Wichita State beats No. 24 Utah 67-50
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Zach Brown scored 14 points to lead a balanced Wichita State offense as the Shockers beat No. 24 Utah 67-50 on Saturday.
Markis McDuffie had 13 points and Fred VanVleet added 10 for Wichita State (5-4). Six Shockers made a 3-pointer as they went 10 of 25 from beyond the arc.
Jacob Poeltl had 11 points for Utah (7-2), which had 19 turnovers and only 14 field goals.
Down 13 points to start the second half, Poeltl scored five points in an 8-2 run that cut the Shockers’ lead to 35-28 with 16:44 remaining.
Jordan Loveridge made five straight free throws, making it 39-35 with 14:26 to play. Utah was 13 of 15 from the free throw line at that point while the Shockers had yet to attempt a free throw.
Wichita State responded with the game’s decisive stretch, keyed by McDuffie, a freshman reserve. He converted a four-point play and hit another 3.
VanVleet found Bush Wamukota for a basket and then converted a twisting layup himself. With 7:36 remaining, the Shockers’ lead was back to 53-38 and Utah was in the midst of more than 9 minutes with one field goal.
The Shockers stretched the lead to as many as 20 points in the final minute.
Utah turnovers in the first half led to scoring droughts, as well.
Utah did not make a field for more than 5 minutes in the first half, but shots were hard to come by for the Utes. When Brown hit a 3-pointer for a 28-17 lead with 5:27 to play in the half, the Shockers had more baskets (11) than Utah did shots (10).
That’s because Utah already had 10 turnovers. The Utes had 12 turnovers in the first half compared to Wichita State’s one, helping the Shockers to a 33-20 halftime lead.
MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
Wichita State had interior concerns guarding a future NBA center for the second straight game. The Shockers’ starting center, Anton Grady, is out after suffering a spinal concussion on Nov. 27.
On Wednesday, Wichita State played UNLV, which featured Stephen Zimmerman, a 7-foot freshman who was a McDonald’s High School All America. Zimmerman finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the Shockers’ 56-50 victory.
On Saturday, Poeltl, another 7-footer, brought better numbers into the game. He entered Saturday’s game averaging 21.3 points and 9.9 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Utah: The Utes are 7-2 against Wichita State. The previous loss came in 1968. . The Utes have lost seven straight road openers, last winning a season’s first road game in 2008 at Missouri State. . Utah coach Larry Krystowiak walked on to the court after what he thought was a missed goaltending with 9:01 remaining in the second half and was assessed a technical foul.
Wichita State: The Shockers are 6-0 at Intrust Bank Arena, which opened in 2010. . The victory extends Wichita State’s home winning streak to 36 games, the second-longest in the nation. . Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall is 6-1 against ranked opponents at home.
UP NEXT
Utah hosts Savannah State on Wednesday
Wichita State visits Seton Hall on Dec. 19
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