• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

No. 11 Wichita State cruises past Oral Roberts

Dec 8, 2013 - 4:06 AM Wichita, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Cleathony Early scored 16 points and led an early second-half run that carried No. 11 Wichita State to a 71-58 win over Oral Roberts at Koch Arena.

Chadrack Lufile added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Shockers (9-0), who trailed 30-22 at halftime prior to putting together a 17-4 surge over the first five-plus minutes of the second period. Darius Carter and Tekele Cotton contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively, to the victory.

Shawn Glover paced Oral Roberts (5-4) with 22 points.

The Shockers were a brutal 6-of-27 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point range over the first 20 minutes, but were able to get their offense untracked following the break.

Lufile hit a layup and Early knocked down a pair of 3-point tries to bring Wichita State within 32-30, and the Shockers scored on their next four possessions to create some distance.

After making three straight baskets in the paint, Ron Baker buried a triple to stake Wichita State to a 39-34 lead with just under 15 minutes left.

The Shockers pulled away from there, embarking on a 12-1 flurry capped by a pair of Carter buckets to extend the margin to 51-37 midway through the second half. Wichita State held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

Oral Roberts trailed 18-15 early on, but moved in front via a 9-0 sequence as the Shockers went cold. Wichita State failed to make a field goal over the final 7 1/2 minutes of the half, with the Golden Eagles heading to the locker room with a 30-22 lead after Glover followed up a layup by making good on a pair of foul shots just before the buzzer.

Game Notes

Wichita State shot 54.1 percent (20-of-37) after halftime while holding Oral Roberts to a 30.8 field goal percentage for the second half ... The Shockers pulled down 18 offensive rebounds and finished with a 46-29 advantage on the glass ... Oral Roberts had won the last three matchups in the series, though the schools were meeting for the first time since 2003.