DALLAS _ Wichita State's offense is seemingly growing more explosive by the game.
After Conner Frankamp regained his swagger earlier in the week against Tulane, Markis McDuffie regained his scoring touch to help lead No. 13 Wichita State to an 84-78 victory over SMU at Moody Coliseum on Saturday. The Shockers won their sixth straight game and improved to 23-5 overall and 13-3 in the American Athletic Conference, while SMU (16-13, 6-10) lost for the sixth time in the last seven games.
McDuffie made 11 of 14 shots and scored a team-high 26 points, while senior Shaquille Morris continued his strong February with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Landry Shamet (10 points) returned from an illness after missing Wednesday's game, while Austin Reaves (11) and Frankamp (12) also scored in double-digits.
WSU made 48.2 percent of its shots, stroked in 11 3-pointers, and held a 41-23 rebounding advantage over SMU. The Shockers grabbed 53 percent of available offensive rebounds, while securing 75 percent on the defensive end for one of its most dominant rebounding performances of the season.
McDuffie's season-best game was evident during the opening four minutes of the second half. He started with a steal, then a basket and three-point play within the first 10 seconds. He followed with three straight mid-range jumpers, serving as WSU's outlet in the soft spot of SMU's zone. McDuffie did most of his damage there, as he scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half.
The string of plays sparked the Shockers, as Frankamp tacked on a corner 3-pointer and Shamet followed with a 3 of his own and two free throws to grow WSU's lead to 56-43 with 12:18 remaining. When SMU responded with back-to-back 3-pointers, McDuffie had the response for WSU with a pair of 3s to halt SMU's momentum.
WSU led by 17 points with 1:37 remaining. SMU made the final score closer with a 13-2 run to close out the game. Jahmal McMurray scored a game-high 28 points with six 3-pointers for the Mustangs, as WSU nearly completed a wire-to-wire victory to register its first win over SMU at Moody Coliseum in five tries. The Shockers are 8-2 in true road games this season.
WSU led for 18 of the first 20 minutes, but its halftime advantage was only 37-35 with Shamet on the bench with two fouls for the final nine minutes.
The Shockers scored on their first four possessions of the game, taking a 9-3 lead in the first three minutes on a Reaves' 3-pointer. But SMU responded with a 14-5 run to briefly take a 19-18 lead with 9:27 remaining in the first half.
WSU gained separation again with an 8-2 run to take a 32-25 lead with 4:22 remaining. McDuffie ignited the run with a steal and basket, then Morris followed with a three-point play, and McDuffie capped it off with a corner 3-pointer.
But the Shockers came up empty on their next four possessions, as SMU whittled the lead down to two points. McDuffie briefly gave WSU a five-point cushion with 20 seconds left, but McMurray splashed in a fadeaway 3 at the buzzer to bring SMU within 37-35.
SMU played the game with seven scholarship players, as its roster has been decimated by injuries. Leading scorer Shake Milton, who scored a career-high 33 points in SMU's upset over the Shockers in Koch Arena, missed his sixth straight game due to a hand injury.
