WICHITA, Kan. – – Dexter Dennis protected himself against a group of Houston players in a play on the field in the final seconds and separated from the pack by a crucial theft that helped Wichita State surprise the sixth-placed cougars and take first place at the Athletic Conference American.
Tyson Etienne and Alterique Gilbert each scored 16 points and Dennis added 12, leading Wichita State to a 68-63 victory on Thursday night.
The Shockers (13-4, 9-2) passed Houston (17-3, 11-3) and took first place in the conference standings.
Dennis’s timely theft led to an unlikely victory for Wichita State.
“I was kind of hiding a little bit behind someone,” said Dennis. “I knew he didn’t see me. And as soon as the ball left his hand, I broke it. “
Dennis intercepted the ball near the middle of the court, burst into the basket and scored an intentional foul that helped seal the victory.
The Shockers’ victory and rise in the conference were unexpected for a team that lost seven players in the off-season and their coach shortly before the start of the season.
“To be honest, it was legendary, in a strange way, to win,” said Dennis. “Just considering everything we’ve been through this year, it was incredible.”
DeJeon Jarreau led the Cougars with 16 points. Quentin Grimes added 13 points and Justin Gorham 10.
The Ricky Council added 11 points to Wichita State, who had their first home win against an opponent in the top six since defeating Louisville’s No. 2 on February 25, 1967. The Shockers also had a six-game losing streak against Houston.
Shockers’ interim coach Isaac Brown said he was concerned about three things that happen in the game: “Rebounds, rebounds, rebounds”.
So he was thrilled to see Wichita State overtake Houston 35-33.
“I’m so excited about it,” said Brown. “I thought we did a great job facing the challenge.”
Houston led with 12 points in the first half, before Wichita State recovered and reduced the deficit to 34-33 in the interval.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said that part of the game, which came with Jarreau and Gorham on the bench for long periods, was key.
“They made some difficult shots,” said Sampson. “I mean hard shots. And if you get 10 points out of 3 at home, you will probably win. “
These 3-point shots were critical.
Gilbert hit three consecutive points to crown a series of 11-0 for Wichita State at the start of the second half. The Shockers led by 44-34 and were 9 out of 13 in the 3 point range to that point.
An impressive statistic for a team that came into play with 32.3% shots from 3 points this season, occupying the 246th national position.
Sampson pointed to Etienne’s move – whom he called “perhaps the best guard at our conference” – and Gilbert as the key.
“We were playing Shocker basketball in the second half,” said Brown. “We were going in transition, going on sets for certain guys. The guys believed what we were doing. “
Sampson said he was happy that his team was back in the game, but “being defeated” is what he thinks most.
“They were just tougher than us on the boards,” said Sampson, “and I don’t know how many times I’ve said that in the past six years. Not many. But they were difficult. “
GILBERT AND THE GANG
Wichita State was without its two reserve owners, Craig Porter and Trevin Wade, due to illness and injury.
While Etienne helped to deal with some of the guard roles, Gilbert played 31 minutes and handled the load well. He made 6 of 11 on the floor, 3 of 4 on the 3-point line and added three assists.
He consistently broke Houston’s defense, leading to Houston’s internal shots and fouls.
“Their defense court is tremendous and they played well tonight,” said Sampson. “The difference was in the free throw line. They were 18 out of 23 on the line, and we were 5 out of 11. We couldn’t keep them off the line. “
WHITE ON
After breaking his right knee from his right knee in May, Houston’s senior striker Fabian White was listed as redshirting this season.
But White made his surprising comeback in the game, a great addition of experience for an already advanced Houston team.
White entered the season with 98 games played in his career, 52 of which started. He averaged 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds last season.
White quickly made an impact after a reverse tray assisted by a 3-point Grimes basket that gave Houston a 20-9 lead. He finished with three points in nine minutes.
“It was a tough game for him to get in,” said Sampson. “We were planning other games for him to come back, but they were postponed.”
BIG PICTURE
Houston: Cougars can still win a portion of the title, but recent defeats could affect their ranking in the NCAA Tournament.
Wichita State: The Shockers heard experts say that they had to beat Houston to get a chance at an overall NCAA Tournament offer.
NEXT
Houston: hosts Cincinnati on Sunday.
Wichita State: At SMU on February 25th.
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