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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Wichita St. 109, UMKC 57
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, November 10, 2017
Where: Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Officials: # Randy Heimerman, # Nick Meyer, # Robert Felder
Attendance: 10506

For someone who underwent foot surgery on July 31, Wichita State sophomore guard Landry Shamet looked pretty good in Friday night's season opener.

So did the Shockers.

Shamet scored 17 points and No. 7 Wichita State hammered overmatched Missouri-Kansas City 109-57 at Charles Koch Arena.

Six Shockers finished in double figures, led by Darral Willis with 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Conner Frankamp had 11 points and nine assists for Wichita State, which shot 60.9 percent from the floor.

Isaiah Ross led Missouri-Kansas City with 12 points off the bench, and Broderick Robinson had 11 points for the Kangaroos from the Western Athletic Conference.

Shamet started the opener just three months after undergoing foot surgery to address a stress fracture. Shamet is on the watch lists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Naismith Trophy and the Lute Olson Award.

"It just felt good to be playing in a game that mattered," Shamet told reporters after the game. "When I hurt my foot, I was thinking I would be out until Maui, but the fact of the matter is that I'm back and I'm playing. It feels good to be back before you are expected to be back."

Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said, "The way he shot the ball, he looked very healthy, looked in great shape. "He's got to a be a little more careful with the basketball. I thought, all-in-all, the first nine, 10 guys played really well."

The Shockers exploded for 62 points in the first half to put away the Kangaroos. UMKC managed just two points in the final seven minutes of the first half and were down 62-23 at intermission.

Shaquille Morris added 16 points, and Rauno Nurger and Samajae Haynes-Jones each finished with 11 points for the Shockers, who join the American Athletic Conference this season.

"It's just a lot of talented guys that are used to playing with each other," Marshall said. "They are unselfish. (On) great teams there is no envy, jealousy. Winning takes care of everything. Those guys won a lot, and now Ron's a multimillionaire, and Fred is on his way.

"Hopefully, we've got some more guys, now that the road has been paved, that can eventually get there. This is how you do it. Sharing the ball, when it is your time, knocking the shot down and winning handily."

Wichita State had been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference since 1945 but this spring elected to make the jump to the AAC. The Shockers return all five starters from last season’s NCAA Tournament team and arrive in their new conference as the team to beat.

UMKC lost all five starters from last season's team. The inexperience showed against Wichita State. The Kangaroos were outrebounded 51-26 and committed 14 turnovers.

"They lost a lot from last year," Marshall said of UMKC. “They played very well early. I think that first group ran out of gas a little bit."

NOTES: Wichita State has won 16 consecutive season openers, with the Shockers' last opening loss coming against Delaware in 2001. ... Wichita State won its two exhibition games against Division II competition by an average of 47.5 points. ... Missouri-Kansas City upset Wichita State at Charles Koch Arena on Nov. 19, 2008. The Shockers have won 26 straight November home games since that defeat. ... Wichita State hosts College of Charleston on Monday. UMKC will look to bounce back against Haskell on Sunday.
Top Game Performances
 
UMKC   Wichita St.
Isaiah Ross 12 Scoring Darral Willis Jr. 19
Xavier Bishop 3 Assists Conner Frankamp 9
Broderick Robinson 5 Rebounds Darral Willis Jr. 10
Xavier Bishop 4 Free Throws Made Darral Willis Jr. 5
Mo Ahmed 1 Steals Shaquille Morris 2
Mo Ahmed 1 Blocks Shaquille Morris 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
UMKC 57 27.7 9-26 12-17 6 20 4 6 14
Wichita St. 109 60.9 13-23 18-23 26 48 11 4 14