WICHITA -- Southern Illinois' Jayme Sweere scored 23 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to lead the Salukis (6-7, 2-1) to a 66-61 win over Wichita State (6-9, 0-3) Thursday night inside Charles Koch Arena.

Kiki Stephens and Kyrie Kinder led the Shockers with 16 and 15 points respectively. Stephens posted her first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds, while Marcy Sudbeck joined her in double-digit rebounds with 10. The Shockers were 0-for-6 from 3-point range on the night.

Sweere's double-double led the Salukis, while Tanaeya Worden chipped in 17 on the night, including five three-pointers.

The Salukis, without leading scorer Jasmine Gibson, limited the Shockers to 1-of-8 from the field early on, while the Salukis were just 1-for-4 from the field in the opening minutes which were a defensive struggle. Even with Gibson sidelined the Salukis were able to open the game on a 8-2 run as the Shockers hit the opening shot of the game with Kyrie Kinder's jumper then went scoreless for more than four minutes until Marcy Sudbeck's 18-footer cut the deficit to 8-4, with 14:30 left in the first.

A Jayme Sweere layin with 12:45 left gave SIU its largest lead of the half to that point, 14-6. Erica Smith's jumper on an inbounds pass gave SIU a 10-point advantage, and the Salukis built the lead to as many as 18 before the Shockers ripped off six-straight capped by a Stephens layin to cut the deficit to 30-18 with five minutes left in the opening frame.

SIU stretched the lead to as many as 18 again before Kinder's layin at the buzzer sent the Shockers to the break down 41-25. WSU shot 30.8 percent during the first half while Southern Illinois shot better than 53 percent, including a 5-for-9 effort from 3-point range.

The Shockers opened the second half on a 10-2 run thanks in part to a pair of baskets from Taylor Steven before Daria Frazier's layin with 16:35 left cut the Saluki advantage to 43-35, the closest the Shockers had been since the 12-minute mark of the first half.

A Tanaeya Worden 3-pointer extended the SIU advantage to 46-35 before a Stephens free throw and a Steven jumper pulled the Shockers to within eight again, 46-38 with under 13 minutes left to play.

The teams exchanged points until a pair of Ellen Young free throws and a Worden 3-pointer put SIU up by 11 with under eight minutes to play. A pair of Alex Bunton free throws cut the deficit to 57-50 with 5:22 left before three-straight points from Kinder sliced the lead to four, 57-53, with 4:20 left in the game.

A Sweere putback gave SIU a 62-55 lead before Jacie Hoyt's first field goal of the night brought the Shockers to within five, 62-57. Stephens' jumper with 1:35 left cut the Saluki lead to three but a Sweere 3-pointer brought SIU right back, giving the Salukis a 65-59 edge with 1:12 left to play.

The Shockers could not respond, dropping their third-straight conference game.

WSU will try to respond at 1 p.m., Saturday, against Evansville on $1 Day inside Charles Koch Arena.