Defense builds momentum. Momentum fuels scoring. Scoring stacks wins.
Wichita State basketball showed exactly why in Sunday’s matinee. The Shockers locked down North Texas, holding the Mean Green to 38% shooting. That defensive pressure turned into offense, and WSU hit 51% from the field in a 78-67 win inside Koch Arena.
The victory pushed the Shockers’ record to 10-7 on the season and 2-2 in the American Conference, snapping a two-game skid against league opponents. North Texas fell to 10-7 and 1-3 in conference play.
Asked what translated to points the most directly, junior center Will Berg said just that — defense.
“Most importantly, it’s working our ass off on defense. That’s where it starts,” he said. “Good defense leads to good offense.”
Senior guard Kenyon Giles reaped the benefits of that energy, finishing with a career-high 33 points on an efficient 13-of-17 clip from the floor. He also added three rebounds and two steals.
And while he entered the game shooting 41% from 3-point range and averaging 3.5 threes a game, he was held without an attempt in the entire first half. Instead of trying to force his way into shots from beyond the arc, Giles carved up the midrange, hitting a series of smooth pull-ups and shots after fakes for 10 points at the break.
“I love it,” Giles said of being pushed inside the arc. “It really just gives me easy points, the midrange. I feel like I take it as a layup.”
The Shockers needed that patience early. After the teams traded baskets through the first four minutes of the game, North Texas nudged ahead 7-6 on a 3-pointer. That was the Mean Green’s last lead of the afternoon.
WSU strung together a quick 6-0 burst after forcing two turnovers to create a five-point advantage, then capitalized on three more to create a 10-point cushion. The Shockers later carried a 37-27 lead into the break.
Giles, quiet from deep in the first half, broke the seal early in the second. He capped off an 8-0 run — all by himself — with his first 3-pointer of the afternoon, pushing WSU to its largest lead at 51-34 and sending the crowd into a full roar.
But the game didn’t stay comfortable. After going up 17, the Shockers started to struggle against North Texas’ trapping pressure. Rushed passes and fast breaks let the Mean Green chip away. The lead shrank to 57-49 with under eight minutes left, and tensions tightened.
This time, though, WSU didn’t flinch. The Shockers converted at the free throw line late, and Giles sank two more 3-pointers to keep North Texas from mounting a comeback.
Afterward, WSU head coach Paul Mills admitted he didn’t feel fully at ease until the final buzzer went off, even with the Shockers leading for more than 36 minutes.
“I’ve seen plenty of games where you can be up 20 and it doesn’t go your way,” he said. “That’s just the game of basketball. That’s going to happen. You’re just really mindful of it.”
It wasn’t always pretty — as defensive battles rarely are. WSU committed 18 turnovers to North Texas’ 12, but controlled the boards 39-31.
“Not the most aesthetically pleasing basketball game,” Mills said. “Obviously, them being a top-40 defensive team and (us) being able to shoot 51% from the field, it was just our inefficiency in the turnovers. Disappointed about that, but you’re not going to win games in conference (play) on skill.
“You’re going to win it on intangibles,” he added. “And I thought we had intangibles. I thought we had fight from the jump.”
With a win over a top-defensive team in the country to conclude a two-game homestand, WSU will look to build on its momentum with a Florida swing starting Thursday against Florida Atlantic. Tipoff against the Owls is scheduled for 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
Box score breakdown
WSU — 37; 41 — 78
UNT — 27; 40 — 67
Shooting (fg-3pt-ft)
WSU: (51% — 46% — 72%)
UNT: (38% — 30% — 73%)
Leaders
Points — WSU: Kenyon Giles (33), Dillon Battie (10), Karon Boyd (9). UNT: David Terrell Jr. (19), Je’Shawn Stevenson (12), Cole Franklin (12).
Rebounds — WSU: Dillon Battie (9), Emmanuel Okorafor (8), Karon Boyd (6). UNT: Dylan Arnett (5), Reece Robinson (4), David Terrell Jr. (3).
Assists — WSU: Karon Boyd (2), Will Berg (2), Dre Kindell (2). UNT: David Terrell Jr. (5), Je’Shawn Stevenson (1), Cahmai Crosby (1).
