WICHITA, Kan. – Despite a big UTSA burst in the second half, the homestanding Wichita State Shockers (14-10, 4-7 AAC) edged in front of the visiting UTSA Roadrunners (10-14, 4-8 AAC) late in the second half to hold on for the 69-64 win, Wednesday night at Charles Koch Arena. In a game that featured 10 lead changes and five ties, the Roadrunners rushed ahead by eight near the midpoint of the second half, but the Shockers chipped away and reclaimed the lead for the final seven minutes. The Roadrunners battled all the way down the line, bringing the game to a single possession twice in the final 2:36 but the shots wouldn’t fall in the closing seconds.
After trading buckets to open the game, UTSA got off to a hot start, making five of their first seven attempts to build up an 11-4 lead into the first media timeout, with Marcus Millender and Primo Spears right at the center of the 9-0 run that amounted to seven points off turnovers. Despite missing their next seven shots, the Roadrunner defense stood strong and back-to-back Tai’Reon Joseph layups made it 15-9 in UTSA’s favor into the final 10 minutes of the half. However, a second shooting slump didn’t fare as well for the visiting Roadrunners, as the Shockers fired off a 10-0 run and vaulted in front on Corey Washington’s layup at 5:27, followed quickly by a Harlond Beverly dunk off a UTSA turnover. Spears countered with a pull-up jumper and Jonnivius Smith blocked the ensuing WSU shot. Raekwon Horton took the opportunity to knot the score at 19 on a layup, then collected a steal off the Shockers to set up Damari Monsanto’s first three of the night and a 22-19 UTSA lead with 2:41 left in the half.
With UTSA leading by a single point with under a minute to go, AJ McGinnis launched a three-point dagger off the glass with 34 seconds left. The Roadrunners had the chance to go into the half with a tie, but an uncharacteristic missed second free throw from Spears made it a 28-27 Wichita State lead at the break.
Coming out of the locker room, it was the Shockers firing this time, building up a 9-0 start to the second half and going in front 37-27 for the game’s only double-digit lead. It was short-lived, as Joseph drove the lane just seven seconds later to launch a 20-2 UTSA scoring run that saw six different scorers getting into the action. Wrapping up six minutes of Roadrunner control, Spears set Smith for a near-perfect alley-oop dunk and Monsanto punctuated the run with a logo three at 10:54 that pushed UTSA ahead 47-39.
After nearly three minutes without a score, the Shockers put away buckets on five straight possessions to edge back in front on a pair of Washington free throws at 51-50 with 8:02 remaining. Though Spears, Horton and Millender combined to keep the Roadrunners in striking distance, the Shockers built a seven-point advantage with 3:22 remaining. However, Monsanto drained a response from long range that quieted the crowd and Xavier Bell’s offensive foul on the next possession drew a chorus of boos and gave UTSA the chance to bring the game to two points on Horton’s putback at 64-62 with 2:36 to go.
The Shockers collected free throws to push back, but Horton found Smith underneath the rim for another two-point game. The Roadrunners forced a shot clock turnover and Smith made his fourth block of the night, but in the final stretch UTSA saw a pair of game-tying shots halfway down before a rim-out, while Wichita State made the necessary free throws to hold on for the 69-64 win.
With UTSA spreading the offense around, four players hit double-figures, led by Horton’s quiet fourth double-double of the year at 16 points, 10 rebounds. Millender scored 13 and Spears had 12, while Monsanto hit three triples and amassed 11 points. Smith grabbed five rebounds and made four blocks.
UTSA forced 20 turnovers for the most since the beginning of American Athletic Conference play, scoring 23 points off turnovers. However, the free throw differential, tilting 23-8 in Wichita State’s favor, proved to be an important factor.
Up Next
The Roadrunners will remain on the road in the central Midwest, heading down to Tulsa for another rematch on Saturday at the Reynold’s Center. The Golden Hurricane rallied from a nine-point deficit for the 82-77 comeback win in UTSA’s Jan. 7 AAC home opener. The Roadrunners and Golden Hurricane are set for a 5 p.m. meeting on Saturday, Feb. 15 with a nationally televised ESPNU broadcast – UTSA’s third of the year.
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