Wichita State Athletics
The AfterShocks opened their 2026 run in The Basketball Tournament with an impressive performance Tuesday night, defeating New Mexico alumni team Enchantment 98-77 at Koch Arena.
The Wichita State alumni squad wasted little time taking control. Morris Udeze scored the game's first points on an alley-oop from Marcus Keene before Connor Frankamp knocked down a three-pointer to help build an early double-digit lead.
AfterShocks head coach Zach Bush praised Udeze's impact following the victory.
"Mo plays at a really high level overseas. It's not like we picked him up because he plays at the North YMCA; he knows how to play this game. He fits in seamlessly. They pay him a lot of money to play and defend at a high level, so he was just being himself," Bush said.
The AfterShocks dominated the opening half, taking a commanding 48-22 lead into the locker room. Keene fueled the offensive surge by hitting four consecutive three-pointers as Wichita State's alumni squad seized control.
Corey Washington led all scorers with 23 points while narrowly missing a double-double, adding seven rebounds. Washington shot 9-for-14 from the field and played all 21 minutes.
QJ Peterson added 18 points and four rebounds, shooting 6-for-13 as the AfterShocks stretched their advantage to 36 points during the third quarter.
Although Enchantment mounted a rally in the fourth quarter, the AfterShocks' depth proved decisive. Wichita State's alumni received 59 points from their bench to put the game out of reach.
Bush said building chemistry in a short amount of time has been one of the team's biggest challenges.
"It's a challenge because you want to add structure, but you've only got four days to do so, so there's a balance there. You don't want to overload them where they're having to think more than they're playing, but you want to give them something of a framework to play out of. It helps when their IQ is as high as it is, though," Bush said.
The teams will meet again Thursday night at Koch Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. The AfterShocks can clinch the series with a victory, while Enchantment will try to even the series and force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Friday.