• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Baker lifts No. 16 Wichita State past Drake

Jan 1, 2015 - 2:10 AM Des Moines, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - Ron Baker scored 15 of No. 16 Wichita State's final 18 points to help the Shockers fend off Drake, 66-58, Wednesday.

Baker finished with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting for the Shockers (11-2, 1-0 MVC), who have now won 19 straight games against fellow Missouri Valley conference teams.

Tekele Cotton chipped in 17 points and no other Shocker reached double figures.

The Bulldogs (3-10, 0-1) were led by Jacob Enevold with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Gary Ricks Jr. added 11 points as Drake finished its four-game homestand with a 2-2 record.

With 8:31 to go, Chris Caird hit a 3 to cut Drake's deficit down to four points. Baker stole the ball the next possession and hit two free throws to begin his charge.

Darius Carter hit 1-of-2 free throws for the Shockers the next time down the court. When the Bulldogs got the ball back, Baker blocked Reed Timmer's layup and proceeded to score eight points over Wichita State's next three possessions in a 1 1/2 minute span.

Drake answered with buckets of its own each time, and the Bulldogs scored six straight to pull within four points again. Baker hit a pair of free throws to stem the tide, and after Enevold's tip-in cut Wichita State's lead to four again, Baker scored his final three points on consecutive possessions to put the game out of reach.

Baker scored 19 in the second half, and no other Shocker had more than four.

Despite shooting just 7-of-26 from the field in the opening half, Drake trailed 29-25 at the break. The Bulldogs never led by more than two and the Shockers maintained a steady lead for the remainder of the game when Corey Henderson hit a triple with 8:39 to go in the first half.

Cotton scored 15 points of his points before the break on 4-of-8 shooting, and the rest of the Shockers combined to go 5-of-16.

Game Notes

Wichita State has won 10 straight MVC road games, the longest streak in the conference since Creighton in 1946 ... Drake falls to 0-10 when the opponent shoots over 40 percent ... Wichita State shot 40.8 percent to Drake's 33.3 percent ... The Bulldogs' bench outscored the Shockers' reserves by a 21-10 margin ... Both teams will be in action again on Jan. 4 when Wichita State hosts Illinois State and Drake travels to Missouri State.