Poor shooting in the second half, including trouble scoring late, resulted in South Florida getting the better of Wichita State 66-58 Wednesday night at Koch Arena. It started off much better for the Shockers, who went to the locker room at halftime with a 33-26 lead after holding USF to 36.4% shooting for the half and just 2 for 15 from the three-point line.
But South Florida began chipping away at the lead early on in the second half, and the Shockers shot's stopped falling. After halftime WSU's shooting percentage was only 26.7%. Defensively, Wichita State was solid for much of the night, forcing 18 turnovers and held the Bulls to just 5-of-18 from three-point range. Wichita State recorded a season-high 12 steals.
The Shockers drop to 15-10, 7-5 in the AAC while South Florida now stands alone in first place. WSU is a game back from second place. Time is winding down on the season and up next for the Shockers is their chance to catch up to 2nd place Tulsa in a matchup Saturday at Koch Arena.