On Thursday night, Wichita State men’s basketball’s six-game winning streak came to an end.
In the first ten minutes of the game, it looked like the Shockers fans were in for another close one. But in the last 30 minutes, the wheels fell off for Wichita State as the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) won, 80-72.
The Shockers did not help themselves by committing 17 turnovers, leading to 26 points for the Blazers off giveaways.
Wichita State’s record dropped to 17-11 overall and 7-8 in the American Athletic Conference. UAB’s record rose to 19-9 overall and 12-3 in AAC play.
“You see it right here, points from turnovers,” senior guard Xavier Bell said. “They (UAB) had 26, we only had 13. I mean, those eight more turnovers just translate to points.”
Bell scored the game’s first five points and UAB had a chance to gain some early momentum with a dunk, but the Blazers player whiffed.
UAB took its first lead of the half with a little over seven minutes left following a 6-0 run, 24-21. Wichita State had the last shot but missed it as the Blazers led 39-34 going into the break.
At the half, the Shockers’ bench was outscored, 17-0.
UAB’s senior guard Alejandro Vasquez accounted for 11 of the road team’s 17 points from non-starters in the first half on 5-6 shooting from the floor. Vasquez ended the game with a season and game-high 29 points.
Wichita State head coach Paul Mills said he was not worried by the lack of bench points.
“You only put five guys out there. So for us it’s just about finding the right combination,” Mills said. “… I know there’s people who put a lot of stock into that stuff (bench scoring). I’m just not one of them; whatever five guys are out there that they need to be able to produce.”
The Shockers turned the ball over five times in the first seven minutes of the second half. During that time, UAB went on a 12-1 run and opened up a 14-point lead, 58-44. Junior forward Corey Washington was later called for a flagrant foul.
Washington thought it was a routine play.
“So I turned to maintain my cylinder and he was in the way,” Washington said. “I guess I hit him with the elbow.”
After a Blazers dunk off another WSU turnover, Mills called his first timeout of the game.
UAB maintained control of the game but in the last two minutes, the Shockers showed some short-lived life. Wichita State was able to finish on a 3-3 field goal run but late free throws from the Blazers kept the home team at bay.
Washington ended the game with a season-high 24 points and nabbed 11 rebounds. The 24 and 11 performance marked Washington’s eighth double-double of the season.
Bell scored 17 points and two other Wichita State players eclipsed double-digit scoring. The remaining five WSU players who had playing time combined for 11 points on 4-16 shooting.
Bell said this game was a reminder that the team needs to show up every day.
“We’ll probably all be in here tomorrow to watch a tough film session just to get through it and … learn the lessons that we need to learn and just keep finding ways to get better,” Bell said.
Wichita State will look to bounce back on Monday, March 3, as it hits the road to play the University of North Texas. Tipoff against the Mean Green is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN2.
