FORT WORTH, Texas – The opening game of the American Athletic Conference Championship did not disappoint. Wichita State and Tulsa battled for 45 minutes in a back-and-forth affair that, in the end, saw Tulsa edge Wichita State, 88-86, in overtime Monday afternoon in Dickies Arena.
Wichita State (14-16) had its season come to an end with the loss in the third meeting of the season between the two schools. Tulsa won all three for the first time in the history of the series.
For just the second time this season Wichita State placed five scorers in double figures. Wichita State's starting five combined for 73 of the team's 86 points, led by
Asia Strong's team-high 20. Strong was 7-for-13 from the floor and 3-of-5 from three-point range to go with six rebounds.
Mariah McCully went for 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Seraphine Bastin was 5-for-6 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line, finishing with a season-high tying 16 points. She also added five rebounds and six assists.
Jane Asinde tallied her team-leading ninth double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and
Carla Bremaud chipped in 10 points on 3-of-5 from long range.
Wichita State saved its best shooting game for the finale. They set season highs in field goal percentage (57 percent) and three-point percentage (53 percent). The Shockers also converted on 12-of-15 attempts at the free throw line.
Turnovers were the story in the end. Wichita State committed 27 in the game, leading to 32 Tulsa points. Tulsa outscored Wichita State off turnovers, 27-12.
Tulsa attempted 15 more field goal attempts to offset being outrebounded by 13. After missing eight of its first nine attempts from long range, Tulsa finished 12-of-34 for the game.
Wichita State blistered the nets in the first 10 minutes, shooting 56 percent and 4-of-7 from long range to build a 26-14 lead. Defensively, Wichita State frustrated Tulsa to the tune of 5-of-17 shooting, including just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Strong (7), McCully (6) and Bremaud (6) scored 19 of the team's 26 points in the opening period.
Tulsa entered as the league's top shooting team, and the second quarter showed why. The Hurricane converted on 4-of-6 from three-point range and shot 55.6 percent from the floor to erase that 12-point deficit.
By the midway point of the quarter Tulsa had it down to seven and then used a 10-2 spurt to pull within two. A steal and score from
Nhug Bosch Duran made it 38-34, but Tulsa would score the final six points to take a 40-38 lead into the break.
Wichita State still shot 46.2 percent in the second quarter, but six turnovers did the most damage. A balanced scoring attack saw six Shockers score at least five points in the opening half, led by Strong with 7.
A fast and furious third quarter saw Wichita State shoot 66.7 percent and Tulsa 61.5 percent in an up-and-down track meet. The two teams combined for 43 points, but it would be Wichita State in front after 30 minutes, 61-60.
The fourth quarter was much of the same until Tulsa grabbed a five-point lead with 1:53 to go. A McCully three-pointer followed by two Bastin free throws on the next trip pulled Wichita State back even at 78.
Both teams had a chance to take the lead in the final 32 seconds, but a Tulsa turnover and a McCully last second floater bounced off the rim to send it to overtime tied at 78-78.
To begin the extra session Tulsa hit two free throws and a three-pointer to go up 83-79. A pair of Bastin free throws cut it to 83-81 before the two teams traded layups, making it 85-83 with 42 seconds left. Following a Tulsa timeout with 21 seconds remaining, Temira Poindexter cashed in a three-pointer to put the Hurricane ahead 88-83.
A last second attempt saw Strong convert on a three-pointer, but there was just 1.7 seconds to go. Tulsa was able to inbound the ball and Wichita State didn't foul to end the game.
