WICHITA, Kan. -- A career-best 16-point effort from sophomore Jacie Hoyt propelled Wichita State to a 71-59 victory over Mercer in its last non-conference test and final game of 2008.

Senior Daria Frazier used a 15-point second half to lead all scorers with 17 points in the game. Hoyt and senior Marcy Sudbeck each finished with 16 points in the game, while sophomore Val Siemens posted a 12-point outing. Sudbeck added nine rebounds, while junior Marisah Henderson added seven assists to her slate, bringing her season assist total to 87.

Senior Dominique Chism led the Bears with 16 points and six rebounds.

A three from the corner by sophomore Jacie Hoyt kicked off the Shockers' offense. Hoyt's first block of the season on Mercer's ensuing possession held the Bears scoreless for the game's opening two minutes while WSU took a 5-0 lead.

Back-to-back Mercer buckets put the Bears on the board, but a pair of Marisah Henderson steals resulted in lay ups as the Shockers stretched the early lead, 13-6. By the end of the half, Wichita State tallied six steals and nine points off of Mercer's turnovers.

An 8-2 Mercer run led by senior Dominique Chism closed the gap, 15-14. Fellow senior TaShera Lewis' pair of free throws handed the Bears their first lead of the game, 16-15. The lead wouldn't last after Hoyt connected for five-consecutive points, again returning the advantage to the home team, 22-16.

With just over three minutes remaining, sophomore Val Siemens caught fire. The guard struck for seven-straight Shocker points, pushing the Shocker edge to 33-25, at the break. Despite the Bears holding a 44 percent shooting percentage?ranked 33rd nationally?the Shockers' defense held them to under 35 percent in the first 20 minutes, and under 40-percent on the evening.

Mercer opened the final half on an 8-2 offensive surge, including a steal and lay up from junior Courtney Ford. The scoring rally pulled the Bears within two, 35-33, before senior Daria Frazier kicked in three-straight baskets. The senior forward's effort returned a comfortable seven-point lead to the Shocks, and propelled her to her fourth consecutive game with double-digit point totals.

Fellow senior Marcy Sudbeck followed suit, chipping in lay ups and grabbing boards to fend off the battling Bears. With less than seven minutes remaining, Mercer narrowed their deficit to a single point, 50-49.

Again the Shockers responded, using Siemens and Frazier to stoke the fire. A three from Siemens and a short jumper by Frazier put WSU up, 55-51. Hoyt helped seal the deal, icing the Bears from behind the line. The sophomore hit a perfect 6-of-6 free throws to put the Shockers out of reach well under the two-minute mark, 65-56, and WSU hit its free throws down the stretch, picking up the 71-59 win.

Wichita State shot 46.2 percent (24-52) from the field, and 82.6 percent (19-23) from the free throw line, while holding Mercer to 37.9 percent (25-66) from the field.

The Shockers are next in action at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2, when they host the Bradley Braves to open Missouri Valley Conference play.

--Wichita State--