DENTON, Tex. (GoShockers.com) – Wichita State and North Texas went toe-to-toe for 40 minutes, but it was the Mean Green who made a couple more plays late to escape with 68-66 win Monday night in the Super Pit.
Wichita State (17-12, 7-9) drops its second straight game after its six-game win streak. Both losses to North Texas this season were by a combined six points.
Xavier Bell scored 17 of his 19 points after halftime on 6-of-11 shooting and a perfect 7-for-7 from the line. Harlond Beverly rebounded from season-low two points vs. UAB with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Wichita State had won the rebound battle in each of the last seven games, but was outrebounded 29-24. Its 24 total rebounds were the fewest this season. Two of their three lowest rebound totals came in the games against North Texas.
After turning the ball over on its first three possessions of the game, Wichita State finished the game with just seven, while North Texas committed 14.
The Mean Green shot 51.1 percent from the floor and missed only one free throw (13-for-14).
North Texas raced out to an early 16-4 lead behind early turnover issues for the Shockers. After an early timeout Wichita State started to settle in behind five big bench points from Justin Hill.
North Texas still held a 10-point lead at the 7:34 mark until a 7-0 run pulled the Shockers within three, 25-22. A North Texas bucket briefly snapped the run, but Wichita State came right back with consecutive scores from Ballard and Cortes to make it a one-point game with 3:30 left in the half.
Neither team would score over the next 2:09 until the Mean Green got four straight from Latrell Jossell to push it back to five, 31-26. A Beverly putback just before the horn sounded cut it to 31-28 at halftime.
North Texas shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, but six turnovers allowed Wichita State to get back into the game after the early double digit deficit. The fact Wichita State was able to creep back in despite Xavier Bell and Corey Washington combining for just two first half points made it even more impressive.
Wichita State took its first lead of the night 7:05 into the second half behind a 10-0 run and more than a 3:00-minute scoring drought for North Texas. Beverly and Washington combined for all 10 of the points in the run.
Another Beverly three-point play gave the Shockers their largest lead, 47-43, only to go cold over the next 2:43. The drought allowed North Texas to mount a 9-0 run to retake a 52-47 advantage.
With 5:46 remaining North Texas grabbed a 59-53 lead and looking to stretch it out, but Wichita State was not about to pack it in. Three Bell free throws and a jumper sandwiched around a North Texas floater made it 61-58 with 3:28 left.
Bell came through with four straight points to make it a two-point game, 66-64, with 1:16 to go, setting up a frenetic finish. After two North Texas free throws and a Hill layup, Wichita State forced a shot clock violation with 7 seconds to go and a chance at a game-tying or game-winning bucket.
Following Wichita State’s final timeout, the Shockers failed to even get a shot off after North Texas snuffed out Bell’s drive down the left side. He tried to throw back to the top of the key, but the pass deflected off Washington’s hands all the way back near midcourt. Washington attempted an off-balance three that came up way short as time expired.
Up Next
Wichita State continues its Texas road trip with a stop in Houston for its final regular season road game at Rice on Thursday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
