WICHITA, Kan. - A 15-2 run midway through the second half keyed Wichita State to a 74-64 win over first-place Charlotte Wednesday night in Charles Koch Arena.

Wichita State (14-9, 6-4) had to fend off a late rally by the Niners after leading by as many as 17 with 6:48 remaining. In the first matchup in Charlotte, the Shockers led by 18 in the second half before Charlotte came all the way back to win in double overtime.

Kenyon Giles notched his 10th 20-point game of the season behind a team-high 23 points. Karon Boyd scored 14 of his 18 points before halftime.

Wichita State finished the game with just six turnovers, while forcing 15 Charlotte miscues. Nine of those 15 resulted in steals by seven different Shockers.

After Charlotte grabbed a 4-2 lead early, Wichita State responded with its first run sparked by Giles, who scored on consecutive possessions to tie the game and then give the Shockers their first advantage.

Midway through the half, the Shockers began forcing turnovers and converting them into transition offense. A steal and fast-break layup by Boyd pushed Wichita State ahead 8-6, and moments later Will Berg tipped in a second chance layup to stretch the lead to four.

Charlotte fought back behind hot shooting from Dezayne Mingo and Arden Conyers, who combined for multiple threes to briefly reclaim the lead at 21-20 with 8:38 remaining. The teams traded baskets during a stretch that featured several lead changes and ties.

With the score knotted at 22, Wichita State delivered one of its most important sequences of the half. Boyd scored on back-to-back drives, then Dillon Battie finished a dunk off Boyd's assist, giving the Shockers a 28-24 edge.

Charlotte cut the deficit to one in the final minute, but Wichita State closed the half strong. With the clock winding down, Giles hit a floater in the paint with 25 seconds left, and Charlotte answered with a last-second three from Mingo to make it 35-34 at halftime.

The game remained tight early in the second half, with Charlotte trimming the deficit to one at 40-39 following a three-pointer from Major Freeman.

Wichita State answered with the defining run of the night.

First, Berg scored inside off an assist from Giles, then Boyd drilled a three-pointer to ignite the crowd and extend the lead to six. Berg followed with another paint basket, pushing the margin to eight and forcing a Charlotte timeout.

Out of the timeout, Brian Amuneke started a stretch of three straight Wichita State scores with a steal and lay-in. Emmanuel Okorafor added a paint bucket and Giles splashed in a triple, and suddenly, Wichita State had built a 57-43 lead with 8:23 remaining, capping a 10-0 run and delivering the game's biggest momentum swing.

Charlotte refused to go away, leaning on Mingo's scoring to chip into the deficit. The 49ers cut the lead to 10 with just over four minutes remaining. In the closing seconds, Dre Kindell leaked out for an uncontested layup to push the lead back to double digits before free throws sealed the final margin. 

Up Next
Wichita State heads to New Orleans to face Tulane on Super Bowl Sunday. Tip is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.