WICHITA, Kansas -- North Carolina Central prepared for Wichita State using picks set by pickup trucks with yellow lines and curbs as their boundary markers. Their assistant coaches got a lesson in the importance of carry-on luggage.
No, it wasn’t the ideal way to get ready for the 11th-ranked Shockers.
North Carolina Central didn’t want use its travel issues as an excuse, and it didn’t. It took WSU until the final two minutes to get comfortable in a 77-66 victory Sunday night at Koch Arena. North Carolina Central hadn’t been comfortable since it left Durham, N.C. on Saturday, enduring a day full of flight cancellations and airports before the team broke into three groups and arrived throughout Sunday.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, but to our credit, we don’t even talk about it,” Eagles coach LeVelle Moton said. “In 10 more minutes, I may fall asleep up here.”
In its final game before Christmas break, WSU (12-0) extended its school-record unbeaten streak to start a season. The 12-game win streak is the third-longest in program history. The Shockers led by 17 in the first half, but couldn’t complete the blowout, largely because North Carolina Central’s Jeremy Ingram scored 27 of his career-high 37 points in the second half.
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