WICHITA, Kan. – Cleanthony Early led all Shockers with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting as the Wichita State men's basketball team defeated Oral Roberts, 71-58 Saturday evening in Charles Koch Arena.

Chadrack Lufile scored a career-high 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds, while Darius Carter scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the victory.

Oral Roberts took an early 7-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game before Wichita State went on its own 7-2 run capped by a Kadeem Coleby layup to tie the score, 9-9, with 12:09 left in the first half.

A steal by Early and a Lufile layup put the Shockers up 16-15 with 7:48 in the half but the Golden Eagles went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to take back the lead, 24-18 with 4:57 left until the break. Oral Roberts outscored Wichita State 6-4 in the final few minutes of the half, giving the Golden Eagles a 30-22 advantage going into the locker room.

Early led all Shockers with five points on 2-of-3 shooting and Lufile added four in the first 20 minutes of play. Wichita State shot just 22 percent (6-for-27) from the field, while Oral Roberts shot 48 percent (13-for-27) from the field and 40 percent (2-for-5) behind the arc.

The Shockers started the second half on an 8-2 run capped by two-straight threes by Early and a Cotton layup to tie the game at 32, forcing an Oral Roberts timeout with 16:33 left in the game.

A dunk by Early gave Wichita State its first lead since the 7:15 mark of the first half, 36-32. A Lufile layup at the 13:17 mark capped a 16-4 run over four minutes to extend the Shocker lead, 43-36.

Wichita State went on an 11-3 run sparked by a Cotton layup to extend the Shocker lead, 64-46 with 4:46 left in the game. The Golden Eagles hit two-straight threes with 1:24 left on the clock to cut the lead, 68-56, but it wouldn't be enough as Wichita State would go on to win 71-58.

The Shockers held Oral Roberts to 39 percent (21-for-53) shooting from the field and 30 percent (4-for-13) behind the arc, while forcing 10 turnovers. Wichita State improved its field goal percentage in the second half, shooting 54 percent (20-for-37) from the field and 50 percent (4-for-8) from three-point range.

The Shockers will host Tennessee Sat., Dec. 14 at INTRUST Bank Arena. Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and this will mark the third consecutive year Wichita State will play in the arena.

-WICHITA STATE-