WICHITA, Kan. — Kenyon Giles scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to lead Wichita State in a 75-58 win over UNC Asheville Tuesday night in Charles Koch Arena.

Wichita State (1-0) has now won seven straight season openers and 31 of its last 33. Wichita State is 101-18 all time in home openers.

Giles paced the Shockers with 20 points, including four steals and two assists, while forward Karon Boyd recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Will Berg added 8 points, 8 boards and 3 blocks and Dre Kindell provided a spark off the bench with 11 points and 5 assists in his Division I debut.

Defensively, WSU forced 16 turnovers and turned them into 10 points, while also blocking 8 shots and snagging 11 steals. Giles, Williams and Kindell combined for seven of those takeaways.

After a tightly contested opening 20 minutes, Wichita State led 34–30 at halftime behind balanced scoring and defensive stops down the stretch. The Shockers limited Asheville to 36.7 percent shooting in the first half and got a boost from Boyd's energy on the glass, including six boards before intermission.

UNC Asheville hung close early in the second half, cutting the deficit to 37–33 before Wichita State's defense tightened. The Shockers strung together an 11–2 run midway through the period, capped by a Giles pull-up jumper, to seize control. WSU shot 47.1 percent after halftime and held the Bulldogs to just 28 second-half points.

From there, Wichita State's size and depth took over. The Shockers dominated the paint with a 42–30 edge in paint scoring and 46–31 rebounding advantage, converting 15 offensive rebounds into 27 second-chance points. The Shocker bench outscored Asheville's reserves 28–7, led by Kindell and Dillon Battie, who contributed 6 points and 8 rebounds in 18 minutes. 

True freshman Noah Hill was another key contributor off the bench, earning surprising minutes after Berg and Emmanuel Okorafor were in early foul trouble. 

Asheville's Toyaz Solomon led all Bulldog scorers with 14 points and 7 rebounds, and DJ Patrick added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Despite shooting 46 percent from two-point range, the Bulldogs managed just four three-pointers and never led after the 17-minute mark of the first half.