ORLANDO – No. 2 seed Wichita State held off several comeback attempts from No. 7 Temple to record its first-ever win in the American Athletic Conference Championship. The Shockers defeated the Owls, 89-81, in the quarterfinals Friday night at the Amway Center.
Wichita State (25-6) advanced to the American Athletic Conference Championship semifinals and will face the winner of No. 3 Houston and No. 6 UCF at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
The Shockers have won 10 straight conference tournament openers and have now won 25 games for the ninth consecutive year. That is the nation's fourth longest streak.
Landry Shamet collected his seventh 20-point game of the season with a team-high 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting. His six made three-pointers (6-8) tied a career high and an American Athletic Conference Championship record.
Rashard Kelly added a career-high 16 points and seven boards. The senior forward was 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line. Austin Reaves scored all 13 of his points after halftime to round out the Shocker scoring leaders.
WSU shot 48 percent from the field and recorded season highs in free throws made (28) and attempted (37). The Shockers also won the rebounding battle, 35-24, and held the Owls to only three offensive rebounds.
Temple shot 51 percent overall, including an 11-for-24 mark from long range.
Quinton Rose scored a game-high 25 points. Josh Brown and Shizz Alston Jr. added 15 points apiece.
Shamet buried three three-pointers in the opening five minutes to give the Shockers an early 12-6 lead. Take away Shamet's 3-of-4 start from the field and the rest of the team was just 2-of-10 to open.
At the midway point Wichita State grabbed its largest lead (25-16) behind four points from Kelly via a fastbreak dunk and putback.
Temple missed an opportunity to take its first lead which then resulted in five straight points from the Shockers. Another Shamet three, his fourth of the half, and a Kelly 5-footer stopped the Owls' run.
With 1:51 left in the half, the Owls again trimmed the margin to one, but could not get over the hump. A jumper from Frankamp and Shamet's fifth trey - a buzzer-beating three to end the half – sent Wichita State into the locker room with a 42-36 lead.
Shamet torched the Temple defense for 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Both teams shot 48 percent overall, while the Owls hit seven triples in 12 tries and the Shockers six in 13 attempts.
Shaquille Morris was held scoreless in the first half, but Kelly picked up the slack by adding nine points and five rebounds.
Wichita State grabbed its first double-digit lead (55-45) at the 13:43 mark of the second half after Temple had again pulled within a single point. After failing to score in the first half, Morris put up eight quick points to help extend the lead.
Not even three minutes later, the Owls scored eight straight to make it 57-55.
Reaves' first bucket of the game came at a big spot for the Shockers. Reaves drilled a three from the top of the key and then a Markis McDuffie transition slam bumped the margin back to seven at the 8:00 minute mark.
A 6-0 run capped by a Zach Brown corner three made it 74-64 with 5:14 remaining. Wichita State led by as many as 12, but Temple had one last run in them to pull within three, 78-75 with 2:23 left. The Owls did it behind a 9-2 run and a few costly WSU turnovers.
Temple's comeback effort would come up short after the Shockers iced the game at the free throw line in the final minute.
