STILLWATER, Okla. — Freshman Tyson Etienne scored a game-high 19 points and -/rv Wichita State pulled away in the second half for its seventh-consecutive road win, 80-61, over rv/25 Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Shockers (8-1) opened the second half by making 14 of their first 17 attempts and pushed a seven-point halftime lead to 29. Jamarius’ Burton’s free throw made it a 73-44 game at the 8:26-mark.
Prior to 2017, WSU had won just two times in 17 visits to Stillwater. With Sunday’s victory, Gregg Marshall improved to 2-0 at Gallagher-Iba. It was the latest was the most lopsided Shocker win in a series that dates back to 1934.
Burton flirted with a triple-double despite sitting the last five minutes with WSU leading comfortably. He matched his career-high with 11 assists (and just one turnover) and also banked seven points, eight rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes. The Shockers were +31 Burton on the floor.
Etienne hit 5-of-8 from three and 7-of-14 overall in 29 minutes.
Erik Stevenson added 13 points and six rebounds. Despite limited minutes due to foul trouble, Jaime Echenique finished 13 points in just under 10 minutes, and Trey Wade tacked on eight points with six boards and three steals.
Lindy Waters III paced OSU (7-2) with 11 points, and Cameron McGriff added 10.
Helped by 14 offensive rebounds, the Shockers outscored the Cowboys 23-8 on second-chance points and won the battle of the boards by 11 (42-31).
A showdown between two of the nation’s top defenses never quite materialized. Both sides entered the day ranked among the top-20 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency measurement.
The Shockers scored 80 points and shot a respect a respectable 44.4 percent from the field. They were 11-of-26 from deep.
The Shockers held OSU to 38.5 percent and forced 18 turnovers on 10 steals.
FIRST HALF:
Wichita State opened the game with an offensive flurry, hitting four threes in the first five minutes of the game. Etienne’s second triple in that stretch made it a 17-6 lead at the 14:55-mark and prompted an early Cowboy timeout.
Both sides lost key post players due to foul trouble. OSU’s Yor Anei took a seat with 11:55 to go in the half. Within the next 60 seconds, WSU’s Jaime Echenique and Morris Udeze also headed to the bench with two fouls each.
WSU’s three-point shooting dried up late in the first half. They missed six-straight from the field over one stretch, and OSU capitalized to make it a five-point game near the 4:00-mark.
The Cowboys endured their own dry-spell, going the final 5:14 of the half without a basket.
Asbjorn Midtgaard tipped in a miss in the final minute of the half to helps end the Shockers into halftime up 38-31.
The Shockers scored 19 second-chance points in the half. They came away with points after eight of their nine offensive rebounds, including four three-pointers.
Etienne led the Shocker scoring with 10 points.
SECOND HALF:
The Shockers scored the first three baskets after halftime. OSU’s Anei countered with four free throws and drew third fouls on both Echenique and Udeze.
Etienne turned back the momentum by drilling back-to-back threes in a span of less than 30 seconds. The latter pushed the lead back to 15, 50-35, with 16:53 to play.
Back-to-back threes from Wade and Stevenson pushed the lead north of 20 for the first time, 60-38, with 13:46 to go.
Etienne’s fifth-and-final three of the afternoon was part of a 9-0 run that extended the Shocker lead to 29, 73-44, with 8:26 remaining.
Marshall cleared the bench late, and WSU missed 11 of its last 12 shots. OSU outscored WSU 11-2 over the final 5:35 after Burton and Stevenson had gone to the bench.
Burton tallied eight of his 11 assists in the second half.
