CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Wichita State used a gritty overtime surge and a dominating late-game defensive stretch to earn a road victory Saturday night, knocking off Northern Iowa, 74-69, in the McLeod Center.

TJ Williams scored a career-high 18 points, including seven in overtime, to lead five Shockers in double figures. Michael Gray Jr. added 15 points, hitting three triples and finishing a perfect 4-for-4 at the line, while Kenyon Giles added 12, and Dre Kindell and Karon Boyd each chipped in 10. Wichita State outscored UNI 15-10 in overtime to improve to 6-4 on the season.

UNI struck first in the extra period on a Will Hornseth free throw, but the Shockers answered immediately. Giles floated home a jumper at 4:31, and after back-to-back UNI threes gave the Panthers a five-point advantage at 66–61 with 3:29 left, Wichita State seized control.

Williams powered the rally with a driving finish at 3:08, and after the Shocker defense forced turnovers on consecutive UNI possessions, WSU scored on three straight trips. Williams converted through contact at 1:50 to pull within one, then added a free throw to make it 68–66. Down three moments later, Williams answered again with a layup at 1:14, and two more free throws with :22 remaining gave Wichita State the lead for good at 71–69.

Will Berg added the go-ahead bucket, crashing the glass for a second-chance layup with :25 left to swing momentum fully in the Shockers' favor. Gray Jr. iced the game at the stripe with two free throws in the closing seconds.

Wichita State opened hot from deep, hitting 6-of-12 from three in the first half. Gray Jr. knocked down two early triples, Kindell poured in 10 by the break, and Boyd buried a pair, helping the Shockers build a 35-28 halftime advantage.

Boyd continued the surge early in the second, splashing a transition three at 17:32 to stretch the lead to its largest margin at 40-28, a 12-point cushion. UNI responded with its best stretch of the night — a 9–0 run fueled by rim attacks from Tristan Smith and Hornseth — trimming the margin to single digits and swinging momentum.

The Panthers eventually pulled ahead at 49-48 with 7:20 remaining, setting up a back-and-forth finish. Wichita State found offensive rhythm late behind Williams and Gray, while Berg delivered key interior defense, including a game-saving block on Hornseth at the :59 mark of regulation.

Gray calmly sank two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to tie the game at 59-59, forcing overtime after UNI's final attempt rimmed away.

Up Next
Wichita State has the week off before hosting DePaul next Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.