WICHITA – Cade Cunningham hit a game-winning shot with 9.8 seconds remaining to lift Oklahoma State over Wichita State, 67-64, Saturday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena.
Tyson Etienne scored 19 points to lead the Shockers, who fell to 1-2 on the year. Alterique Gilbert (14) and Morris Udeze (10) also finished in double-figures.
Isaac Likekele paced Oklahoma State (6-0 and receiving votes in both national polls) with 14 points, and Rondel Walker added 13.
Helped by stalwart defense from Dexter Dennis, the Shockers held Cunningham – a 6-8 freshman guard and consensus preseason All-American -- to half of his season scoring average – 10 points on 11 shots.
Shot No. 11 was a back-breaker for Wichita State, which had tied the game moments earlier on a pair of Udeze free throws.
Oklahoma State put the ball in the hands of Cunningham, who pulled up off the dribble from the left wing and sank a contested three to give the Cowboys a 67-64 lead with just under 10 seconds to go.
Dennis had a chance to force overtime on the opposite end, but his three-point try struck the iron just ahead of the buzzer.
Oklahoma State's win continues a trend. The visiting team has won all four meetings between the two teams over the last five years. The Shockers took back-to-back at Gallagher-Iba in 2017 and 2019, while the Cowboys won at INTRUST Bank Arena in 2016.
Oklahoma State won the rebounding battle, 44-33, and outscored Wichita State 17-3 on fast break opportunities.
The Shockers made 17-of-22 free throws but shot just 36 percent from the field. They were a frigid 5-of-26 from three (.192) and missed 18 of their last 20 attempts.
Oklahoma State shot just under 42 percent and was 7-of-26 from distance and 10-of-16 at the foul line.
The Shockers played for the first time with a full roster. All 16 players dressed. Still, the rust was evident for many of them. OSU held a 38-5 advantage in bench points.
Junior guard Craig Porter and redshirt freshman forward Josaphat Bilau saw their first action in a Shocker uniform. Bilau scored his first points early in the second half on a pick-and-roll feed from Etienne. Porter banked two assists in five turnover-free minutes.
WSU also played in front of fans for the first time (525 total) after two games behind closed doors.
NOTABLE:
- WSU lost consecutive home games for the first time since January, 2018 (Temple & Cincinnati).
- It was just the 11th loss overall at Charles Koch Arena going back to the start of the 2013-14 season (99-11).
- Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 31-10 (16-5 in Wichita). 30 of the 41 meetings took place before 1965.
- Udeze went 4-for-4 at the foul line and is 8-of-10 for the year after making just 46 percent combined over his first two seasons.
- Etienne has led the Shocker scoring in each of the first three games. He's averaging a team-high 19.7 points.
QUOTABLE:
Isaac Brown on Dexter Dennis' defensive effort against OSU's All-American candidate, Cade Cunningham:
"Dex did a great job. He's one of the best defenders in the country. He's going up against a guy that's the (potential) number one pick in the draft, and to hold that guy to 10 points -- that means a lot. Right there at the end (Cunningham) made a tough shot. (Dexter) was right there. He defended it well and closed out… But the kid made a tough shot. Big-time players do that."
UP NEXT:
Wichita State hits the road for the first time this year and opens its American Athletic Conference schedule Tuesday at Tulsa (6 p.m. CT, ESPNU). The teams split last year's series. Tulsa won at home on a buzzer-beater, 54-51. The Shockers took the regular season finale in Wichita, 79-57. Print Friendly Version