaments (NCAA, NIT, CBI, CIT) the last four years. The other is Quinnipiac. … The Shockers are the highest-ranked opponent to ever visit Hulman Center, and the highest-ranked team to play there since Larry Bird’s Indiana State squad was ranked No. 1 during the 1978-79 season.
