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EVANSVILLE, Ind.  -- Wichita State won on the road at Evansville, 44-31, behind 16 points from Rangie Bessard and 12 points from TaQuandra Mike, Friday night inside the Ford Center.
 
Zone defense most of the game kept the score low and the shooting percentage even lower as WSU out-shot the Purple Aces, 27.7 to 22.9 percent for the game. WSU also out-rebounded the Aces, 46-32, for the game. Mike also had a career-high 11 rebounds to go with the 12 points for her first double-double of the season.

In addition, WSU held Evansville to single-digit scorers as Sasha Robinson had eight points as the top Ace. Sara Dickey, the fourth-leading scorer in the Valley with 16.5 points a game, was held by WSU to four points.
 
In the third period, WSU held the Aces without a basket until the five minute mark and extended the five-point halftime lead to six, 24-18. WSU out-scored UE, 6-2, over the final five minutes of the third to take a 30-20 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
In the fourth, the two teams traded three-pointers in the first four minutes for a 33-23 Shocker lead. WSU pushed the lead to 12, its largest of the game to that point, at the 4:25 mark with two Bessard free throws. WSU out-scored UE, 11-8 over the final four minutes to take the 44-31 lead.
 
WSU took a 6-0 lead on jumpers by Bessard, Mike and Chapel by the 6:30 mark of the first quarter, holding the Aces scoreless until the 6:15 mark when Dickey made one free throw. UE's first field goal came at 4:29, while the Shockers held the Aces to just one more field goal to take a 10-5 lead into the second quarter.
 
WSU's defense continued more of the same, holding UE scoreless until the 5:18 mark when Kenyia Johnson cut WSU's lead to 16-7. The score set the Aces on a 7-2 run capped by a three by Campbell as the Shockers' lead dwindled to 18-14 at 2:03. Each team shot free throws as the quarter wound down as the Shockers took a 20-15 lead into halftime.
 
Each team's zone defense led to both teams shooting 28.6 percent with WSU 8-of-28 and Evansville, 6-of-21 from the field for the half. WSU out-boarded the Aces, 24 to 13 in the first half. Bessard led WSU in scoring for the half with 10 points while UE's Cambell and Dickey had three each to lead the Aces.
 
Wichita State is next in action 2 p.m., Sunday at Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill.