Shockers can’t defend 3-point line, drop to last place in AAC after Tulsa loss

The Wichita State men’s basketball team once again struggled to defend the 3-point arc and now finds itself in a tie for last place in the American Athletic Conference standings as a result.

Tulsa teed off for a season-high 13 three-pointers on 62% accuracy to pull away for an 84-77 victory over the Shockers at Reynolds Center on Sunday afternoon.

The loss dropped WSU (11-9) to 1-6 in conference play, which is tied for last place in the 13-team conference with Charlotte — WSU’s only win. Meanwhile, Tulsa (9-11) improved to 3-4 in AAC play and beat WSU for the second straight time in the Reynolds Center for the first time since the early 2000s.

Xavier Bell scored 19 points to lead WSU, while Justin Hill added 18 points and Harlond Beverly added 11 points and six assists. The Shockers shot 50% from the field but allowed Tulsa to enjoy its best offensive performance of the season, with 1.40 points per possession.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. Another AAC team finds 3-point touch against WSU

Stop if you’ve heard this one before: WSU’s opponent had a field day beyond the arc.

It’s been an all too familiar feeling for the Shockers, whether they’ve played teams with elite or poor outside shooting. On Sunday, WSU faced one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country with Tulsa entering ranked No. 326 in 3-point percentage at 29.9%.

But that hasn’t mattered much this season, as Tulsa found its 3-point shooting touch against the Shockers with a season-best (against Division I competition) 13 3-pointers on 61.9% accuracy.

WSU lost Keaston Willis several times beyond the arc and Tulsa’s top sharpshooter made the Shockers pay with five triples and 17 points, while Tulsa’s stretch big Jared Garcia came off the bench to torture WSU’s centers with a career-high five 3s and 22 points.

It’s been a dismal start to conference play for WSU and a main reason is because the team has struggled to defend the arc. In WSU’s 1-6 start in conference play, opponents have made 43.4% of its 3-pointers — by far the worst mark in the 13-team conference — and an average of 10.3 triples per game.

2. Disastrous start to second half sends Shockers spiraling

All 40 minutes ultimately matter the same, but there was no denying WSU’s worst stretch of the game came to open the second half.

It began when Corey Washington tried to bull rush his way to the basket, but was swatted away by Dwon Odom that led to a fast-break basket for Tulsa. That was immediately followed by Xavier Bell trying the same strategy, only to lose the ball to spark another transition look that ended in Tulsa free throws.

But that’s where things hit rock bottom for the Shockers. Tulsa’s Justin Amadi missed the second free throw and Jared Garcia grabbed the offensive rebound. A kick-out 3 was missed but retrieved by Amadi. And when his follow-up was missed, Odom soared in for a third consecutive offensive rebound that was turned into 3 points when Keaston Willis drained another kick-out look.

WSU head coach Paul Mills burned an early timeout to try to halt the momentum, but the damage was done: Tulsa swelled a 2-point halftime lead to a 53-43 advantage and never led by fewer than seven points the rest of the game.

3. Two struggling offenses explode in first half

The offenses for Tulsa and WSU both ranked in the bottom-three of the AAC in conference play, as each side was struggling to score.

That wasn’t the case in the first 20 minutes on Sunday.

Both teams combined for 83 points and 12 3-pointers in the first half with each side hovering at 1.30 points per possession, which was among the best offensive halves played this season for both squads. A back-and-forth half featured four lead changes and five ties, as Tulsa took a 42-41 lead into halftime.

Upcoming schedule for Shocker basketball

vs. North Texas, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+) on Wednesday, Jan. 29

at Charlotte, 6 p.m. (ESPN2/U) on Tuesday, Feb. 4

at South Florida, 1 p.m. (ESPN+) on Sunday, Feb. 9

vs. UTSA, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+) on Wednesday, Feb. 12

vs. Memphis, 11 a.m. (ESPN/2/U) on Sunday, Feb. 16

American Athletic Conference basketball standings

6-1, Memphis (16-4)

5-1, North Texas (14-4)

5-2, UAB (12-8)

5-2, Tulane (11-9)

4-3, Temple (12-8)

3-3, Florida Atlantic (10-9)

4-4, East Carolina (12-9)

3-4, South Florida (10-10)

3-4, UTSA (9-10)

3-4, Tulsa (9-11)

2-5, Rice (11-9)

1-6, Wichita State (11-9)

1-6, Charlotte (8-12)