The RoundHouse | 2/9/2019 10:34:00 PM

Wichita State spent much of the season trying to look like the Wichita State teams of the past, teams that won with hustle points, defense, smarts and rebounding.
 
It flashed a few times earlier in the season. Now there's some consistency, some sustainability during this season-high winning streak of four games. The Shockers defeated Tulane 77-62 on Saturday at Koch Arena. 
 
They out-rebounded their third straight opponent and won the turnover stat for the third time in four games. The first-half defense dismayed coach Gregg Marshall, but the Shockers (12-11, 5-6 American Athletic Conference) held Tulane without a basket for seven minutes to start the second half. That defensive stand allowed them to build a 16-point lead and the Green Wave got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.
 
Marshall pointed out the Shockers haven't really done much other than win at home and handle one of the American Athletic Conference's bottom teams on the road.
 
"We haven't done anything," he said. "We won a couple games. Which is what we're supposed to do. I didn't like how we were playing the first half."
 
That's all true. It's also true the Shockers are learning how to win, they're finding their roles and the success of a few wins is feeding their desire to play the right way. Marshall wants better defense and more effort. It's coming. 
 
"Defense," Wichita State freshman Erik Stevenson said. "Our overall hustle, 50-50 balls. Diving on the floor. Before these four games, (Marshall) would say we have to get back to playing like previous Shocker basketball teams. These four games, he said it resembled it a little bit more. That's how we're winning."
 
Tulane coach Mike Dunleavy agreed after watching his team struggle through the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Shockers led 41-35 at halftime and 58-38 with 11:58 to play. The Green Wave (4-19, 0-10) started the second half with three turnovers and missed their next five shots.
 
"We let them take us out of our stuff a good portion of the night," Dunleavy said.
 
Wichita State senior Markis McDuffie scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting and also grabbed eight rebounds. 
 
"Tremendous," Marshall said. 
 
McDuffie scored 20 or more for the 10^thtime this season, matching Cleanthony Early in 2013-14 for the most during the Marshall era. 
 
The Shockers, who have a week off before playing at No. 25 Cincinnati on Feb. 17, have a chance to finish the season strong because of their many improvements. They also have a chance because McDuffie could be the best player on the floor in most or all of these games.
 
He showed that with a 5-0 burst in the first half – a three-pointer and a steal-and-dunk – that helped the Shockers gain an early advantage.
 
"Markis (McDuffie) is somebody we can depend on if we need a basket," Shocker freshman Jamarius Burton said. "I just know - find him, when in doubt, and he going to take care of the rest."
 
During this streak – and even before – roles started to become clear for the Shockers. Nobody's benefited more than junior Ricky Torres, who is giving the Shockers solid, low-mistake minutes as the backup point guard. He is thriving as a pick-and-roll threat and is at his best moving toward the basket, where he can use his quickness and agility. 
 
"That's his game," Marshall said. "Ricky gave us a spark. He does a very good job of trying to find that roller."
 
On Saturday, Torres handed out five assists (no turnovers) in 17 minutes, 56 seconds. He has 11 assists and two turnovers in his past five games. He played his most minutes since January 6 in large part because Burton got in foul trouble and committed three turnovers.
 
Wichita State finished with nine turnovers, its fifth straight game with 11 or fewer.

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