The RoundHouse | 11/5/2019 10:11:00 PM

 

The Shockers made a lot of flashy plays –11 three-pointers, a spectacular dunk by Dexter Dennis and aggressive offensive rebounding by Trey Wade.

Those pluses helped Wichita State defeat Omaha 68-54 on Tuesday in the season-opener at Koch Arena. The Shockers led by 10 or more points over the final 16 minutes – hitting 20 late – so the game was never in doubt after halftime.
 
It is also important, as coach Gregg Marshall emphasized, that the Shockers made it harder on themselves than necessary. Rarely did they trust the offense to help create good shots, reflected in the number of two-point baskets (15) and a lack of trips to the foul line (5 of 12). The Shockers took 31 threes and not enough came off ball reversal or inside-out passes from the big men. 
 
"We've got to try to make sure we manufacture great looks," Marshall said. "Our guys insist that they can go one-on-one and then make a basket. In the games, it's not quite as easy. That other team is in a (defensive) stance and they want to win, too. If you could do that on a consistent basis, you wouldn't be playing college. You'd be playing in the NBA."
 
When the Shockers did let the offense work, it was noticeable. A layup by Erik Stevenson on a pass from Dennis stood out for its simplicity and the easy shot it produced. Marshall called it his favorite play of the night.
 
"There weren't enough of those," he said. "Tonight, we had some pretty good execution, but instead of looking for the guy that was open, we're looking for the other option. It was just a little bit off. We'll see that on video."
 
Wichita State survived its offensive issues with a solid defensive effort. It held the Mavericks (0-1) to 39.3-percent shooting, 26.3 from three-point range. They also forced 14 turnovers and scored 12 points off those turnovers.
 
The Shockers did have some good reasons for the offensive issues. A sprained right ankle sidelined sophomore guard Jamarius Burton most of the game. That put almost all of the ball-handling duties in the hands of freshmen Grant Sherfield and Tyson Etienne. 

Burton's pick-and-roll skills and his ability to drive and draw fouls were missed.
 
Wichita State also struggled to score around the basket, against a team that didn't roll out a great shot-blocker. Senior center Jaime Echenique, out with a broken hand, would have helped there. With guard Noah Fernandes and center Josaphat Bilau also out with injuries, the Shockers are short on numbers. The absence of Burton and Echenique robs them of two of their most experienced performers.
 
Sherfield finished with 12 points and six assists with one turnover. Etienne scored nine points and had two assists. While the Shockers shot poorly (26 of 71), they committed seven turnovers, one in the second half.
 
Wade, a transfer from South Plains (Texas) College, scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. The junior forward played well in the closed scrimmage against Nebraska, the exhibition a week ago and Tuesday's opener. 
 
Wade gave the Shockers some inside punch. Sophomore center Morris Udeze added seven points, five in the second half.
 
"We needed some more production from the (center)," Marshall said. "We've got to figure out. We got the ball down inside a couple times, point-blank range, and we come up with nothing. It wasn't just the bigs. We probably missed 10 to 12 layups."

Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.