Dexter Dennis snagged a steal and was then fouled intentionally before hitting two key free throws with 11.4 seconds left Thursday as Wichita State vaulted into first place in the American Athletic Conference by stunning No. 6 Houston 68-63 at Wichita, Kan.

The Shockers (13-4, 9-2 AAC) upgraded their NCAA Tournament qualifications by claiming their first home win in 54 years over an opponent ranked sixth or higher. Wichita State earned its fifth consecutive victory overall.

After trailing by one point at halftime, Wichita State opened the second half with an 11-0 run and never fell behind again.

Houston's Justin Gorham was ejected after being whistled for a flagrant foul for grabbing Dennis. Tyson Etienne then made two more free throws on the same possession to ice the win.

Etienne and Alterique Gilbert, who sank a driving layup at the 39-second mark, led the Shockers with 16 points apiece. Dennis added 12 points and Ricky Council IV scored 11.

The Cougars (17-3, 11-3) led by 12 in the first half but struggled to find their shooting touch all game (42.4 percent) despite grabbing 15 offensive rebounds.

Gorham scored five consecutive points to draw the Cougars within 62-58 with 1:59 left, prompting a Wichita State timeout.

Quentin Grimes banked in a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to cut the Cougars' deficit to 64-63, but Houston didn't score again. DeJon Jarreau led Houston with 16 points while Grimes added 13 and Gorham had 10.

Although Houston came in ranked as the nation's best team at defending the arc, it allowed 45.5 percent shooting from deep, as Wichita State went 10-for-22.

Houston used a string of 12 unanswered points to gain a 20-9 margin. Wichita State closed with an 11-2 spurt to pull within 34-33 at the break.

Council made both 3-pointers he attempted as part of a 10-point output in the first half. Threes from Council, Etienne and Dennis keyed Wichita State's late surge.

Grimes and Marcus Sasser each scored first-half seven points to pace Houston.

Houston's Fabian White, a senior forward who was expected to redshirt while recovery from a torn ACL, entered in the first half and made his season debut. White, who started every game last season, played nine minutes and scored three points.

--Field Level Media