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  • Wichita State Shockers Hold Off Wyoming For A 74-70 Win, Advance To NIT Second Round

Wichita State Shockers Hold Off Wyoming For A 74-70 Win, Advance To NIT Second Round

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Basketball

(BCSNN) — Wichita State survived a late push from Wyoming to earn its first postseason victory since 2019, defeating the Cowboys 74–70 in the NIT first round Tuesday night at Charles Koch Arena.

The win sends the No. 3 seed Shockers (23–11) into the second round, where they will face the winner of No. 2 Oklahoma State and Davidson this weekend.

TJ Williams delivered one of the best performances of his career, posting 17 points and a career‑high 14 rebounds for his second double‑double of the season. Wichita State dominated the glass throughout the night, finishing with 55 rebounds — including 17 on the offensive end — and extending its streak of 10‑plus offensive boards to 28 straight games, the longest active run in the nation.

Kenyon Giles added 15 points, while Emmanuel Okorafor set a career high with 12 rebounds. The Shockers improved to 15–3 at home, tying the seventh‑most home wins in a season in program history.

Wichita State controlled the early stages with physical play inside, using a 9–0 run to build an eight‑point lead. Back‑to‑back threes from Giles helped the Shockers take a 28–24 halftime advantage despite shooting just 30.6 percent. Their defense held Wyoming to 27.6 percent in the opening half.

A three from Karon Boyd pushed the Shockers’ lead to 38–28 early in the second half, but Wyoming responded behind Nasir Meyer and Damarion Dennis, who combined for 33 points. Meyer tied the game at 47–47 with 8:08 remaining and later gave the Cowboys their first second‑half lead at 50–49.

Williams steadied Wichita State with a series of second‑chance baskets, including a putback and and‑one that put the Shockers ahead 54–52 with 5:45 left. He added a dunk and layup before Giles buried a three to extend the margin to 59–54.

Wyoming continued to battle, cutting the deficit to 68–65 on a Meyer three with three seconds left, but Dre Kindell sealed the win at the free‑throw line, hitting four clutch foul shots in the final seconds.

Wichita State will face Oklahoma State in the second‑round , with game date and time to be announced.