The RoundHouse | 3/12/2021 3:12:00 PM

 
 
Things looked shaky for a long time, Wichita State guard Tyson Etienne admitted.
 
The Shockers do not mind shaky. It is now past time to realize that they thrive on it.
 
They've spent the season dealing with unexpected circumstances and turmoil. They won their ninth game by five or fewer points on Friday. Deficits, comebacks and short-handed rosters are the norm.
 
Top-seeded Wichita State defeated eighth-seeded USF 68-67 in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship in Fort Worth. The Shockers scored four points, all on foul shots, in the final 5:07 to avoid a loss that might have ruined their NCAA Tournament resume.
 
The Shockers handle those tests as Etienne did at the foul line in the final seconds – stay calm, stay present and avoid distractions. They handle those tests as Morris Udeze did with USF's David Collins steaming at him with the ball and a game-winning layup on his mind – stand solid. They handle those tests as Craig Porter, Jr. and Clarence Jackson did with their game-changing energy and execution in the second half.
 
"Stay positive," Etienne said. "Stay at the grind."
 
The Shockers survived because the Bulls (9-13) went 1 for 6 from the field and scored three points in the final 6:37 after taking a 64-55 lead. To that point, the Bulls threatened the Shockers with 10 three-pointers, their most this season. 
 
Then Dexter Dennis made a three-pointer. Alterique Gilbert made two. Dennis made two foul shots to give the Shockers a one-point lead with 2:45 to play. Etienne made two more – batting back an attempt to freeze him with a timeout – to give the Shockers a 68-67 lead with eight seconds remaining.
 
Udeze made the two game-saving defensive plays. He blocked a shot by Collins in the lane with 1:26 to play to keep the Shockers within 67-66. After Etienne's foul shots gave the Shockers a lead, he took a charge from Collins with four seconds to play to preserve a 68-67 lead.
 
 

Ball movement = MAJOR KEY 🔑@MorrisUdeze24 with the jam. #watchus pic.twitter.com/62Avr3N0Ej

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) March 12, 2021

 
 
Taking charges is a Udeze trademark. He is a good shot-blocker, but is unafraid to take a hit when the situation demands it. Last season, coach Isaac Brown remembered, he took a game-saving charge against UConn in a double-overtime win (foul committed by Gilbert, his future teammate who was then at UConn).
 
"A lot of big men don't want to step in and take a charge," Etienne said. "He sacrifices his body for us in crunch time. That was the play of the game."
 
The Shocker starters closed it out. The reserves put them in that situation. 
 
Wichita State trailed 55-43 when Jackson made a three from the corner. He made a three, on a pass from Porter, from the other corner to cut the lead to six points.  Porter blocked a shot to derail a Bulls possession and ended it with a steal and layup to pull the Shockers within 57-53. His leaner in the lane beat the shot clock to keep the Shockers within six points with 7:07 to play.
 
 Jackson made 3 of 5 shots to score eight points in the second half. Porter scored four points with an assist, block and steal in five second-half minutes.
 
 

.@GoShockersMBB comes back from as many as 12 down in the second-half to defeat USF 68-67 and move on to the semifinals. #AmericanHoops pic.twitter.com/QniILXBtLM

— American MBB (@American_MBB) March 12, 2021

The Shockers play in the semifinals on Saturday (2 p.m. ESPN2). They are a step closer to securing an NCAA Tournament bid, either by playing Sunday or adding to their at-large resume.
 
When things look shaky, they have a way of making them solid.

Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.