Kenyon Giles catches fire and Wichita State rallies back for UAB road win

Kenyon Giles kept firing and Wichita State kept believing.

Behind a career night from its senior guard, the Shockers stormed back from a 16-point first-half hole to steal a 75-70 road win over UAB on Wednesday afternoon at Bartow Center.

Giles scored a career-best 26 points and buried a career-high eight 3s, tied for the second-most all-time in program history, delivering timely shot after timely shot as Wichita State flipped a game in which the Shockers trailed UAB (9-5) for more than 36 minutes.

WSU won the battle on the glass, racking up 15 offensive rebounds for a 16-11 advantage in second-chance points. T.J. Williams added 12 points and six rebounds, while Will Berg added nine points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

And for the first time since the 2020-21 season, WSU (9-5) started American Conference play with a 1-0 record.

Here are three takeaways from Wichita State’s comeback victory at UAB:

1. Kenyon Giles helps Shockers mount a furious comeback

After spending more than 36 minutes chasing the game, WSU finally seized control when it mattered most.

The Shockers, who had trailed for most of the night and by as many as 16 points in the first half, took their first lead at 65-64 on a pair of T.J. Williams free throws with 3:29 remaining. From there, the final minutes turned into a showcase of poise and timely plays. Will Berg set the tone with a block on one end, then immediately followed with a tip-in to extend the lead to 67-64. Moments later, Berg secured another rebound, drew a foul and added a free throw to push WSU ahead 68-64.

UAB briefly answered with a 3 from Evan Chatman, but Wichita State responded again. Mike Gray Jr. calmly floated in a runner to make it 70-67 with 1:36 left before UAB trimmed it to 70-69 at the line.

Kenyon Giles delivered the decisive blow, burying his eighth 3 of the night over UAB’s center with 27 seconds remaining. After UAB split free throws, WSU broke the press and found Berg for a dunk, sealing a 75-70 finish and completing a comeback that had been building all half.

2. Shockers punch back with second-half run

WSU wasted little time changing the tone after a disappointing first half.

Trailing by 13 at the break, the Shockers stormed out of the locker room with renewed urgency, scoring the first 10 points of the second half to flip the momentum. In less than four minutes, WSU ripped off a 10-0 run to cut UAB’s lead to 42-39 and pull right back into the game.

T.J. Williams jump-started the surge with a strong finish inside, then Kenyon Giles drilled his fifth 3 of the night to bring the Shockers to life. Mike Gray Jr. followed with a banked-in 3 that forced UAB coach Andy Kennedy to call timeout. The break didn’t slow WSU. The Shockers logged their sixth straight defensive stop, then Karon Boyd muscled his way to the rim for another put-back basket to keep the pressure on.

What once looked like a game on the brink of getting away had suddenly tightened. Wichita State later completed the comeback, erasing a 16-point deficit entirely when Giles scored five straight points to tie the game at 56 with 8:17 remaining.

3. Wichita State delivers a disjointed first half

The best word to describe Wichita State’s first 20 minutes at UAB was disjointed — and the issues showed up on both ends of the floor after the Shockers’ 10-day layoff.

Defensively, WSU looked nothing like its normally connected self. UAB repeatedly carved up the Shockers in pick-and-roll action, exposing late help and slow rotations that snowballed possession by possession. Point-of-attack defense offered little resistance, allowing straight-line drives that collapsed the defense and forced constant scrambling. The results were brutal: 12 of UAB’s 17 first-half field goals came at the rim via layups or dunks. Once the Shockers were in rotation mode, they rarely recovered, and the breakdowns piled up.

The offense offered little relief. Kenyon Giles poured in 12 points and tried to shoot WSU into the game with deep 3s, but beyond that, the Shockers looked uncomfortable and rushed. UAB’s morphing defenses, particularly an extended 1-3-1 zone, caused repeated mistakes. WSU turned the ball over seven times, fumbled away 23% of its possessions and even committed a backcourt violation while retreating from a trap.

For a team built on ball security, it was a startling first half.

By the time the horn sounded, Wichita State faced a 42-29 halftime deficit — the product of a half that never found rhythm.

This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 5:18 PM.

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

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Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.