After a heartbreaking loss at home to Tulane on Wednesday, Wichita State had a chance to bounce back against Cincinnati. The Bearcats had a tumultuous start to conference college basketball play, with a 2-2 record. For the Shockers, this was an opportunity to finally get into the win column in AAC play and try to start a push. For Cincinnati, they were looking for a tough road win to keep them in the top half of the conference.
Just like their past game with Tulane, Wichita State basketball came out of the gates hot, holding a 22-12 lead just over 10 minutes into the game. The Shockers were able to hold a slim lead for most of the game until a David DuJulius layup with just over two minutes to go gave Cincinnati the lead for good. Wichita State again fell apart late as they were held to just two points over the last four minutes of the game.
Wichita State Basketball Falls Late
Ugly First Half Helps Cincinnati
Cincinnati was not on top of their game in the first half. They lacked good looks from the floor and took plenty of bad shots. Luckily for the Bearcats, the Shockers failed time and time again to put them away. On multiple possessions, Wichita State was extremely sloppy. They missed layups and committed unforced turnovers. In conference play, good teams finish off their opponents when granted the opportunity. The story of the season for the Shockers is that they can’t seem to put their opponents away.
Wichita State held a nine-point lead with just under two minutes left in the first half. With all of the momentum and a chance to put the Bearcats in a big hole, Wichita State broke down. The Shockers committed a turnover, missed an open layup, and gave up a Cincinnati three after allowing an offensive rebound. To win, you have to take advantage of the opportunities granted to you. Wichita State was granted two golden opportunities in the first half and couldn’t convert on either.
Wichita State Can’t Finish Inside
This college basketball game was your stereotypical scrappy conference game. Points are tough to come by and usually the team that embraces the physicality wins. Cincinnati won the battle, which is the main reason why they left Charles Koch Arena victorious. Both teams shot poorly this game as neither shot over 39% from the field.
Cincinnati shot slightly better than Wichita State from the field. That’s quite impressive seeing that the Shockers took most of their shots in the paint. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t convert. Although both teams missed plenty of shots close to the basket, Wichita State missed plenty of “gimme” shots. There is no reason the Shockers should have missed as many as they did in close. If the Shockers want to get consistent wins in the AAC this season, they need to start converting down low.
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