Demetric Williams and Cleanthony Early each hit threes in the final 30 seconds on Sunday to give the Wichita State men’s basketball team a come-from-behind victory over Illinois State, 68-67. 

WSU trailed by as many as 14 in the first half and the Redbirds answered almost every Shocker rally during the second half. 

Trailing 67-60 with 40 seconds to play, an intentional foul by ISU’s Jackie Carmichael led to a pair of Early free throws and possession. Williams knocked down his three with 28 seconds to play, cutting the deficit to 67-65. 

Following a timeout, ISU’s Johnny Hill fumbled the ball out of bounds, giving the Shockers the ball back with 24 seconds to play. 

The game was left in the hands of Early, who hit a 3-pointer with 6 seconds remaining to give the Shockers their third-consecutive win. 

Malcolm Armstead led all players with 18 points. Carl Hall added 13, Early 12, and Williams finished with 10. 

As a team, the Shockers made nine 3-pointers while shooting 42.6 percent from the field. 

The Redbirds were held to just 35.4 percent shooting, but made up for it by making 30 of 33 free throws. 

The win keeps WSU (22-5, 11-4 Missouri Valley Conference) a game ahead of second-place Creighton (21-6, 10-5 MVC) for the Valley lead. 

The Shockers have a short turnaround as they travel to Terre Haute, Ind., to play Indiana State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. 

The Sycamores defeated WSU 68-55 on Jan. 29, the only home loss of the year for the Shockers.