STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) After getting outrebounded by a 48-31 margin in a 75-63 loss to West Virginia on Nov. 27, Wichita State made that part of the game a point of emphasis and it paid off on Sunday.
Tyson Etienne scored 19 points and had four assists, and Wichita State won the rebounding battle 42-31, while defeating Oklahoma State 80-61.
Erik Stevenson had 13 points and six rebounds, while Jaime Echenique also scored 13 points in just 10 minutes of action, for Wichita State (8-1). Jamarius Burton contributed seven points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and three steals.
I was just getting out there and my teammates were finding me, said Etienne, a freshman who had his second-highest point total of the season. I was just shooting the ball with confidence, not doing anything different, just playing my game.
The Shockers shot 82.4% from the floor (14 of 17) over the first 12-plus minutes of the second half, extending a 38-31 halftime lead to 29 points, before putting in their reserves down the stretch. Over the course of the second half, Wichita States rebounding advantage was 21-13.
Any time you can go on the road against a program like that, and get a win like that, its special, said Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. Our team really performed well. We played a beautiful brand of basketball for the great majority of the game. Congratulations to my guys. We turned the tables on the glass from the West Virginia game, which was a big key for us.
Lindy Waters scored 11 points to lead Oklahoma State (7-2), one game after he connected for a career-high 30 points in an 81-74 loss to Georgetown. Cam McGriff added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Credit to Wichita State, they physically manhandled us in a lot of ways, particularly as it relates to rebounding the ball, said Cowboys coach Mike Boynton. We didnt respond and therefore the result. Losses are never easy to take but certainly this one, just the way the game went, is more disappointing than anything.
I think they pursued the basketball more aggressively than we did. They brought the fight to us, we didnt necessarily fight back strongly enough. Its a great lesson. A hard one but a good one.
The Cowboys have now lost two in a row without starting point guard Isaac Likekele, who averages 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.9 steals per game, but sat out again due to illness.
For Oklahoma State, which won the NIT Season Tip-off Championship with a dominant 78-37 triumph over Ole Miss on Nov. 29 in Brooklyn, it was a reminder that the young team that went 12-20 last season still has a long way to go.
A week ago today, people felt like maybe we had arrived, and obviously, thats not the case, Boynton said. Weve got to get back to the drawing board. Theres a lot of room for growth for this team.
BIG PICTURE
Wichita State: Picking up right where they left off in their dominating 95-69 victory over Central Arkansas on Thursday night, the Shockers started off strong. Wichita State surged to an early 17-6 lead. After connecting on 7 of 11 shots (63.6%) in those opening five-plus minutes, though, the Shockers shots just 6 of 23 (26.1%) the remainder of the half.
