National Basketball Association
Cincinnati 62, Wichita St. 61
When: 12:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 4, 2018
Where: Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Officials:
# Doug Sirmons, # Joe DeRosa, # Keith Kimble
Attendance:
10506
By Field Level Media
Junior guard Jacob Evans recorded 19 points and seven rebounds and No. 10 Cincinnati clinched the American Athletic Conference regular-season title with a 62-61 victory over No. 11 Wichita State on Sunday at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
Senior forward Kyle Washington contributed 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bearcats (27-4, 16-2 AAC). Sophomore guard Jarron Cumberland added 11 points and senior forward Gary Clark had 10.
Senior center Shaquille Morris had 16 points and eight rebounds and sophomore guard Landry Shamet recorded 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Shockers (24-6, 14-4). Wichita State had a seven-game winning streak come to an end.
The Shockers had three attempts to make the decisive basket and came up empty on each occasion as they dropped to 13-3 at home.
Shamet had his shot rejected by Clark with 9.3 seconds left, senior guard Conner Frankamp was off the mark with a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left and senior forward Darral Willis Jr. missed the putback as time expired.
The Bearcats won despite shooting just 39.7 percent from the field. Wichita State shot 40.7 percent.
The game was tight down the stretch as the Shockers looked to tie for the regular-season crown, which would have given them the top seed in this week's AAC tourney.
Junior forward Markis McDuffie scored five straight points as Wichita State took a 50-49 lead with 10:53 remaining.
Evans drained a 3-pointer with 6:24 left to give the Bearcats a 56-54 advantage. The Shockers knotted the score at 56 and 58 before Clark scored four straight points to give Cincinnati a four-point edge with 3:28 left.
Wichita State moved within 62-61 on a jumper by senior guard Conner Frankamp with 47.2 seconds remaining.
Evans scored 14 first-half points as the Bearcats held a 37-36 lead at the break.
Cincinnati exploded with a 16-1 run over a 5 1/2-minute stretch of the first half to take a 27-16 lead. The Shockers missed nine field-goal attempts during a span that concluded with Bearcats freshman guard Keith Williams draining a 3-pointer with 8:36 left.
Wichita State responded with a 10-2 burst to pull within three points with four minutes to play. Cincinnati eventually was up 37-32 after a 3-pointer by Evans with 56.5 seconds left before Willis scored four straight points to pull the Shockers within a point.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Cincinnati |
|
Wichita St. |
|
Jacob Evans 19 |
Scoring |
Shaquille Morris 16 |
|
Gary Clark 2 |
Assists |
Landry Shamet 5 |
|
Jacob Evans 7 |
Rebounds |
Shaquille Morris 8 |
|
Gary Clark 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Shaquille Morris 4 |
|
Jacob Evans 2 |
Steals |
Conner Frankamp 1 |
|
Nysier Brooks 2 |
Blocks |
Rashard Kelly 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Cincinnati
|
62 |
39.7 |
6-21 |
10-15 |
7 |
34 |
7 |
5 |
5 |
| Wichita St.
|
61 |
40.7 |
6-23 |
11-15 |
16 |
30 |
4 |
2 |
9 |
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