The RoundHouse | 1/6/2021 10:49:00 PM

Wichita State has had some bad days at Houston. Wednesday was not one of them, even if the Shockers departed disappointed in their defense during the second half of a seven-point loss.
 
No. 11 Houston defeated the Shockers 70-63 at the Feritta Center. The Shockers, in their Zoom interviews, didn't seem satisfied and nobody mentioned a moral victory. They seemed to regard it as a missed opportunity. 
 
Most important, the Shockers recognized that they matched Houston's intensity for most, if not all, of the game. That level of focus and work will win a lot of games, because the Cougars (9-1, 4-1 American Athletic Conference) don't get beaten in those categories often. Matching Houston says good things about beating lesser teams.
 
"We showed we can compete with them," guard Tyson Etienne said. "I'm encouraged by that. We didn't back down."
 
While the Shockers rarely back down, they've struggled with the Cougars in the best of times. In 2018, Houston hammered the seventh-ranked Shockers 73-59 to start a streak of six wins in the series. Last season, No. 25 Houston defeated Wichita State 76-43.
 
On Wednesday, the Shockers (6-3, 2-1) led by 10 points early in the second half. Then the Cougars turned up their defense and a 16-0 run gave them a 41-35 lead. The Shockers missed nine shots and committed four turnovers to help Houston pull away.
 
"We came in and battled for about 35 minutes," interim coach Isaac Brown said. "When we got up 10, we hit a cold spell. They were able to go on a run and that was pretty much the game."
 
The game, yes, but not the story. The Shockers took some punches from an excellent team, a big and physical team used to success. They shot poorly against a superb defensive team, but retained the composure to battle on the boards and take care of the basketball (11 turnovers).
 
The Cougars locked in on Etienne, who scored 25 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Dexter Dennis contributed 18 with no other Shockers in double figures.
 
"The second half, we just went on a cold streak," Dennis said. "We weathered the storm better in the first half."
 
Houston scored 45 points in the second half. For most of the season, the Shockers maintained their defensive intensity even during shooting slumps. On Wednesday, a brief slip cost them.
 
"We can't allow our offense to affect our defense," Brown said.
 
The Shockers haven't played a home conference game yet and haven't played another NCAA Division I team in Koch Arena since Dec. 12. Three of their next five are at home. Wednesday's loss might feel like an opportunity missed, but the Shockers should come home more confident than ever that they can compete at the top of the AAC.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.