WICHITA, Kan. - William Berg recorded a monster 26-point, 16-rebound double-double and
Kenyon Giles added 21 points as Wichita State opened the 2026-27 men's basketball season with a 79-67 victory over CSUN Wednesday night at Charles Koch Arena.
Wichita State (1-0) was shorthanded on opening night, playing without the services of
Dillon Battie and
TJ Williams due to some nagging injuries. Berg set career highs in both points and rebounds, while converting 11-of-16 field goal attempts. Giles scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to go with a career-high 8 assists.
Jahari Long chipped in 12 points and
Jordan Frison dished out 7 assists in their Wichita State debuts.
After being added to the roster earlier in the day,
Emmanuel Okorafor made his return to Koch Arena. With the news coming out Tuesday that sophomore forward
Noah Hill would miss the season, Okorafor was in the right place at the right time. Okorafor has been enrolled in classes at Wichita State, as he works to complete his degree. He played 7 minutes and finsihed with 2 points and 2 rebounds.
The Shockers were able to overcome a poor shooting performance, as they converted only 37.3 percent of their field goal tries and 8-of-27 three-point attempts. Wichita State finished the game with just 3 turnovers.
Wichita State established control early, building a 14-8 advantage following a pair of dunks from Berg. Giles and
Michael Gray Jr. helped fuel the early scoring, with Gray connecting on a three-pointer and Giles adding a fast-break triple to extend the lead.
The Shockers continued to find success offensively, pushing the margin to seven at 28-21 on a Giles driving layup with 8:37 remaining in the half. CSUN, however, stayed within striking distance behind Keziah Ekissi, who connected on three first half three-pointers.
The Matadors trimmed the deficit to two on multiple occasions, including 36-34 with 3:58 remaining after another Ekissi three-pointer. Wichita State responded with a Giles triple off a turnover, then Berg scored twice inside to help the Shockers maintain momentum.
A Giles fast-break trey following a Frison steal gave Wichita State a 47-40 lead with 1:19 left. Berg nearly added another basket at the buzzer, but his tip-in attempt was off the mark, leaving the Shockers with a 47-40 halftime advantage.
CSUN opened the second half with renewed energy, cutting the deficit to five on a Mikah Ballew layup. Wichita State answered through Berg, who scored three consecutive baskets inside to keep the Matadors at bay.
The Shockers maintained a seven-point cushion at 57-50 following a Giles driving layup, but CSUN continued to apply pressure. Ballew converted three free throws after being fouled, and a Daniel Culberson jumper brought the Matadors within four at 60-56.
Ballew then scored off a Wichita State turnover to make it 60-58 with 11:50 remaining. Giles split a pair of free throws, and CSUN continued to battle, eventually cutting the margin to one at 61-60 on Caleb Smith's second-chance tip-in with 7:43 left.
Berg responded by converting both ends of a one-and-one opportunity to push the lead to three. CSUN's BJ Omot then made two free throws to bring the Matadors within one again, 63-62, with 6:23 remaining.
With the game hanging in the balance, Wichita State found its finishing gear. Long converted two free throws to extend the lead to 65-62, and after a CSUN turnover, Berg finished a layup off a Giles assist to push the margin to five.
Frison followed with a pull-up jumper in the paint, giving Wichita State a 69-62 advantage with 4:11 remaining. The Shockers' defense continued to deliver, and
Bryce Heard's driving layup extended the lead to eight.
Heard added a free throw with 2:35 remaining to make it 72-63, and Giles provided one final highlight with a step-back jumper at 1:42 to push the advantage to nine.
Berg continued his dominant night at the line, making two free throws with 1:01 left, and Gray Jr. and Long combined to convert three more free throws in the final minute as Wichita State closed out the 79-67 victory.
