There would be no repeat this February at Koch Arena.
It was just one year ago when the Wichita State men’s basketball team captured one of its most significant victories, taking down Houston at the Roundhouse for a win that catapulted the Shockers to their first American Athletic Conference championship and the NCAA Tournament — and essentially sealed the full-time job for coach Isaac Brown.
And for a while on Sunday afternoon, it appeared like the Shockers would conjure up the same magic to pull off another upset. But the No. 14-ranked Cougars had other plans.
Houston scored the game-winning dunk with 1.8 seconds left, just seconds after Craig Porter had sent Koch Arena into hysterics with a game-tying three-pointer in double overtime, as the Cougars escaped with a 76-74 win. The loss snapped the Shockers’ four-game winning streak at Koch Arena and it was also just the third loss for WSU in 12 games against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 in Wichita, while the Shockers dropped to 2-8 against Houston since joining the American.
It was just the latest chapter of heartbreak in a season full of them for the Shockers (13-11, 4-8 AAC), who have lost five AAC games by five points or less. Barring an unlikely postponed game added to the schedule, the loss on Sunday seals WSU’s first losing season in conference play since 2009.
Porter drilled a step-back three-pointer to tie the game with 5.4 seconds left in double overtime to cause momentary chaos, but it would only last for a few seconds. Houston’s Jamal Shead raced the length of the floor and WSU was caught watching the ball, which allowed J’wan Roberts to sneak in for the game-winning dunk — his only points of the game — with 1.8 seconds left.
It spoiled a heroic effort from Porter, who scored eight of his team-high 17 points in the second overtime. Ricky Council IV added 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyson Etienne added 15 points.
WSU once again displayed its resiliency, erasing a six-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation and in the first overtime. Both times a frantic finish in the closing seconds saw Houston hold for the last shot and miss potential game-winning attempts at the buzzer.
When Houston jumped out to a six-point lead in the first overtime, WSU reeled off another run on a Tyson Etienne triple, a pair of Dennis free throws and a Council basket. The Shockers even had a chance to go ahead in the final 20 seconds, as Porter made his first free throw to tie the game at 66 but missed the second. Solid defense at the other end allowed WSU to survive another final possession, as Houston’s Ramon Walker air-balled a desperation three.
Porter went into attack mode in the second overtime, scoring three times in a row driving to the basket and putting the Shockers up 71-69. But Houston would roar right back with a game-tying jumper from Kyler Edwards.
Houston scored the go-ahead basket with 13 seconds left following a mad scramble for a loose ball. WSU had multiple chances to secure the defensive rebound, but Houston simply willed its way to the loose ball, which led to a scrambled defense and Josh Carlton scoring while being fouled for a three-point lead. Carlton scored 13 of his game-high 23 points in the overtime periods.
The game seemed destined for a third overtime when Porter hit his step-back, but Houston pulled off the daring victory when Council lost track of his man watching Shead attack and Roberts cut backdoor for the easy dunk to give the Cougars the win.
Turnovers once again plagued the Shockers, as they committed 14 and allowed Houston to score 22 points off them. After a valiant effort for the majority of the game by WSU on the glass, the Shockers started to slip late and gave up 16 offensive rebounds for a 23-6 advantage in second-chance points.
A strong start from Etienne powered the Shockers to a 16-10 lead over Houston after 11 minutes. He drilled a pair of three-pointers, WSU’s only of the half, then capped a 14-4 run with a one-handed pass in transition to find Morris Udeze for a basket and foul for a three-point play.
Every rebound was a war and it was impressive by the Shockers, who primarily played zone, to win many of them in the first half, limiting Houston to just four offensive rebounds in 20 opportunities — well below its 37.2% average, which ranked No. 6 nationally.
But poor shot selection would prevent WSU from fully capitalizing on the advantage, as the offense went the final 3:18 without a field goal and finished shooting 30% from the field and just 14% on three-pointers. Throw in eight turnovers and WSU’s offense produced just 0.71 points per possession, yet only trailed 28-24 at halftime because of its steady defense and superb rebounding.
Wichita State wrestled back control of the momentum in the first round of the second half, reeling off a 10-0 run to take a 34-30 lead before the first media timeout. Dexter Dennis scored his first five points of the game in a row, then Pohto drilled a deep triple to cap off the run for a 34-30 lead with 15:16 remaining.
The two teams traded barbs for the most part, leaving the score tied at 42 entering the final eight minutes — a scenario the Shockers would’ve gladly taken before the day began.
