The No. 11 Wichita State Shockers remained undefeated Tuesday, defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide, 72-67, in a white-knuckle game that, apart from its first few minutes, rarely ventured outside the grasp of one possession for either team.
Wichita State vs. Alabama final score: No. 11 Shockers remain undefeated thanks to Anthony’s 26 points
Wichita State still hasn’t lost since last year’s Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
The second-half back-and-forth was especially tight. Cleanthony Early broke the game open to two possessions on a three-point play with 2:12 to go. The score was 65-61, and neither team had been up by more than three in the 10 minutes before. Those 10 minutes had three ties and two lead changes.
After a mini-run by Bama, Darius Carter made a jumper with 37 seconds left to give the Shockers a 69-66 lead, and Alabama missed two shots on the following possession. Fred Vanvleet made two free throws with 15 seconds left to secure the road win.
Anthony led the Shockers (11-0) with 26 points. He was 11-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Wichita State led by as many as 10 points in the first half at 16-6, but the Crimson Tide clamped down and even took a one-point lead before halftime. But a pair of Tekele Cotton free throws less than a minute before the buzzer gave the Shockers a 33-32 advantage going into the break.
After the Shockers extended their lead as wide as six points, Alabama took its first lead of the second half at 52-51 after Trevor Releford hit back-to-back threes for the Tide. In all, the game featured four lead changes and six ties.
Releford had 22 points for the Tide, who fell to 5-5 with the loss.
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