WICHITA, Kan.  – Cleanthony Early recorded his second double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Wichita State men's basketball team defeated Davidson, 81-70, Sunday afternoon in Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers improved to 13-0 on the season, the second-best win streak in school history. 

Ron Baker scored 15 points and led the team with five assists, while Darius Carter added 13 points and six rebounds and Tekele Cotton scored 10 points in the victory.

Wichita State shot 42 percent (23-for-54) from the field and 36 percent (7-for-19) from three-point range, while Davidson shot 42 percent (24-for-56) from the field and 39 percent (11-for-28) from behind the arc. The Shockers forced 15 Wildcat turnovers and outrebounded Davidson 39-35 on the day.

The Shockers jumped out to an early 11-5 lead in the first six minutes of play, capped by a jumper from Darius Carter at the 14:04 mark. Davidson (4-9, 0-0) took a 16-15 lead with 10:11 left in the first half but Wichita State (13-0, 0-0) went on an 8-3 run to extend its lead, 23-18.

The Wildcats hit back-to-back threes in the final minutes of the first half to regain the lead, 32-31, but the Shockers hit some free throws and a last second jumper by Carter put Wichita State on top, 36-32, going into the locker room.

Early led the Shockers in the first 20 minutes of play with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting and three rebounds, while Carter added six points and Tekele Cotton contributed five points.

The Shockers shot 46 percent (12-for-26) from the field and 30 percent (3-for-10) from three-point range, while the Wildcats shot 42 percent (11-for-26) from the field and 28 percent (4-for-14) from behind the arc. Wichita State forced 11 turnovers but was outrebounded 18-to-15 in the first half of play.

Cotton hit a quick layup to extend the Shocker lead, 38-32 in the second half but Davidson responded on the other end with a three-pointer to cut the deficit, 38-35. Wichita State went on a 5-1 run on a three by Early and a jumper from Carter to take a 43-36 lead at the 17:35 mark, but the Wildcats would not go away, hitting three straight shots to pull within one, 45-44.

A three-pointer from Early at the 12:14 mark capped a 10-2 Shocker run, giving them the 55-46 advantage. Davidson would not go away, however, responding with two three-pointers and a dunk, cutting the lead, 58-54 with 9:10 left to play.

Baker hit a three at the top of the key and Early followed with a layup at the 8:18 mark, giving Wichita State a 63-54 advantage before a Wildcat three quieted the crowd and brought Davidson within six, 63-57 with 7:57 left on the clock.

Early ended a four minute field goal drought with a layup at the 4:25 mark and VanVleet hit a three shortly after to extend the lead, 71-64, heading into the media timeout. Davidson could not find its offensive flow in the final minutes, however, and the Shockers went on to win, 81-70.

The Shockers travel to Carbondale, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 2 to take on Southern Illinois in the first Missouri Valley Conference matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN3.

-WICHITA STATE-