Wichita State (21-7) defeated Temple (14-14) 72-69 Thursday evening to improve to 9-6 in conference play and pull into a tie with SMU for fourth place in the AAC.

The Shockers shot 50% from the field in the first half but still trailed 37-36 heading into the locker room. Trey Wade tallied half of the team’s points with 18 in the first 20 minutes. 

The second half was a back-and-forth 20 minutes with multiple lead changes down the stretch. Jamarius Burton was able to make some tough shots, including a layin with under a minute left to help secure the victory. 

For the second consecutive game, WSU had a retooled starting lineup. Wade made his return to the lineup and excelled. In 34 minutes play, he tallied a career-high 21 points along with seven rebounds. 

For the game, WSU shot 50% (28-56) from the floor and 43% (9-21) from downtown. The Shockers had three players finish in double figures, as Wade, Burton, and Jaime Echenique reached that plateau.

On the other side, Temple went on to shoot 44% from the field and 33% from downtown. Quinton Rose led the Owls with 20 points. 

The battle on the glass was pretty even overall with both teams grabbing 32 rebounds. The Shockers were able to outscore the Owls in points in the paint, however, 34-28.

Burton came through with big-time shots in the last three minutes to help put the team over the top. Burton scored 15 points — 13 in the first half — and had six rebounds.

The free throw disparity between the two teams was pretty noticeable, as the Owls had 24 attempts to the Shockers’ 11, but WSU made their free throws count late.

The Shockers will be back in action on Sunday as they travel to Dallas to take on SMU inside Moody Coliseum to kick off a big two-game roadtrip. Tip is scheduled for 3 p.m.