Wichita State coasted to an exhibition victory on Tuesday, defeating Division II Northeastern State by a score of 92-57.

In the first half, the Shockers were in a fight with the RiverHawks. Despite struggling offensively at times, the men’s team took a 15 point lead into the locker room.

In typical form, Gregg Marshall rallied the troops to play a totally different half of basketball. With an improved focus on defense and rebounding, the Shockers also outscored NSU by 20 points in the second half, leading to a 35-point victory. 

One of the main bright spots in the game was freshman guard, Grant Sherfield. Sherfield, a Wichita native, showed no nerves throughout the contest and finished with a game-high 18 points. 

“I thought they all handled it very well,” Marshall said. “I was joking with them after shoot-around today and Grant Sherfield said ‘Coach, I think I’ve played about 20,000 basketball games in my life. I’ve played in Koch Arena and I’ve played in Wichita all of my life.’ He went out and lived up to that.”

Despite it being his first game in action at Koch Arena and his 20th birthday, Sherfield shouldered the pressure and had 14 points by halftime. 

“It was good to go out there and get the win,” Sherfield said. “I’m just happy that I can celebrate my birthday with my teammates and coach. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate your birthday than on the court.”

Up and down the roster, the Shockers had contributions from all 13 players that suited up. The four freshmen that played all contributed positively in some way. They combined for 39 of the team’s 92 points.

Sophomore Jamarius Burton who was in their shoes just a season ago was pleased with the performance of his new teammates.

“Tonight I just felt like they came out and played extremely hard, took what the defense gave them and I’m proud of them,” Burton said.

One of the main areas of progress that was noticeable from last year to this year was the success of the guards shooting the three. Last year both Jamarius Burton and Ricky Torres were inconsistent from deep the majority of the year. This season, freshman guards Tyson Etienne and Grant Sherfield had on the offense in control for the majority of the game. The duo combined for seven threes while shooting 50 percent on the shots. 

“We didn’t hit that many threes all year last year from the guard position,” Marshall said. “It seemed like we could not make a three last year. So, it opens up the middle. That’s the way the game is played now — you shoot the three or you dump it inside — but you have to space the floor.” 

Burton was effective off the bench and even showcased an improved jump shot as he went 1-2 from beyond the arc. After being out a week following a wisdom teeth surgery, Burton said it felt good to get back in the flow of things. 

“I missed a whole week of practice but just able to come out tonight and take advantage and take what the defense was giving me,” Burton said.

With the win, Gregg Marshall improved to 15-0 in exhibition games since he took over as head coach back in 2007. Wichita State has now won 26 consecutive exhibition contests. 

The Shockers are back in action on Tuesday as they open up regular season play against Nebraska-Omaha. The game is set to tip-off at 7 p.m. inside Charles Koch Arena. Currently, KenPom gives the Shockers an 89 percent chance to win, the lowest of the first five regular-season games.