Morris Udeze had 11 of his team-high 15 points in the second half as host Wichita State defeated Tarleton State 65-51 Tuesday night.
The Shockers lead by at least eight points for most of the second half, with the Texans never getting closer than five.
Dexter Dennis scored 13 points, 10 of those in the second half, for Wichita State (3-0). He was 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Ricky Council IV added 12 points, and Udeze also led the Shockers with six rebounds.
Montre Gipson scored 16 points to lead Tarleton State (0-3). Freddy Hicks added nine points and Tahj Small netted eight.
Wichita State shot 42.9 percent from the field, and Tarleton State finished at 38.3 percent.
After a back-and-forth first half, Wichita State began to pull away about midway through the second half, extending its lead to double digits. The Shockers’ biggest lead was 16 in the game’s final minutes.
The first half was full of runs. A 10-0 run early in the first half helped Tarleton turn a 7-2 deficit into a 12-7 lead. The Shockers came back with a 9-0 run, but Tarleton responded with an 8-1 spurt.
The Shockers had a late 12-0 run, giving them their biggest lead of the half at 29-20, before taking a 29-22 lead into the half.
Both teams also struggled with turnovers in the first half. Tarleton had 14 turnovers before intermission. But Wichita State was almost as careless, committing nine first-half turnovers.
Neither team could find the range from the field. Tarleton shot 35 percent (7-of-20), while Wichita State was 7-of-22 (31.8 percent). Free-throw shooting was key. WSU converted 11-of-14 from the line and Tarleton was 7-of-8.
Council led Wichita State with seven points. Missing Tyson Etienne, who averages 10 points per game, due to illness, the Shockers expected Dennis (10.5 ppg) to pick up the slack, but he only took one shot, a 3-pointer that he made.
Gipson led Tarleton with seven points in the first half.
–Field Level Media
