The RoundHouse | 2/13/2023 1:42:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
In a crazy game that both teams grabbed, fumbled and wrestled over for 50 minutes, Wichita State's
Kenny Pohto provided the constant.
Give the ball to Pohto – the calm, efficient sophomore center from Sweden - and good things happened for the Shockers. Wichita State defeated SMU 91-89 in two overtimes on Sunday at Koch Arena in a game with nine lead changes and seven ties. Neither team led by more than seven.
Out of that back-and-forth, Pohto made 13 of 15 shots to score a career-high 28 points in 40 minutes, 42 seconds of play. He grabbed eight rebounds, handed out two assists and recorded two steals. He played solid defense late in the second overtime to force a missed shot by SMU's Efe Odigie to preserve a five-point lead and secured the game's final rebound after an SMU miss.
"It felt so great," Pohto said. "I was so tired."
Over the past two months, Pohto earned the right to get the ball and play those minutes. After a so-so non-conference performance, he grew into a bigger factor in American Athletic Conference play. He averages 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 13 AAC games, while making 53 percent of his shots. After scoring in double figures twice in 11 non-conference games, he is at seven in conference play.
"I felt like I had to make a bigger impact on the team," he said. "I had more to give."
The Shockers (13-12, 6-7 AAC) continued their dominance over SMU (9-17, 4-9) with Pohto giving plenty.
"When we can go through him inside it make us a better team," coach
Isaac Brown said. "The offense flows better."
Good health, conditioning, mindset – all those factors improved over the past two months and allowed Pohto to take advantage of his soft shooting touch, passing skills and basketball smarts. As he produced consistently, the Shockers put more and more trust in him as one of the offense's essential levers.
"He's been coming in every day to practice and working hard," Wichita State guard
Craig Porter Jr. said. "Everything he's been working on, it made it in the game."
Wichita State defeated the Mustangs for the seventh straight time – and survived 25 turnovers – with Pohto leading a balanced and efficient offense. The Shockers scored 46 points in the paint to match a season high, shot a season-high 57.4 percent from the field and recorded 18 assists.
Porter Jr. added 22 points - including the final five of regulation to get it to overtime and six in the two overtime periods - and six assists.
Jaykwon Walton pitched in with 20 points.
"I'm just proud we stayed in it and fought," Porter said. "There were times when we probably thought we were out of it, then we make a few big plays and keep playing and fighting hard."
SMU rarely doubled Pohto, which gave him time and space to work. The Shockers wanted to make SMU's Odigie work on defense after he scored 16 points in the earlier meeting. Pohto played 19 minutes and scored two points in that 71-69 win.
"Any time he can touch it on the block, it makes the game easier for the other guys," Brown said. "He's a willing passer. He can hit guys cutting or hit guys for wide-open shots."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
