For the Wichita Shockers (5-2, 4-0 home), their 89-70 home win over the No. 18-ranked UNLV Rebels (8-1, 1-1 road) was probably anything but shocking, but the rest of the nation had to be fairly surprised that undefeated UNLV would fall so quickly after handing No. 1-ranked North Carolina its first loss back on November 26.
UNLV Vs. Wichita State Final Score: Shockers Pull An Upset Over No. 18 Rebels
After knocking off North Carolina on November 26th, the previously undefeated Rebels were upset by the Wichita Shockers on Sunday night, 89-70. The Shockers were led by senior guard Joe Ragland, who scored 31 points in the win.
It was a comfortable upset victory for the Shockers, who jumped out to a 47-32 lead at halftime and never really took their foot off the gas, outscoring the Rebels 42-38 in the second half as well. The story of the night was the performance of Wichita State senior gaurd Joe Ragland, who dropped 31 points on 9-12 from the field and managed a stunningly efficient 8-9 from the three point line. After the game, Ragland spoke to the media about his scoring outburst:
Once I made the first couple, I figured I would keep shooting whenever I was open...Our guys were beating them (off the dribble), and they had to help. That kept leaving me wide open.
The Shockers were 12-23 on three-point attempts as a team, so Ragland really carried the load and helped the team to pull away early. It’s not as if Ragland does this type of thing every night either, as he averaged just 8.7 points per game heading into Sunday’s game.
On the flip side, the Rebels struggled from beyond the arc, shooting only 5-20 from long-distance on the night. Chace Stanback and Mike Moser led the way with 16 points and 12 points, respectively. Next up for the Rebels is a home matchup against the California Golden Bears on December 7th.
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