WICHITA, Kan. — William Berg scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as Wichita State opened the 2026-27 men's basketball season with a 79-67 victory over CSUN on Wednesday night at Charles Koch Arena.
Berg finished with career highs in both points and rebounds, shooting 11 of 16 from the field to lead the Shockers (1-0). Kenyon Giles added 21 points and a career-high eight assists, scoring 16 of his points in the first half.
Jahari Long contributed 12 points, while Jordan Frison recorded seven assists in his Wichita State debut.
The Shockers played without Dillon Battie and TJ Williams because of injuries. Wichita State also announced Tuesday that sophomore forward Noah Hill would miss the season.
Emmanuel Okorafor, who was added to the roster earlier Wednesday, made his return to Charles Koch Arena. Okorafor, who has remained enrolled at Wichita State while completing his degree, played seven minutes and finished with two points and two rebounds.
Wichita State overcame a difficult shooting night, connecting on just 37.3% of its field goal attempts and going 8 of 27 from 3-point range. The Shockers committed only three turnovers.
Wichita State established an early 14-8 lead behind a pair of dunks from Berg. The Shockers extended their advantage to 28-21 midway through the first half before CSUN battled back.
Keziah Ekissi knocked down three first-half 3-pointers for the Matadors, who pulled within 36-34 with just under four minutes remaining before halftime.
Giles responded with a 3-pointer, and Berg added consecutive baskets inside to help Wichita State regain control. Another Giles 3-pointer gave the Shockers a 47-40 advantage at halftime.
CSUN continued to challenge Wichita State in the second half, gradually trimming the deficit behind Mikah Ballew and Daniel Culberson.
The Matadors pulled within 61-60 on a Caleb Smith tip-in with 7:43 remaining. After Berg converted two free throws, BJ Omot answered with a pair from the line to cut Wichita State's lead to 63-62 with 6:23 left.
The Shockers responded with a decisive late run.
Long made two free throws, Berg converted a layup off a Giles assist, and Frison added a jumper to extend Wichita State's lead to 69-62 with 4:11 remaining.
Bryce Heard followed with a driving layup, and Giles added a step-back jumper as Wichita State pulled away in the closing minutes.