WICHITA, Kan. – – Dexter Dennis took cover in the final seconds among a group of Houston players on an incoming game and broke out of the pack for a key steal that helped Wichita State surprise Cougars’ sixth-place finish and take first place to take in the American Athletics Conference.
Tyson Etienne and Alterique Gilbert each scored 16 points and Dennis added 12, leading Wichita State to a 68-63 victory Thursday night.
The Shockers (13-4, 9-2) move past Houston (17-3, 11-3) and top the conference standings.
The timely stealing of Dennis led to an unlikely victory for Wichita State.
“I hid a little bit and hid behind someone,” Dennis said. “I knew he did not see me. And as soon as the ball left his hand, I broke. ”
Dennis intercepted the ball near midfield, burst in the direction of his basket and made a deliberate foul call that claimed the victory.
The victory and move of the Shockers at the top of the conference was unexpected for a team that lost seven players in the off-season and its head coach shortly before the season began.
“It felt in a strange way legendary to win to be honest,” Dennis said. “Just considering everything we went through this year, it felt great.”
DeJeon Jarreau led the Cougars by 16 points. Quentin Grimes added 13 points and Justin Gorham 10.
Ricky Council added 11 points for Wichita State, which had its first home win against a top-six opponent since beating No. 2 in Louisville on February 25, 1967. The Shockers also beat a losing streak of six games against Houston.
Shockers interim coach Isaac Brown said he was concerned about three things going on: “Rebounds, rebounds, rebounds.”
He was therefore delighted to see the Wichita States reach out to Houston 35-33.
“I’m just so excited about it,” Brown said. “I thought we did an excellent job of tackling the challenge.”
Houston led by as many as 12 points in the first half before the state stormed Wichita back and reduced the deficit to 34-33 at halftime.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said the part of the game that Jarreau and Gorham had on the bench for long periods of time was key.
“They made some tough shots,” Sampson said. “I mean tough shots. And if you make ten three-pointers at home, you’ll probably win. ”
Those three-point shots were the key.
Gilbert scored the consecutive tries at the start of the second half to clinch an 11-0 run by Wichita State. The Shockers led 44-34 and were 9 of 13 from three points to that point.
An impressive statistic for a team that participated 32.3% from the three-point arc this season, which was 246 on the national rankings.
Sampson points to Etienne’s play – which he called ‘perhaps the best wait in our conference’ – and Gilbert as key.
“We played Shocker basketball in the second half,” Brown said. ‘We were coming out in transition and getting in a set for certain guys. The guys believed in what we do. ”
Sampson said he was glad his team was in the game again, but “getting out of the way” is what he thought of most.
“They were just tougher than us on the boards,” Sampson said, “and I do not know how many times I have said it in the last six years. Not much. But they were tough. ”
GILBERT AND THE GANG
The state of Wichita was without its two reserve point guards, Craig Porter and Trevin Wade, due to illness and injury.
While Etienne helped handle some of the point guard duties, Gilbert played 31 minutes and handled to load well. He was 6 of 11 off the floor, 3 of 4 from the 3-point line and added three assistants.
He tore down Houston’s defense throughout, leading to inside shots and Houston offenses.
“Their backfield is great, and they played well tonight,” Sampson said. ‘The difference was in the free throw line. They were 18 off 23 off the line, and we were 5 off 11. We could not keep them off the line. ”
WHITE IN
After tearing the ACL in his right knee in May, Houston senior forward Fabian White has been recorded as a red shirt this season.
But White made his surprising return in the game, a great experience in an already deep Houston team.
White entered the season with 98 played career games, of which 52 started. He averaged 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds last season.
White quickly made an impact through a reverse lineup with an assist on a Grimes’ three-pointer that put Houston ahead 20-9. He finished with nine points in nine minutes.
“It was a tough game for him to get in,” Sampson said. “We were planning to return other matches for him, but it was postponed.”
LARGE PICTURE
Houston: The Cougars could still earn a share of the title, but recent losses could affect their NCAA Tournament tournament.
Wichita State: The Shockers listened to experts and said they had to beat Houston to have a chance at a major NCAA tournament.
FOLLOWING
Houston: Sunday hosts Cincinnati.
Wichita State: on February 25 at the SMU.
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