Hartford, Conn.–Wichita State found a way to get their ninth consecutive win, and eighth straight on the road dating to last season, as they held off UConn 89-86 on Sunday at the XL Center.
The Shockers made 54% of their shots in the first half and held UConn without a field goal for almost six minutes to build a 33-23 lead.
The Shockers blew a nine-point lead in the final 65 seconds of regulation, WSU made some adjustments in the two overtime periods and was able to make some shots on the perimeter.
Jaime Echenique led four Wichita State players in double figures with 19 points before fouling out. Erik Stevenson, who also picked up his fifth foul in OT, and Dexter Dennis each scored 16 points for the Shockers (15-1, 3-0 American Athletic Conference). Jamarius Burton chipped in 13 points.
“I thought we were tremendously tough and ratty, pursuing balls and getting stops,” coach Gregg Marshall said. “Both teams just fought like crazy and left it all out there.”
The Shockers are the last unbeaten in the American Athletic Conference, improved to 15-1 and moved up seven spots in the latest AP Top 25 Poll to No. 16 nationally this week.
It was a physical game, with the teams combining for 53 fouls (Wichita State 28, UConn 25). The Huskies hit 29 of their 42 free throws. WSU made 19 of 24 from the charity stripe.
DexterDennis caught the ball on the wing and squared up on a three-pointer 6 seconds into the shot clock with the Shockers down 73-71 midway through the first overtime. A miss and UConn would have had the chance to make it a two-possession game.
Dennis hit the shot over the outstretched hands of UConn’s Sidney Wilson to put the Shockers up 74-73 with 3:19 remaining in the first overtime but UConn would take the lead a few minutes later.
Josh Carlton, who finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, made two of four free throws on separate possessions and Tyson Etienne missed a contested shot under the basket at the buzzer to send the game into a second overtime.
Etienne opened the second extra period with a three-point play and Wichita State never gave the lead back.
“It was a definitely gut punch,” Etienne said of the way the Shockers lost the lead in regulation. “But a team like us, a young team, we needed to go into some type of environment like this. We needed to go on the road and come back and win it.”
Christian Vital scored 25 points for UConn (10-6, 1-3).
Wichita State lost at UConn last Jan. 26, 80-60, falling three games under .500. Since then, the Shockers are 29-5.
“It was a definitely gut punch,” Etienne said of the way the Shockers lost the lead in regulation. “But a team like us, a young team, we needed to go into some type of environment like this. We needed to go on the road and come back and win it.”
UP NEXT
Wichita State finishes its two-game East Coast swing on Wednesday at Temple.
UConn also travels to Philadelphia for a game on Saturday against Villanova.
