Wichita State Athletics
WICHITA, Kan. - Murray State scored 57 points after halftime to escape Wichita with a 93-87 win Wednesday night in Charles Koch Arena.
The two teams met in a preseason charity scrimmage with proceeds benefiting Cheese Johnson's uJump Junior Mentoring Program and the Wichita Children's Home.
Dillon Battie paced Wichita State with 19 points and 10 rebounds, recording a double-double in 22 minutes. Jahari Long added 17 points, six assists and five rebounds, while William Berg finished with nine points and six rebounds. Bryce Heard contributed 10 points and three rebounds, and Jordan Frison added nine points and six assists.
The Shockers were without Kenyon Giles, Michael Gray Jr., Jaret Valencia and Noah Hill in the exhibition.
Wichita State led 37-36 at halftime after a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes that featured six lead changes and five ties. The Shockers shot 50 percent from the field in the first half.
The Shockers opened the second half with a 13-4 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 50-43 advantage with 16:59 to play. Joy Ighovodja knocked down consecutive 3-pointers during the run, while Frison and Heard also scored.
Murray State answered with a 9-0 run of its own, tying the game at 54-54 on a Kaden Magwood 3-pointer with 12:59 remaining. The Racers eventually regained the lead and built their largest advantage of the night, 80-70, on another Magwood 3-pointer with 5:53 to play.
Wichita State continued to battle, as Long hit a 3-pointer with 3:38 remaining to cut the deficit to seven, 84-77, and later converted two free throws to bring the Shockers within four, 84-88, with 41 seconds left.
Murray State, however, made enough plays at the free-throw line to close out the victory. Christian Jones and Mathis Courbon each made late free throws before Ben Shtolzberg converted two with nine seconds remaining to make it 93-84. Battie answered with a 3-pointer at the final horn for the final margin.
Up Next
Wichita State officially opens the season on Nov. 4 in Charles Koch Arena vs. CSUN.