Box Score WICHITA, Kan.- The Wichita State men's basketball team fell to 17-11 on the season after a late D.J. Thompson layup gave visiting Appalachian State a 60-58 win over the Shockers Saturday afternoon inside Charles Koch Arena.
WSU was led by Sean Ogirri's 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. P.J. Couisnard, Ryan Martin and Matt Braeuer each finished with nine points. The Mountaineers were fueled by a game-high 19 points from Donte Minter. Thompson, Ryan Bermudez and Kellen Brand all finished with eight points.
Defense dictated the opening minutes of the game as neither team scored a field goal until a three-pointer by Nathan Cranford with 16:14 on the clock gave ASU a 4-1 lead. WSU started to build a lead when Ogirri got hot, hitting three three-pointers on consecutive possessions for a 12-6 lead, with 13:24 left in the half.
A 6-0 run over the next four minutes, keyed by a Karon Bradley three-pointer, gave WSU its largest lead of the game, 20-12. ASU answered back with a 12-3 run to take the lead, 24-23, on a banked-in three-pointer by Jeremy Clatyton with 3:08 to go in the half.
Kyle Wilson closed out the half for the Shockers by hitting two free-throws for a 28-27 halftime lead. WSU struggled shooting the ball in the first half, going just 9-of-26 from the floor and 4-of-8 from the free-throw line. ASU had success in the post and shot 50 percent from the field.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half. The Shockers maintained a small lead and got some breathing room as Phil Thomasson connected on two free-throws after being fouled while attempting a three-pointer. That gave WSU a 40-36 lead with 13 minutes to play.
Minter kept the Mountaineers in the game by answering every Shocker rally. He went 5-of-7 in the second half and his layup with 6:49 left tied the score at 47. ASU took the lead on a pair of free-throws by Bermudez a minute later, and would not trail again.
A Couisnard dunk with 1:55 left tied the score at 55. Demetrius Scott broke the tie with an old-fashioned three-point play with just 28 seconds on the clock. Wilson hit a deep three-pointer from the corner, his first field goal of the game, with 0:17 seconds left to tie the score at 58.
Thompson provided the heroics for the Mountaineers by hitting a runner in the lane with four seconds remaining. A desperation three-pointer by Karon Bradley was too long, and ASU squeaked by with a 60-58 win.
For the game ASU shot 50 percent from the field and held WSU to just 33 percent. The Shockers dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Mountaineers 35-28, led by nine from Wilson.
“It's been that type of year,” said head coach Mark Turgeon. “Their balls were rolling in, ours were rolling out.”
WSU will be back in action on Tuesday as they host Missouri State on senior night. Tip-off is at 8:05 p.m. and the game will be telecast on ESPNU.
