Wichita State basketball: Takeaways from Saint Mary’s loss in Battle 4 Atlantis
Wichita State coach Paul Mills wanted a true measuring-stick game for his team and Wednesday’s showdown with Saint Mary’s delivered exactly that.
In the opener of the Battle 4 Atlantis at Imperial Arena, the Shockers pushed the undefeated Gaels — a group hovering on the edge of the top 25 — all the way to the final seconds in a 70-65 loss. Saint Mary’s improved to 7-0, while WSU dropped to 4-2.
WSU will face Colorado State in the consolation bracket at approximately 7 p.m. Central time Thursday with the broadcast on ESPNU.
WSU was led by 15 points apiece from Kenyon Giles and T.J. Williams, while Saint Mary’s was led by 20 points from Paulius Murauskas. The Shockers shot 41% from the field and held Saint Mary’s to 39% shooting, but the Gaels converted 22 of 26 free throws.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. Shockers come up just short in crunch time
Wichita State teetered on the brink late, trailing by 10 in the second half, but Kenyon Giles once again delivered when it mattered most. The star ignited a furious rally, drilling back-to-back three-pointers within seconds to slash the deficit to 62-60 with 3:31 remaining.
After Saint Mary’s momentarily steadied itself with two free throws, Giles struck again, knifing to the rim for a layup that kept the Shockers within striking distance.
Moments later, WSU completed its climb. Giles swung a pass to Dre Kindell, who calmly stepped into a go-ahead 3 with 1:16 left, giving the Shockers a 65–64 lead and sending the 100 or so WSU fans in the Bahamas into a frenzy.
The comeback, however, proved fleeting. Just 18 seconds later, Saint Mary’s point guard Joshua Dent floated in a runner to reclaim a 66–65 advantage.
Giles misfired badly on a deep 3 on the next possession, and although WSU forced a miss on the defensive end, the Shockers couldn’t secure the rebound and were forced to foul Dent with 18.3 seconds left. He sank both free throws for a 68-65 lead. Out of a timeout, Mike Gray Jr.’s contested step-back 3 missed, and Saint Mary’s sealed the game at the line.
2. Wichita State and Saint Mary’s cold from 3-point range
Two of the nation’s best 3-point shooting teams met Wednesday, but the long-range fireworks never came.
Saint Mary’s entered as the No. 1 3-point shooting team in the country at 45.6% with nearly 10 makes per game, while Wichita State arrived ranked No. 39 at 38.8% with eight makes per game. Yet both offenses struggled to find their rhythm from deep in the unique ballroom-turned-basketball venue at Imperial Arena in the Bahamas, where the tight space and unusual backdrop often challenge shooters.
Whether it was strong defense, the unfamiliar sight lines or simply the adjustment to the environment, even the elite shooters looked out of sync. WSU star Kenyon Giles came in hitting an eye-popping 58.8% from deep, but he finished just 3 of 9. On the other side, Saint Mary’s sharpshooter Mikey Lewis, a 58.1% marksman, managed only a 1-of-4 performance.
Giles did have a late flurry, drilling back-to-back triples to draw WSU within 62-60 with 3:35 remaining.
The final numbers reflected a nightlong struggle: Wichita State shot just 4 of 14 from beyond the arc, while Saint Mary’s fared even worse at 2 of 16. It was a stark contrast to both teams’ season-long production.
3. Shockers show resilience early against Saint Mary’s
Things looked bleak early for Wichita State, as Saint Mary’s ripped off six straight points to stretch the lead to 13–4 and force head coach Paul Mills to burn an early timeout.
The Shockers knew they would be tested and their first one came almost immediately. Would they counterpunch or fold under the Gaels’ early surge?
WSU answered with a resounding response. The spark came just seconds after the timeout, when T.J. Williams attacked the rim with purpose and scored eight seconds into the possession. He followed it with another aggressive finish, setting the tone for a shift in momentum. Moments later, Dre Kindell put his defender on skates, absorbed contact at the rim and converted a three-point play, completing a rapid 7-0 burst in barely a minute.
The Shockers weren’t done. Their defensive intensity stiffened, they held Saint Mary’s to one shot and at the other end, Kenyon Giles capped a 12-0 run with a pull-up 3 to give WSU a 16-13 lead with 12:15 remaining.
After overwhelming opponents so many times already this season, Saint Mary’s suddenly met a team willing to punch back. In their 6-0 start, the Gaels held an average lead of 15.8 points at halftime — on Wednesday, they took just a 33-31 lead into the break.
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