SPRINGFIELD, Ill.- Three Shockers scored 20 or more points as the Wichita State women's basketball team captured its Missouri Valley Conference opener against Missouri State 98-68 on Sunday afternoon inside JQH Arena.

Jamillah Bonner scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting to lead all scorers. The junior also pulled down six rebounds and had four steals. Alex Harden added 23 points and five assists, while Michelle Price had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

The Shockers came out of the gate on fire, connecting on their first six shots from the floor. Bonner hit back-to-back buckets, including a three-pointer at the 17:53 mark to give Wichita State a 9-7 lead in the early going.

A layup from Kelsey Jacobs gave the Shockers their first double-digit advantage, 23-13 with 12:19 remaining in the half. Wichita State would go up by as many as 14 in the first 20 minutes, but the Bears cut into the lead before halftime as the Shockers went into the break up seven, 43-37. Harden, playing much of the half with three fouls, scored five out of the last six buckets for Wichita State to keep Missouri State at bay.

The Shockers shot 20-for 32 (.625) from the field in the first half while Missouri State shot 13-for-28 (.464). Bonner scored 13 points and pulled down five rebounds to lead the way for Wichita State. Harden added 11 points and three assists. The Shocker defense forced 11 Missouri State turnovers, scoring 15 points off those turnovers.

A Price jumper in the paint three minutes into the second half capped a 6-0 run for Wichita State and put them up 55-43. Another bucket from Price at the 11:13 mark gave the Shockers a 17-point advantage, 65-38.

The lead never dipped below 10 the rest of the way and an 8-0 run capped by a pair of Bonner free-throws with just over two minutes left in the game put Wichita State up 92-66. The Shockers then closed the game with six consecutive points.

Wichita State shot 36-for-64 (.563) for the game and forced 18 Missouri State turnovers. They also won the rebounding battle, 39-28.

The Shockers will continue MVC play on Fri. Jan. 10 when they travel to Chicago to take on Loyola at 7 p.m.