In its first game of 2024, Wichita State lost to American Athletic Conference newcomer the University of North Texas, 74-62.
“Our intensity wasn’t where it needed to be,” redshirt junior Colby Rogers said. “We just didn’t come out with the right intensity, the right attention to detail, and they made us pay for it.”
North Texas junior Aaron Scott started the game making three straight 3-pointers before the first media timeout.
The Shockers were unable to take the lead throughout the game due to defensive mistakes.
“(I) felt like we were just running uphill all night,” head men’s basketball coach Paul Mills said. “We were not going to all of a sudden become a good shooting team overnight, so we have to embrace our identity on the defensive end.”
The Mean Green increased its lead, 26-11, with a 13-0 run after a WSU timeout with 11:35 left in the first half.
Wichita State went on a five-minute scoring drought that was eventually snapped by a bucket from junior Kenny Pohto.
Following a personal 6-0 run from Rogers, the Shockers gained some momentum but North Texas responded by scoring the next five points to further the lead going into the half, 42-30.
“We just didn’t come out with the right intensity, the right attention to detail and focusing on the right shooter, and they made us pay for it,” Rodgers said.
At the start of the second half, the Mean Green went on an 8-0 run to create the largest lead of the night, 50-30, prompting a Wichita State timeout.,
Wichita State would begin to chip at the lead after a three-pointer from graduate student Dalen Ridgnal to make it a 12-point game, 54-42, but the team’s efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
The Shockers struggled at the free throw line, shooting 55%. (Although this was an improvement from the team’s 50% free throw percentage against the University of Kansas last week.)
“Our inability at the free throw line kind of speaks to where we’re at skillset-wise, and we’ve got a ways to go there,” Mills said. “We can’t be cute out there; we can’t think that we’re going to turn around and make a bunch of threes and win games.”
Wichita State’s shortcomings came in the 14 turnovers they committed during the game. The several live-ball turnovers allowed the Mean Green to score easy points.
Coming off the bench, junior Bijan Cortes committed four turnovers. The guard said he is constantly working on trying to make simpler plays.
“I got to just find the right pace and just kind of stick to the offense and just not doing too much,” Cortes said.
Looking forward, Mills said that the team must be greedier to have a successful run in conference play.
In its next game Wichita State will travel to Philadelphia to face off against Temple University on Jan. 7. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
