With seven seconds left in the game, Wichita State’s men’s basketball’s senior center Quincy Ballard threw home a slam to tie its game against East Carolina University (ECU).
Then, the Pirates’ senior guard RJ Felton sunk a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, sending WSU home with a loss in Charles Koch Arena on Saturday night, 75-72.
The Shockers mounted a comeback late in the second half, led by senior guards Xavier Bell and Justin Hill. With just over a minute left, Hill hit a crucial 3-pointer to tie the game again at 68, setting up the dramatic finish.
“They’re good players as well, they make some really tough plays,” Hill said about ECU. “You’ve got to tip your hat off to them. You know, they work just like how we work. But we are going to fight. It doesn’t matter how much we’re down. We’re going to keep fighting, keep playing, especially on our home court.”
But Bell said as the second half progressed, it became more obvious that “it just wasn’t our night.”
With the loss, Wichita State continued a rocky start to American Athletic Conference (AAC) play, dropping to 1-4 against AAC opponents and 11-7 overall this season. The Pirates jumped to 10-9 overall and 2-4 in the conference, one spot ahead of WSU in the AAC standings.
“It doesn’t feel good,” Hill said. “Nobody wants to lose, but I feel like the last possession, maybe all five of us could’ve crowded the ball better or something. But I still think we got a good hand up on the ball. He just made a shot.”
The Shockers kept pace with the Pirates throughout most of the first half, maintaining momentum and trading buckets. At the 10:58 mark, the score was tied at 16. The score remained close and by halftime, ECU held a slim 36-33 lead, leaving Wichita State within one possession.
ECU relied on its bench throughout the opening period, outscoring the Shockers 18-3 from its non-starters.
After the break, the Pirates began to take control. ECU’s senior forward C.J. Walker led with a dominant second half, scoring 19 of his 28 game-high points. Wichita State struggled to maintain its offensive rhythm during stretches of the half, allowing ECU to extend its lead.
“We just have to figure out ways to pull away and establish a lead before it gets to that point,” senior guard Xavier Bell said. “So we kind of put ourselves in the position to feel like this at the end of the game.”
Despite the Pirates’ surge, the Shockers didn’t back down. Junior forward Corey Washington was instrumental in keeping Wichita State competitive, finishing with eight offensive rebounds and 10 defensive rebounds. His presence on the boards helped Wichita State gain second-chance opportunities, particularly in the paint, where they dominated with 52 points compared to ECU’s 28.
Wichita State’s head coach Paul Mills noted that the Shockers’ dominance in the paint should have resulted in more free throws, as the team went just 5-10 from the line.
“If you’re going to turn around and dominate darn near double their paint points, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be on the plus side from a free throw line,” Mills said. “We’re almost twice as much as them and for us to not have those opportunities, it’s just obviously rare, given the fact that we’re top-50 in the country. But when you are dominating in the paint at that level, it usually leads to more free throw opportunities.”
WSU ended the game on 43% shooting from the floor with a 33% mark from deep. Washington led the team with 19 points to go along with his 18 rebounds, marking a new season-high in rebounds and his fourth double-double of the season.
Bell followed behind Washington in points with 18 and two other Shockers eclipsed double-digit scoring.
Wichita State will get another chance to etch a mark in the win column on Jan. 23 with a road matchup against the University of Memphis. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the FedExForum and can be streamed on ESPN2.
