Wichita State basketball dominates crunch time to surge past Tulsa
For nearly the entire night, Wichita State chased.
Then, in the span of four pressure-packed minutes, the Shockers flipped everything.
Wichita State stormed back from a long deficit to beat Tulsa 81-77 on Saturday in front of a season-high crowd of 7,569 at Koch Arena, closing on a 9-2 run and locking down the Golden Hurricane to one field goal over the final stretch.
The Shockers trailed for almost 34 minutes before Kenyon Giles delivered the breakthrough at the foul line with 2 minutes, 42 seconds remaining, putting WSU ahead for good.
Giles starred with 31 points on 13-of-27 shooting, while Karon Boyd supplied the late daggers with five points in the final 90 seconds.
WSU shot 63% from the field after halftime, scoring 1.53 points per possession and controlling the glass to improve to 16-10 overall and 8-5 in the American with the comeback win — one game back from second place.
Meanwhile, Tulsa (20-6, 8-5 American) lost its third straight game after spending the first half of the season atop the standings.
Here are three takeaways from the key Wichita State win:
1. Kenyon Giles put on show
With its largest crowd of the season buzzing and ready to erupt, Wichita State kept flirting with a momentum swing — but couldn’t quite grab it until the final minutes.
After falling behind by nine early in the second half, the Shockers rallied to within 50-47. The surge stalled when a defensive miscommunication left a Tulsa shooter alone for a 3-pointer, then another triple followed to push the margin back to nine.
Kenyon Giles kept WSU afloat by relentlessly attacking the rim, triggering a Tulsa zone that the Shockers also solved. Dillon Battie sliced inside for a layup that made it 66-65 with 9:29 left, and the crowd volume spiked again after Tylen Riley drew an offensive foul. But a 5-second inbounds violation by WSU handed momentum right back, and Tulsa converted it into a quick four-point swing.
Still, WSU had another push. Emmanuel Okorafor’s offensive rebound led to a Battie bucket that tied it 70-70, then Giles drilled a mid-range jumper to tie it again, at 72-72.
The breakthrough finally came at the foul line, where Giles sank two free throws for a 76-75 lead with 2:42 left. WSU closed on a 9-2 run, fueled by stops and Giles’ shot-making.
Giles came up clutch time and time again for the Shockers, never allowing Tulsa to pull away from arms’ length. He only finished 1 for 7 beyond the arc, but used Tulsa’s defensive style against the Golden Hurricane by driving constantly and finishing at the rim. He finished with a season-high 12 2-point field goals in a 13-for-27 performance.
2. Karon Boyd busted out of slump
After 62 straight scoreless minutes spanning two games, Karon Boyd delivered exactly when Wichita State needed him most.
The senior forward, shut out for 38 minutes against South Florida and his first 24 minutes Saturday, erupted in the final 90 seconds with two strong drives to the rim that stretched WSU’s lead. His second bucket put the Shockers ahead 80-77 with 37 seconds left.
Boyd then made the defensive play of the sequence, sliding with Tulsa star Tylen Riley and rejecting his shot to preserve the advantage.
After a missed front end by Will Berg left the door open, Tulsa misfired on a potential game-tying 3 and Boyd sealed it with a free throw with 8.6 seconds remaining.
Boyd finished with five points — all late — and eight rebounds. WSU’s foul shooting nearly spoiled it. The Shockers made 17 of 27 free throws, a sixth straight sub-70% performance. (WSU is shooting 59.4% at the foul line during that span.) But Boyd’s final make from the line sealed it.
3. Tulsa held a narrow lead for most of first half
Tulsa carried a 41-35 lead into halftime after a sharp offensive first half, shooting 50% from the floor and controlling the tempo for most of the opening 20 minutes.
The Shockers stayed within striking distance by doing their best work in the grit areas, especially on the glass. WSU grabbed nine offensive rebounds — a 35% offensive rebounding rate — and converted those extra chances into a 10-2 edge in second-chance points to keep the margin manageable.
Kenyon Giles again served as the engine of the offense, pouring in 12 first-half points with his shot-making and downhill pressure. He also received needed support from redshirt freshman T.J. Williams, who delivered a strong bench spark with seven points and seven rebounds before the break.
This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 8:17 PM.
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