Wichita State defeated No. 6/5 Houston to move into first place in the American Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Thursday, Feb. 18.

Wichita State 68, Houston 63 - Box Score

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Tyson Etienne and Alterique Gilbert each scored 16 points and Dexter Dennis added 12 points and a crucial steal in the final seconds, leading Wichita State to a 68-63 victory over No. 6 Houston on Thursday night.

The Shockers (13-4, 9-2 American Athletic Conference) moved past Houston (17-3, 11-3) and into first place in the conference standings.

DeJeon Jarreau led the Cougars with 16 points. Quentin Grimes added 13 points and Justin Gorham 10.

Ricky Council added 11 points for Wichita State, which had its first home victory against a top-six opponent since beating No. 2 Louisville on Feb. 25, 1967. The Shockers also snapped a six-game losing streak against Houston.

Houston led by as many as 12 points in the first half before Wichita State stormed back and cut the deficit to 34-33 by halftime.

Gilbert hit consecutive 3-pointers to cap an 11-0 run by Wichita State at the start of the second half. The Shockers led 44-34 and were 9 of 13 from 3-point range to that point.

An impressive stat for a team that entered the game shooting 32.3% from the 3-point arc this season, ranking 246th nationally.