Wichita State basketball breaks records to extend season in AAC tournament win over Rice

Not only did the Wichita State men’s basketball team extend its season on Wednesday, but it did so in record-breaking fashion.

Colby Rogers etched his name in the program record books and the Shockers shattered an American Athletic Conference tournament shooting record on their way to an 88-81 win over Rice in a play-in round game at Dickies Arena on Wednesday afternoon.

The 12th-seeded Shockers (14-18) advanced to the second round of the tournament, where they will try to snap an eight-game losing streak to Memphis (22-9) in a 1:30 p.m. Thursday game broadcast on ESPNU.

“We knew the season was on the line,” said point guard Bijan Cortes, who had a season-high 12 points and five assists.

“I’m not ready to go home yet,” added forward Ronnie DeGray III, who recorded his best game of the season with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists off the bench.

Pitting two of the bottom-four teams in the conference against one another, desperate to keep their season alive, produced a wildly entertaining game.

The first half featured a 26-point swing, as WSU sleepwalked to a 13-point deficit and then scorched its way to a 13-point halftime lead. Rice reeled off a 12-0 run early in the second half, then the teams traded the lead 12 times down the stretch.

“Basketball is a game of runs, right? Rice guard Travis Evee said. “They have great players (at WSU), starting with Rogers. He made a lot of tough shots. The defense was solid, but we gave him a couple of looks that I wish we had back.”

Rogers helped bury the Owls (11-21) with back-to-back 3-pointers in the final two minutes, as his hot streak stretched into its third straight week. The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter scored a team-high 22 points and five 3s, bringing his total to 105 points (26.3 average) and 23 triples (on 62% accuracy) in his last four games.

The late-season flurry vaulted Rogers (94 total 3s) past Sean Ogirri (91 total in the 2005-06 season) in the WSU record book for most 3s in a single season.

“It feels good to be in the record books,” Rogers said. “It’s a tribute to all of the people who helped me along the way and all of the hard work I put in. To be able to do it here at Wichita State is a blessing, especially after sitting out last year and having to wait.”

It was unquestionably the season’s best offensive performance, as WSU pumped out 1.40 points per possession with a season-high 22 assists on 35 field goals, including 50% shooting and 11 3-pointers, and just six turnovers. WSU also pulled down 18 offensive rebounds, grabbing a season-best 47% of its own misses, to produce 14 second-chance points.

Thanks to one of the most efficient sustained stretches in program history, WSU’s 72.4% shooting in the first half broke the AAC tournament record for field goal percentage in a half.

“Sometimes when you come into (an elimination) game, you have an idea whether your guys are excited to play just by their energy and effort,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said. “I thought our level of energy was indicative of the 18 offensive rebounds. And then to have 22 assists and just six turnovers is a tribute to intellectually what our guys were trying to get done.”

WSU looked lackadaisical in the opening five minutes, as Rice scored two easy baskets on back cuts and another one following a live-ball turnover to open up a 17-4 lead. Mills even had to call a timeout before the first media stoppage in play.

Then WSU started to score. And score. And score. And score some more.

Rogers jump-started the rally with a jumper and a 3. Harlond Beverly followed with a corner triple. Xavier Bell (team-high six assists) started scoring in the paint. DeGray connected on a pair of 3s, then Cortes hit back-to-back 3s. Kenny Pohto kept the line moving with two straight buckets inside and Quincy Ballard finished it off by powering his way to a paint score.

When it was over, the 15-minute scoring barrage was reminiscent of the streak WSU used to take down No. 1-ranked Gonzaga in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and the 40-12 rally for a 24-point second-half comeback win — largest in school history — at SMU on March 1, 2020.

The Shockers scored 48 points on their final 23 possessions for a blistering 2.09 points per possession. During that stretch, WSU came up empty on just three trips down the floor and made 86% of its shots (19 of 22).

“We were taking good shots and we were aggressive,” Mills said. “But what I thought catapulted it was Kenny’s job around the rim. When you do that, teams have to squeeze in a little bit more and it opened things up for perimeter shots for other guys.”

Travis Evee and Mekhi Mason combined for 46 points, while Max Fiedler (eight points, eight rebounds, 12 assists) flirted with a triple-double for Rice, which shot 53% from the field to hang around.

But Rogers’ daggers from beyond the arc late helped WSU pull out just its fourth win away from Koch Arena this season.

“We’re just focused on playing our game right now and that’s really it,” Cortes said. “Today was fun for everyone. Seeing the bench and everyone celebrating, it gives positive vibes and it was a pretty fun experience. That one felt good.”