By Paul Suellentrop
 
That was February basketball absent from Koch Arena for many years.
 
Something at stake. Two desperate teams. No secrets between rivals meeting for a third time in the past 11 months. Seats occupied mostly empty in previous seasons. A chance to win back love from the people in those seats.
 
Wichita State defeated Tulsa 81-77 on Saturday at Koch Arena in front of 7,569 fans, a season high. February doesn't get the adoration of March, but it's hard to grab glory in March without toughing through the February grind. Want to fill those seats? Win the gritty games in February to give yourself a chance for the splashy wins in March Madness.
 
The Shockers (16-10, 8-5 American) couldn't disappoint another good crowd, couldn't fall farther back in the conference standings and couldn't lose a fourth straight to Tulsa. The Hurricane (20-6, 8-5) couldn't lose a third straight game and continue a fall from first place.
 
Tulsa led for almost 34 minutes. The Shockers closed with a 9-2 run to reward the fans hungry to make Koch Arena feel like it did in the past and thrilled to see meaningful basketball. It is hard to find a better example of February toughness than Kenyon Giles getting the Shockers there and Karon Boyd closing it out.
 
"Keep fighting, keep fighting, keep chipping away," Giles said. "We tied the game. And I was like 'This is ours.'"
 
 

KB with back-to-back buckets 😤@KaronBoydd | ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/525zwuO8gc

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) February 15, 2026

 
 
Boyd was a non-factor in Wednesday's loss to USF, going scoreless with one rebound. He heard about it the rest of the week. He missed his first three shots on Saturday before carrying the Shockers in the final 90 seconds with five points and a blocked shot. His first basket since Feb. 8 gave WSU a 78-75 lead. His next, also on a drive to the rim, made it 80-77 to answer a Hurricane basket by Tylen Riley.
 
Riley tried to answer by taking Boyd into the lane and looking for a foul. Boyd played solid defense and blocked Riley's jumper with 28 seconds to play. Riley made 11 of 13 free throws on his way to 30 points in Tulsa's 93-83 win on Feb. 1.
 
He got two free throws on Saturday because Boyd learned from the first meeting. The Hurricane are one of the nation's best at drawing fouls and making free throws – entering the game at 78 percent from the line and with more free throws made (475) than opponents attempted (462). Guarding Riley means not falling for ball fakes.
 
"He likes to drive right," Boyd said. "He's known for getting to the paint, stopping, pump-faking and getting you to get up in the air. I knew what he was going to do."
 
Shocker coach Paul Mills kept Boyd on Riley despite foul troubles for a moment like that one.
 
"Karon Boyd plays 38 minutes (vs. USF) and gets one rebound," Mills said. "He's probably heard about it 50 times in the last 48 hours. He was amped to prove himself. Just makes all the plays late."
 
Boyd finished off the Hurricane with a free throw – after missing his first and sitting through a timeout – to make it a four-point lead with eight seconds to play. He grabbed the rebound after another Tulsa miss in the final seconds. The Hurricane missed seven of their final eight shots to finish 11 of 31 in the second half.
 
The Shockers kept pace with the American's best offense thanks to Giles' 31 points. He took advantage of Tulsa's defense by driving to the rim – he made one three – and using the big men as screeners in the lane. The Shockers scored 30 points in the paint in the second half and outscored Tulsa 52-26 for the game.
 
"They did a really good job of clearing it out," Giles said, crediting centers Will Berg and Emanual Okorafor blocking help defense. "Will and E-Man were talking about 'KG, when you drive, don't float, go all the way to the rim.' I had to do a better job of getting downhill."
 
The Shockers didn't outscore Tulsa with many contributions. Mills counted Berg drawing nine fouls, which helped WSU outscore the Hurricane by two points at the line. Dillon Battie scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. T.J. Williams added nine points and eight rebounds.
 
Mills started his post-game interviews by calling it a team win and praising the influence of the fans. He had trouble talking to players in the second half. He said the arena sounded much louder than last season when the Shockers drew 8,253 for a win over Kansas State.
 
"Crowd going crazy from the jump," Giles said. "We went on that run and that's why I was like 'It's ours.'"

The Shockers missed a chance to move into a tie for first on Wednesday and dropped to a tie for fifth. On Saturday, they moved into a tie for fourth, one game back of two second-place teams. In such a tight race, at least seven teams can feel like they have a chance to finish in the top two or the top four to earn byes in the post-season tournament. First-place USF is the only contender that hasn't suffered a two-game losing streak in American play.
 
For the first time since 2021, the Shockers are in this picture with every game offering a reward.
 
 

TJ WILLIAMS WHAT A PLAY!@Tj_williams3 | ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/qJ9s22NPiu

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) February 15, 2026

 
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
 
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.