Wichita State Athletics
Fueled by their trademark depth and defensive grit, the AfterShocks earned a return trip to the semifinals of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) with a 74-68 win over Heartfire on Sunday at Koch Arena.
The AfterShocks, a team of Wichita State alumni, had four players score in double figures and used a decisive third-quarter surge to pull away from the tournament’s top-seeded team in the Kansas City Regional. Marcus Keene led the AfterShocks with 15 points, and Markis McDuffie added 13. Rashard Kelly contributed eight points and relentless energy on both ends of the floor.
Heartfire struggled from beyond the arc, finishing just 6-of-29 from three-point range under defensive pressure from the AfterShocks. Tevin Mack paced Heartfire with 18 points.
Wichita held a narrow 33-30 lead at halftime before breaking the game open in the third quarter. A key sequence came with the AfterShocks leading 39-35. A steal by Conner Frankamp led to a three-pointer by Keene, sparking a 12-4 run. McDuffie chipped in six points during the stretch, including four from the free-throw line.
Heartfire made a late push, trimming the lead to 66-60 with 3:47 to go, which triggered the Elam Ending with a target score of 74. Nike Sibande capped the win by following his own miss to seal the game.
With the win, the AfterShocks advance to the TBT Final Four for the second time, just two victories away from the tournament’s $1 million grand prize. They’ll face We Are D3 at 7 p.m. Thursday at Koch Arena, live on FS1.
We Are D3, comprised of former Division III athletes, has turned heads in this year's tournament, winning the Syracuse Regional and knocking off alumni teams from UConn and Syracuse. They edged Fail Harder 95-93 on Sunday.
The AfterShocks previously reached the semifinals in 2022 before falling 78-75 to Americana for Autism. That same year, they routed We Are D3 83-52 in the opening round.
A win Thursday would send the AfterShocks to the TBT championship game on August 3.