Three takeaways from Wichita State’s bounce-back win over Milwaukee
Before taking off for the Bahamas, the Wichita State men’s basketball team still had some business to attend to at home.
The Shockers overcame a sluggish start to score a 75-58 win over Milwaukee on Saturday night at Koch Arena, improving to 4-1 on the season and building some momentum before departing for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Milwaukee (2-4) lost its third straight game.
Kenyon Giles poured in 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, while T.J. Williams added a career-high 15 points and eight rebounds and Karon Boyd chipped in 12 points and five rebounds. Junior center Emmanuel Okorafor added 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Milwaukee was led by 12 points from Dan Jovanovich. WSU shot 41.7% from the field, held Milwaukee to 36% shooting and dominated the second half 47-28.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s matchup.
1. Shockers find a way in winning time
Wichita State struggled to find offensive rhythm for the second straight game, and while that was understandable on the road against a top-50 Boise State team, it was more concerning Saturday at Koch Arena against an overmatched Milwaukee squad.
The Panthers disrupted WSU early by aggressively blitzing ball screens, sending their big man high to pressure the ball handler. The Shockers rarely made Milwaukee pay for that gamble, and the constant pressure ground their offense down for long stretches.
After Milwaukee struck first, opening up an 11-point lead in the first half, WSU punched back to build a 54-46 advantage in the second half. But Panthers star Seth Hubbard briefly swung momentum back with six straight points to pull Milwaukee within 56-52 with just over six minutes left.
That’s when the Shockers delivered the knockout run.
Kenyon Giles halted Hubbard’s surge with a smooth pull-up jumper, then centers Emmanuel Okorafor and Will Berg combined for three free throws to extend the lead. Giles followed with another mid-range jumper to cap a decisive 7-0 spurt that pushed the margin to 63-52 with 4:15 remaining. Giles provided the final dagger, a deep 3-pointer, to push WSU’s lead to a game-high 12 points.
Giles only made one shot in the first half, but finished 6-for-10 with three 3-pointers in the second half to once again lead WSU in scoring.
“That’s what we work for, especially with a crowd like that,” Giles said of the 5,941 in attendance. “Koch Arena was popping. Whenever we got a stop, the crowd was going crazy. When I looked up and there was like five minutes left, I was like, ‘Ah yeah, it’s time for me to turn it up.’ And I did that. I live for those moments.”
From there, WSU cruised to its fourth straight home win to open the season.
2. T.J. Williams kept Wichita State pushing
Wichita native T.J. Williams finished with a career-high 15 points and eight rebounds to help lift Wichita State past Milwaukee.
The redshirt freshman wasn’t always efficient, shooting 5-of-13 on mostly close-range attempts, but he consistently found ways to generate offense when the Shockers desperately needed it. His 6-foot-5 frame, length and physicality allowed him to attack in transition and maneuver around defenders, giving WSU a much-needed scoring punch during moments when the offense bogged down.
“Just knowing that Mike (Gray Jr.) and (Giles) are going to get a lot of attention, it opens up the court for the other three players,” Williams said. “So I just took advantage of getting downhill and playing off two and getting my shots up and finding people.”
Williams’ impact was felt most during the second half, when he scored four straight points to spark an 11-1 run that turned an 11-point first-half deficit into a 51-44 WSU lead with 9:35 left. His ability to apply constant pressure on Milwaukee’s defense helped the Shockers push through their offensive lull and regain control of the game.
Entering the night, Williams had averaged 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists this season, but his career-best scoring performance showed a glimpse of the dynamic slashing presence he can provide to the offense. WSU outscored Milwaukee by 29 points in the 30 minutes Williams was on the floor.
3. Shockers come out with sluggish first half
Wichita State endured one of its toughest offensive stretches of the season in a first half that saw Milwaukee take a 30-28 lead into the break. The Shockers shot just 31% from the field, committed seven turnovers and posted a season-worst 0.82 points per possession against a defense that ranked No. 302 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency by KenPom.
The turning point came midway through the half, when WSU went nearly seven minutes without scoring. A Boyd layup had given the Shockers a 13-8 lead with 12:50 left, but the offense stalled completely from there. Missed jumpers, rushed 3-point attempts and careless turnovers piled up, allowing Milwaukee to seize control.
By the time Boyd finally ended the drought with another layup at the 6:03 mark, Wichita State had slipped into a double-digit hole.
Milwaukee capitalized on the collapse, ripping off a 15-0 run as the Shockers missed their first eight attempts from beyond the arc. During the drought, WSU leaned heavily on perimeter shots instead of working inside or generating movement, leading to predictable possessions that Milwaukee’s defense handled comfortably. The Shockers also gave the ball away five times during their 11 straight empty trips, with several turnovers turning directly into Panthers points.
“I think some of (Milwaukee’s) aggression caused some turnovers,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said. “We weren’t clean with passes, but honestly I wasn’t worried with their engagement. We just needed to make better decisions.”
Despite the frustration, WSU’s defense kept the game close enough to recover, sending the Shockers to halftime down just two.
This story was originally published November 22, 2025 at 8:03 PM.
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