Wichita ? Wichita State’s record stayed perfect, even if the eighth-ranked Shockers’ execution wasn’t.

Two days after the third-most lopsided victory in school history, Wichita State let Kennesaw State – a team playing only its second year in Division I – hang around until the closing minutes.

The Shockers made enough plays down the stretch, though, to win 74-65 on Tuesday night in the second round of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Afterward, their smiles showed more relief than satisfaction.

“We expected them to come out and play hard,” said Shockers forward P.J. Couisnard, who had 15 points and matched a career high with seven assists. “I just don’t think we were ready for them.”

Ryan Martin’s career-high 19 points led the Shockers (9-0), whose start tied a school record set in 1920-21 and matched two years ago.

“He’s a beast,” forward Phillip Thomasson said. “He’s 6-5, but he plays bigger than he is. He plays like he’s about 6-9. Tonight, we really needed him to step up, and he did.”

Wichita State was coming off Sunday’s 102-56 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore, while Kennesaw State (2-8) lost 82-54 at Kansas State on Sunday. But on Tuesday, the Owls outrebounded the Shockers 37-36 – with a 22-10 edge in offensive rebounds – and had 25 second-chance points to the Shockers’ eight.

“Our guys have had 48 hours of us patting them on the back and telling them how great they are,” Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon said. “After that Kansas State game, they had 48 hours of their coaches getting in their tails.”

Thomasson, a junior transfer from Colorado State, had a season-high 14 points and Karon Bradley added 11 for Wichita State.

Wichita State's Ryan Martin goes up for a shot. Martin set a career high with 19 points Tuesday.

Martin was 7-for-9 from the field and Thomasson was 7-for-8. Only a missed first-half jump shot kept Thomasson from recording Wichita State’s third straight perfect shooting performance by a double-digit scorer.

“I got in the seams a little bit, and guys were getting me the ball,” Thomasson said. “Then I hit a little jumper. I just tried to make every shot I take.”

Golden Ingle, son of coach Tony Ingle, led the Owls with a season-high 26 points, 21 in the first half.

“Golden really got us going,” Tony Ingle said. “Golden established, ‘Hey, we’re really here to play.”‘

Kennesaw State led by seven points in the first half but fell behind by 16 in the second before mounting a late comeback.

Martin scored seven points in an 11-0 run that made it 58-42 with just over seven minutes to go in the game, but Ingle scored five points in the Owls’ responding 12-0 run.

Shuan Stegall hit two free throws with 2:51 to go, getting the Owls within 59-56. But Bradley hit a driving layup on Wichita State’s next possession, starting a 7-0 run that made it 66-56.

Kyle Wilson’s three-point play with 1:15 to go capped the run, and Kennesaw State never got closer than seven points after that.