The Wichita State Shockers slowed down the potent BYU Cougars offense in a physical and grinding game to take home the CBE Hall of Fame Classic championship in a 75-62 win on Tuesday.
Wichita State vs. BYU final score: Shockers grind out a win in the Hall of Fame Classic championship, 75-62
The final score isn’t representative of how closely played a majority of the game was.
WSU had a tall task to try and figure out a way to stop the BYU offense. Coming into the game, BYU averaged 93.2 points per game, good for fifth in the nation. The Shockers upped the intensity, diving for every loose ball and contesting every shot, hoping to force the Cougars’ supporting cast to step up.
Unfortunately for BYU, not everyone did. Matt Carlino scored 21 points and Tyler Haws added 17, but they had to fight tooth and nail for every point. Most of Carlino's points came in the first half and Haws was 3-for-15 from the floor as BYU shot 30 percent as a team in the game. The Cougars went almost nine minutes to close out the game without making a field-goal.
The Shockers weren't much better from the floor. They shot only 35 percent, but received a big contribution from guard Fred VanVleet, who scored 10 out of his 12 points in the second half. Ron Baker led the Shockers with a career-high 23 points.
Junior Cougars forward Nate Austin was ejected after he was called for a flagrant-two foul when he elbowed Baker in the head away from the ball with 45 seconds remaining in the game.
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