Mike Gray Jr. planted himself in front of Uriyah Rojas and drew a charge.
TJ Williams hammered into the paint, finishing a tough layup through contact.
Kenyon Giles poked the ball loose, forcing a crucial turnover.
These plays weren’t textbook beautiful, but they didn’t have to be — not this time of year.
Wichita State, the No. 3 seed in the Tulsa Region, slogged through its first-round National Invitation Tournament game against Wyoming Tuesday night at Koch Arena, but earned the right to see another day. The Shockers overcame a dismal first-half shooting percentage, 15 turnovers, and countless loose balls to outlast the Cowboys, 74-70, in front of 3,733 fans yearning for mid-March basketball.
Wichita State (23-11) is moving on in the NIT — something it hasn’t done since making the semifinals seven years ago. The Shockers haven’t hosted one since their 2011 title.
They’ll move on the play No. 2 Oklahoma State in Gallagher-Iba Arena either Saturday or Sunday — the same place last season ended.
“It’s a blessing,” Giles said. “After that loss (to South Florida), it left a bad taste in my mouth.
“When we got the opportunity, it was a no-brainer that we were going to play in the NIT.”
It took until the opening minutes of the second half for the Shockers to truly find their rhythm. For the first 20 minutes, the Cowboys (18-15) did an excellent job forcing Wichita State into contested shots; the black and yellow even misfired on some shots that would typically be routine.
They finished the half shooting a paltry 30.6% from the field and a measly 18.2% from 3-point range. Kenyon Giles was responsible for both of the team’s two makes on 11 attempts from beyond the arc.
Wichita State found its groove after the break, shooting 58.6% from the floor and 42.9% from deep during the final stanza.
Ultimately, however, grit mattered the most. The Shockers dominated the boards with 55 rebounds to Wyoming’s 34. They capitalized on 17 offensive boards for 18 second-chance points, and 30 of their 74 total points came from the bench.
“Hats off to Wichita State,” Wyoming coach Sundance Wicks said. “Their physicality and rebounding was as advertised.
“That was the difference in the game for us, giving up 17 o-boards for 18 second-chance points. That’s their identity. Identity matters in March.”
During that explosive stretch to open the second half, things finally looked pretty. The green from the shirts of the St. Patrick’s Day crowd seemed to flow onto the court.
Karon Boyd threw down a one-handed dunk. Gray drilled a three. And Emmanuel Okorafor slammed one home, too. The Shockers stretched their lead to 10 at one point, but Wyoming quickly made things interesting again when Nasir Meyer, who hadn’t connected on a shot up to that point, drained two straight threes to give the Cowboys the lead, 50-49.
Maybe it was fatigue after playing three games in four days. Maybe it was letting the underdog hang around for too long. Either way, it was never a comfortable win for Wichita State.
“Right now, the most valuable thing we can do is rest,” Wichita State coach Paul Mills said. “We’ll be able to clean some things up. You could tell there was a little indecisiveness on our part.
“It looked like we hadn’t got together.”
Giles finally ignited the crowd with a three that forced Wyoming to burn a timeout. The Shockers’ lead suddenly ballooned to five with 3:59 to play, 59-54.
But it was Williams, a redshirt freshman, who provided the biggest boost down the stretch. After growing up watching the Shockers grind out gritty wins, living it has now become his reality.
“A surreal moment for me. Blessed to be in this moment,” Williams said.
“I was wiping the floor for the guys, so just to be out there and looking around and you see a banner for the NIT, it’s just surreal that I could possibly hang one up. That’s what we’re going to do.”
His rebounds had extra weight behind them. His dunks felt more ferocious. Nearly everything he did in those final 3:59 electrified the Roundhouse and suffocated the Cowboys’ sideline.
Williams finished the game with a game-high 17 points and pulled down 14 gritty rebounds. Sweat poured, but that didn’t matter.
“He was the difference tonight, in my opinion,” Wicks said.
All that mattered was playing to see tomorrow, playing to extend the season further into March. Playing for another 40 minutes after the last 40.
And that’s what the Shockers did. They will live to play another game.
“People want to see meaningful basketball during this time of the month,” Mills said. “We’re glad to be playing meaningful basketball.
“We’re happy about continuing to be around each other and continuing to play.”
