Wichita State basketball coach Gregg Marshall couldn’t pinpoint the exact problem in the Shockers’ 68-55 loss to Indiana State on Tuesday. 

There were just too many issues to point a finger at. 

“I thought their game plan was better than ours. I think that their players played better than ours. I thought that their coaches coached better than us,” Marshall said. “There are so many things that were not the norm tonight. I’ve got to figure out why.”

WSU—ranked No. 15 in this week’s AP poll—was held to 27.1 percent shooting from the floor in the loss, one that snapped the team’s 19-game home win streak. 

It also dropped the Shockers (19-3, 8-2) back into a tie for the Missouri Valley Conference lead with Creighton (18-3, 7-2 MVC) and only a game ahead of Indiana State (14-7, 7-3 MVC).

“They forced us to shoot outside and really sagged in, took the inside away,” Marshall said. “I say we got whipped. We got to figure out why and correct it.”

The game was back and forth most of the first half, with WSU holding a 25-24 lead with 4:12 to play before the break.

That’s when things started going horribly wrong for the Shockers.

Indiana State finished the half on a 15-3 run to take an 11-point lead into the locker room. WSU had 15 three-point attempts in the first half—making six—but was outshot 32.3 percent to 60 percent. 

“We took them out of rhythm a little bit of what they like to do,” ISU coach Greg Lansing said. “Our defense was pretty good but sometimes the ball isn’t going in the net. They took a lot of threes.”

WSU shot even worse in the second half—21.4 percent—but still managed to rally and make it a game. 

A pair of Cleanthony Early free throws cut the Sycamore lead to 50-48 with 7:34 to play, part of a 10-2 Shocker run. 

But every time the Shockers had a chance to tie or take the lead, it was the Sycamore’s that made the play. 

“We don’t get a stop, we don’t make a basket, we miss a free throw, we turn the ball over,” Marshall said. “It was more than once where it seemed like one more basket and we are right there.”

The Shockers were outscored 18-7 over the final seven minutes en route to the 13-point loss. 

More concerning than losing or the poor shooting is what seemed to be a lack of energy and effort from the Shockers.

WSU was outrebounded 35-34 and many of the 50-50 plays went the Sycamore’s way. 

“They seemed to get every loose ball tonight, which bothered me. That doesn’t happen,” Marshall said. “It’s not just lucky bounces. I’ve got to figure out why they were quicker to the ball and tougher to the ball.”

The Shockers have until Saturday to figure out what went wrong, when they make a trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to play Northern Iowa. WSU beat UNI 66-41 on Dec. 30. 

“I don’t like it. I’m sure (the players) don’t like it,” Marshall said about Tuesday’s loss. “But it’s an opportunity for us to grow. It’s an opportunity for us to improve, get up off the mat.”