FORT WORTH, TEXAS, MARCH 12, 2021 – Top-seeded Wichita State came from as many as 12 down in the second half to defeat No. 8 USF, 68-67, in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championships Friday, March 12 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Wichita State (16-4) advances to the semifinals and will face the winner of No. 4 SMU and No. 5 Cincinnati on Saturday, March 13 at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

USF (9-13) led 65-58 with six minutes remaining before Alterique Gilbert hit a pair of 3-pointers for Wichita State to cut the lead to 65-64. A pair of Dexter Dennis free throws gave WSU its first lead of the second half, while Michael Durr's (Atlanta, Ga.) jumper gave the Bulls back the lead at 67-66 with 2:31 left. After back-and-forth defensive stops, American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Tyson Etienne made two free throws with eight seconds remaining to give the Shockers the lead for good.

The Shockers, who were limited to 37.7 percent shooting (23-of-61), were led by Etienne's 20 points, while Morris Udeze was one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.

USF had balanced scoring with four players with nine or more points, led by Durr with 13 points to go along with 13 rebounds.

USF's David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) finished with seven points and concludes the season with 1,540 career points, 10th all-time on The American's scoring chart. Collins holds the conference record for free throws made with 493 and is fourth all-time in steals with 183. 

The Bulls jumped out to a 17-5 lead five-and-a-half minutes into the game and held Wichita State to 2-of-10 shooting to start, but the Shockers went on a 17-5 run of its own a few minutes late to take a 30-25 lead with 5:19 left in the first half. The Bulls finished the half on a 14-0 run to take a 41-31 lead into the break. 

Notable
• USF reached the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament for the first time since 2016.          
• USF made a season-high 10 three-pointers and shot 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.            
• Michael Durr registered his third career double-double with his 13 points and 13 rebounds.  

Key Stats
4 – Wichita State committed just four turnovers.      
­­­1 – USF made just one field goal over the final 6:37.              
4 – Justin Brown made a season-high four three-pointers.    
 
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About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10^th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns over 300 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship. 

USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.

For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.