Markis McDuffie wanted to send a message to the 10,000-plus in “the Roundhouse.” His message came seconds after the tip and lasted until the 16-minute mark of the first half.

McDuffie and the Shockers hit the court with defense first, shutting out the Drake Bulldogs through four minutes of game play on Wednesday night. Wichita State tallied eight points before Drake entered the scoreboard.

The Shockers cruised to victory, handing Drake their 12th loss of the season, winning 90-65.

“We just try to put the pressure on early and let them know this is our house,” McDuffie said. “We came out strong. This is the second game in a row we came out with an eight or more run.”

McDuffie snagged a career-high 11 rebounds, while recording his first career double-double.

Junior guard Daishon Smith said he and the four other starters emphasize setting a tone for the rest of the team in the opening minutes.

“Coming out early and putting the pressure on the defense allows everybody on the team know that this is our game from the jump,” he said.

WSU cruised to a 30-point lead at halftime, eventually softening up and allowing Drake to 44 points in the second half.

“In the second half, air came out of the balloon for us a little bit. When you’re up 30 at half time its human nature, I guess,” said Gregg Marshall, WSU head coach.

The Shockers’ defense-first-mentality pestered Drake to commit 15 turnovers.

“We just wanted to get our athleticism into the game,” Marshall said. We knew it was going to be a very fast-paced game.”

For the second-straight game, five Shockers scored in double-figures — tying a season-best.

Juniors Daishon Smith and Shaquille Morris tied for the leading scorer with 13 points.

“Things were really flowing very freely inside and out,” Marshall said. “We played really good basketball in the first half .”

WSU failed to reach the double-bonus in the second half, yet 13 different players recorded points. WSU’s bench scored 37, behind their season average of 42.3 — a number that ranks third-best in the nation.

WSU snagged 54 rebounds with 36 coming on the defensive end — the third best rebounding performance this season, behind a season-high 55 against Louisiana State. They edged 26 more off the glass than the Bulldogs.

WSU attempted a season-high 76 shots, where they hit 49 percent. They also made eight three-pointers and shot 73 percent from the free throw line.

Morris scored double figures for the first time since an absence limited his play following a midseason injury.

WSU is now undefeated atop the Missouri Valley Conference, and will now face Northern Iowa, who lost to Loyola on Wednesday, at 3 p.m. Sunday at the McLeod Center.