Wichita State looked a team of old on Sunday, defeating Oklahoma State in impressive fashion, 80-61. 

Through the first 20 minutes, Wichita State looked like the more dominant team, but with foul trouble and a tough offensive stretch, they only took a seven-point lead into halftime. 

The second half was a much different story as the Shockers went on to shoot 52% from the field and outscored the Cowboys by 12 points. As sophomore Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler put it, the Shockers really “stepped on the throat,” which helped lead to a 29-point lead at one point in that half.

“First half, we just got to come out, see what we can do,” Poor Bear-Chandler said. “Second half, I think we got everything done in the first half, but we just stepped on the throat. Sorry to use that term but that’s what happens.”

With the game hanging in the balance at the half, Head Coach Gregg Marshall was appreciative of how the players up and down the roster came out and performed in the second to close out the game.

“The game was basically anyone’s game,” Marshall said. “One of two things is going to happen, they are going come back to tie and take the lead or we’re going to push it over ten. We were able to push it over ten and then ultimately over 20. I thought our guys really executed 1-12. The guys that did play did a very good job.”

“That looked like Wichita State basketball.”

Although he wasn’t the most impressive in the scoring column, sophomore Jamarius Burton did a little bit of everything on the court for WSU. He finished just shy of a triple-double, tallying eight points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists. Marshall was impressed with Burton’s play throughout on both ends of the court. 

“JB, I thought was the toughest guy on the whole floor,” Marshall said. “He only takes five shots. He impacted the game as much as anybody with his determination, coming up with loose balls, rebounding, assists, running our team, and being the toughest guy on the floor. Today without question I can say JB and Erik were right there for the toughest guys on the court.”

Burton’s 11 assists were a career-high for the sophomore who excelled when his team needed him the most. The Shockers, as a team, were also extremely effective when he was on the court with Burton finishing with a team-high plus-minus rating of plus-31.

In WSU’s earlier test against a Big 12 opponent, West Virginia, the Shockers were exposed on the glass which was one of the main areas for the loss in Cancun. WSU’s rebounding took a hit after Jaime Echenique and Morris Udeze picked up a quick two fouls in the first half against the Cowboys, but both Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler and Asbjørn Midtgaard responded with some key minutes and production throughout. 

The pair responded off the bench combining for nine rebounds and ten points with each playing about 15 minutes of action, which helped WSU win the rebounding battle, 42-31. 

“It’s critical for us to have four five-men at our disposal when they foul, the way they foul,” Marshall said. “Asbjørn was huge today on the glass. He really extended and made a couple of baskets off set plays and made a post-move. Poor Bear was in there battling for the whole first half and doing yeoman’s work on the glass.”

According to Midtgaard, rebounding was emphasized before the game.

“We know we had to win the rebound battle, so that’s all I focused on,” Asbjorn Midtgaard said. “Coach really challenged us today, Big 12 rebounding is incredible. So going out and winning the rebounding battle against OSU was good.”

This win for WSU not only pays dividends right now for this season, but also down the road for a possible NCAA Tournament appearance. The impact has already been felt in the metrics as WSU moved up 14 spots for the win on KenPom, going from No. 51 to No. 37 in the country. 

Even on the players’ side of things, they were well aware of the future implications of this game and how this would be a resume-building win.

“It’s huge,” Midtgaard said. “Coming into OSU, it’s incredible. They’re a great team, great players. This was a big win for us for sure.”

Overall, Marshall was impressed by the performance of his team, knowing the importance of the win.

“Any time you can go on the road against a team and a program like that and win. I don’t care what day it is, what year it is, it’s special. Our team really performed well,” he said.

Next up, the Shockers will play another Oklahoma-based team, this time against the Oklahoma Sooners for the annual INTRUST Bank Arena game on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. in downtown Wichita.