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WICHITA, Kan. – A strong first half and a stingy defense was enough to give Wichita State a win in the Missouri Valley Conference Friday night as the Shockers downed Southern Illinois, 57-48.

The Shockers out-shot the Salukis, 38.6 percent to 30.9 percent for the game, and also had 24 bench points to Southern Illinois' 15.

Wichita State was led by Diamond Lockhart who scored a game-high 19 points and also collected seven rebounds. TaQuandra Mike also added 14 points, along with two assists and four rebounds. Rangie Bessard chipped in with nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

The Salukis were led by Dyana Pierre who had a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, with Kim Nebo also adding 12 points.

Southern Illinois opened the third quarter with a 13-0 run to cut the Shockers' commanding 27-18 halftime lead to six, but before the end of the frame, Wichita State pushed the lead back to eight, 43-35.

Again in the fourth quarter, the Salukis shot the ball well, and after a 4-0 run, Southern Illinois cut the lead to two. Back-to-back baskets by Mike pushed the Shocker lead back to 53-45 with 58 seconds left to play in the game. Free throws sealed the game for WSU to give the Shockers their first win in Missouri Valley Conference play.

After the Shockers won the first two quarters, 15-9 and 22-9, SIU took control o fthe third quarter, out-scoring WSU, 17-6. WSU grinded out a 14-13 margin in the fourth quarter to hold on to the game and break a seven-game losing streak.

A strong defensive performance in the first quarter by the Shockers, with six forced SIU turnovers, gave Wichita State an early 11-3 lead. A quick 6-2 run by the Salukis cut the lead to 13-5, but a basket at the end of the half by Mike gave the Shockers a 15-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Shockers came out strong again in the second quarter, and after three-straight baskets by Lockhart, WSU took a commanding 32-16 lead. After one more basket by Lockhart, and a three-pointer at the buzzer by Jyar Francis, the Shockers took a 37-18 lead into halftime.

The Shockers are in action again on Sun., Jan. 24, as Wichita State plays host to Evansville at 2 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.