The Wichita State men’s basketball team closed out its season on Friday with a road loss to Tulane, 85-75.
The Shockers finish the regular season at 5-13 in the American Athletic Conference and 13-18 overall, entering the AAC Tournament as the 12th seed.
Despite leading by two at halftime, the Shockers were outscored by 12 in the final 20 minutes, struggling to contain Tulane’s proficiency at the free-throw line.
Wichita State led 44-42 at the half, but Tulane led off the second period with a 14-2 run to take a 10-point lead.
The Tulane lead expanded to a high of 15 with 11:36 left, but from there, the Shockers began to close the gap. A 3-pointer from redshirt junior guard Colby Rogers cut the lead to six, 75-69, with 5:29 left.
With three minutes left, both teams went on a two-minute scoring drought that ended with a Tulane putback layup to expand its lead to 11, 81-70. After that, Tulane closed out the game with strong free-throw shooting.
The Green Wave, ranking third nationally in made free throws, finished 23/32 from the line, breaking a seven-game losing streak in the process.
Rogers contributed significantly with a team-high 29 points, tying his season-high. Junior center Quincy Ballard recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Wichita State had a chance to nab a first-round bye in the AAC Championship with a win but will instead take on 13th-seeded Rice on Wednesday, March 13, in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
