WICHITA, Kan. -- A battle between two of the nation's top-10 field goal percentages defenses played out in predictable fashion.
 
On a night when it hit just 1-of-21 three-point attempts, Wichita State fell 59-49 to Oklahoma State at INTRUST Bank Arena.
 
Craig Porter Jr. finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Shockers (6-5) who shot 36.5% overall and managed just four assists on 19 baskets.
 
OSU (7-4) connected on just 39.1% of its own shots but made 9-of-23 attempts from beyond the arc. Bryce Thompson III led the way with 19 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting and John-Michael White hit on 4-of-7 for 16 points.
 
The Cowboys scored the game's first 10 points and never trailed.
 
WSU's Jaron Pierre Jr. made a three-pointer at the 13:26-mark of the first half, but the Shockers missed each of their last 16 attempts.
 
WSU bridged halftime with a 9-0 run, sparked by five points from Melvion Flanagan. His steal and eventual three-point play made it a 30-24 game at the intermission.
 
Kenny Pohto scored on the first possession of the second half to pull the Shockers to within 32-28, but OSU's Wright made a pair of threes to nudge the lead back to double-digits.
 
Tyreek Smith scored on consecutive trips to give the Cowboys their largest cushion of the night, 50-36, with 10:33 to go.
 
WSU's defense clamped down, limiting OSU to 1-of-12 shooting the rest of the way, but its struggling offense wasn't able to make up much ground.
 
The Shockers put together a 12-3 push over the next nine minutes. Walton's free throws made it 53-48 with 1:37 left, but it's the closest they would come.
 

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NOTABLE:

• The Cowboys entered the night with the nation's No. 7 field goal percentage defense (.364). They've held all 11 opponents under the 40%-mark this year.
• WSU – which ranked ninth in that category coming in (.366) – held its opponent under 40% for the ninth time in 11 tries.
• The road team has come out on top in each of the last seven meetings in the WSU-OSU series, dating back to the 2002-03 season. The Shockers have taken three-straight at Gallagher-Iba Arena (2017, 2019, 2021), but the Cowboys have won their last four visits to Wichita (2002, 2016, 2020, 2022).
• The Shockers posted their lowest assist total (4) since a Feb. 9, 2020 loss at Houston in which they had four assists on 14 baskets.
• WSU's 1-for-21 (.048) three-point shooting night was its worst since an 0-for-11 performance against New Mexico State in the 2014-15 season opener.
• Saturday's long-range shooting woes came on the heels off the best two-game stretch in school history. The Shockers made a total of 13 in wins over Longwood and Mississippi Valley State.
• WSU is 8-4 now at INTRUST Bank Arena. Two of the losses have come at the hands of the Cowboys.

 

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UP NEXT:
WSU wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule on Thursday night against Texas Southern. Tipoff at Charles Koch Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on the game will air on ESPN+. Tickets are available online at goshockers.com/tickets, by phone at 316-978-FANS or in person at the Shocker Ticket Office, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.