Not since the 1920-21 season have the Shockers started 9-0. Not since 1981 have they nabbed two postseason wins. This season, they went 22-10, finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference and were ranked in the top 30 for nine weeks.
Perhaps never has such success come with so many emotional ups and downs. Ups and downs? More like Mt. Everests and Marianas Trenches.
After an inspiring 18-3 run, WSU stumbled, losing its chance at the MVC championship with a 65-55 loss in Carbondale to the Southern Illinois Salukis, a team they had defeated 58-56 at home.
That misstep was followed by a gut-punch of a loss against Northern Iowa on senior night in Koch Arena where Ben Jacobson knocked down a 22-foot three-pointer to beat the Shocks 67-66 at the buzzer.
Bruised and mentally reeling, the Shockers, 19-8, entered the MVC tournament March 4-7 in St. Louis as the No. 2 seed. With a strong defensive showing, they pummeled Drake, 72-52. Shocker fans went wild. Some 1,000 strong had revved up at a pregame pep rally, and almost all of them sported Shocker colors at the game — a few even donned sunflower-yellow wigs.
Among those cheering the loudest were Rhonda Cornejo ’98, WSU student British Tharpe and Hilary Waters ’96/98, who reported, “I’ve been a fan my whole life.”
Up again, the Shockers prepared for a semifinal game against Creighton, the only team to have beaten WSU twice this season. The Blue Jays forced 20 WSU turnovers and downed the Shocks 70-60. In losing, WSU’s once promising NCAA Tournament profile was punctured. Although participation in the NIT could be balm for the wound, would the Shocks have the grit to get up yet again?
They proved their mettle with a gutsy win over the University of Houston, 85-69, in an NIT play-in game at Koch Arena and followed that performance with a rough-and-tumble win over Western Kentucky. “We got our swagger back,” WSU coach Mark Turgeon said. The Shockers, 22-9, then hit the road to take on Vanderbilt March 21.
After fighting back in the second half to tie the game 63-63 with less than a second on the clock, they lost 65-63 to a Commodore full-court pass and layup. Mt. Everest. Marianas Trench. In the space of 0.7 seconds.
What a thrill — what a Shocker of a season!
