WICHITA, Kan.- Sophomore Fred VanVleet led all scorers with 17 points, as the Wichita State men's basketball team defeated Western Kentucky 66-49 on Tuesday morning inside Charles Koch Arena.

Kadeem Coleby added 13 points and three blocks, while Cleanthony Early scored 11 points and pulled down nine rebounds.

VanVleet sparked the Shockers in the early going, hitting a pull-up three-point jumper in fast break to put Wichita State up 4-0. A Coleby jumper in the paint capped a 6-0 run to start the game.

The Hilltoppers fought their way back, taking a 12-10 lead with a three-pointer at the 11:20 mark. A pair of VanVleet free-throws put the Shockers back ahead 13-12, and a Western Kentucky turnover and a jumper from the free-throw line by Tekele Cotton put the Wichita State lead at 15-12.

Minutes later Western Kentucky used two three-pointers to go ahead 24-19, but an 8-0 run which saw Wichita State force the Hilltoppers to turn the ball over on three straight possessions gave the Shockers a 27-24 lead with 3:52 remaining in the half.

Western Kentucky hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the Shocker lead to 30-28 going into the break.

Shooting 10-for-26 (.385) from the field in the first half, Wichita State forced 10 Western Kentucky turnovers and used eight blocked shots to take a two-point lead into the half. VanVleet led the scoring with 11 points and Early added seven points and five rebounds.

The Shockers came out of the break on fire, as Ron Baker opened second half with a 3-pointer from the left corner. Coleby then rattled off six straight points, capped by a dunk at the 16:38 mark that forced a Western Kentucky timeout and put Wichita State up 39-28. A floater in the lane from Cotton out of the timeout capped an 11-0 run.

The lead never got below nine the rest of the way, and a layup from Coleby at the 4:44 mark gave the Shockers a 16-point lead, 61-45.

Wichita State shot 24-for-52 (.462) for the game, including 14-for-26 (.538) in the second half. The Shocker defense forced 17 turnovers and blocked 12 Western Kentucky shots.

William & Mary will come to Charles Koch Arena to play the Shockers on Thurs., Nov. 14. Tip is set for 7 p.m.