WICHITA ? Wichita State (6-2) outscored Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1-5) 16-4 in the game's opening minutes and never looked back en route to a 73-60 victory on Saturday afternoon inside Charles Koch Arena.

UAPB whittled a 20-point Shocker lead down to seven with under seven minutes to play, but the Shockers answered with tough defense and points off turnovers. Shocker point guard Marisah Henderson controlled the game for WSU racking up a career-high 12 assists. The junior transfer also chipped in seven points and nine rebounds.

Ciara Shields led the Lady Lions with 16 points. Shay Holmes pulled down eight rebounds and Arica Green dished out four assists to lead UAPB.

After UAPB's Arica Green took the opening tip in for a layup and a 2-0 lead, the Shockers answered with 14-0 burst on the strength of great defense and five points apiece from Val Siemens and Jacie Hoyt. The run gave the Shockers a 16-4 lead at the 14-minute mark.

The Shocker defense continued to dominate the opening half, holding the Lady Lions without a field goal for more than seven minutes, and forcing six turnovers in the games first nine minutes. The defense led to some easy transition buckets for the Shockers, who built a 20-5 lead in the process.

The Lady Lions showed they weren't going down easy with a 6-0 run to pull within nine, 20-11. But, a long jumper from Jadhon Kerr and another layup from Siemens on a backdoor cut gave the Shockers a 13-point cushion.

After UAPB cut the lead back to single digits, WSU's Haleigh Lankster worked the glass for two offensive rebounds and stick-backs. Lankster's four points were sandwiched around a Siemens three, giving the Shockers a 33-17 lead.

WSU kept their foot on gas pedal on both ends of the floor, converting steals into points as part of a 12-2 run, capped by a layin from Ashley Gladden. The transition game has been spearheaded by the point-guard combo of Hoyt and Marisah Henderson who collected five and six assists, respectively in the first half.

The Shockers took a 39-25 lead into the break. WSU got 17 points off of 12 UAPB turnovers, and shot 44 percent from the field, compared to just 36 percent from the Lady Lions.

After the break, UAPB came out with three-straight points, but the Shockers answered with a 8-2 run, capped by a Shantel Pointer drive and layin. The Shocker lead grew to 48-30 with 12:36 to play.

Despite an 18-point deficit, the Lady Lions came roaring back with a 14-3 run to cut the Shocker lead to only seven with 6:44 to play.

But, WSU came right back on the strength of its two seniors. Sudbeck knocked a jumper and got fouled. She drilled the free throw, and Daria Frazier knocked down a jumper on the next possession to push the lead back to 14, 63-49 with 4:11 remaining.

WSU continues its seven-game homestand against Kent State on Dec. 17. The game is scheduled to tip at 7:05 p.m.

-Wichita State-