KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Wichita State scored the first eight points of the second half and never looked back, turning a three-point halftime lead into an 88-63 runaway victory over Saint Louis in the NABC Hall of Fame Classic Friday night in the T-Mobile Center.

Wichita State is 5-0 for the 17th time in school history and the first time since 2016. The Shockers have now won seven in a row over Saint Louis with wins in back-to-back seasons.

Justin Hill scored a game-high 17 points to go with four assists. Corey Washington scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half. He also added eight rebounds. AJ McGinnis hit a pair of three-pointers and was 4-for-6 from the field, scoring a season-high 12 points. Bijan Cortes had his best game of the season, going for 10 points and three assists, including two big three-pointers to help Wichita State extend its second half lead.

The Shockers outrebounded the Billikens by seven and forced 14 turnovers – 10 of them being steals. Wichita State finished with just seven turnovers on the night.

A tight first half saw Wichita State grab a 40-37 lead at halftime thanks to a 6-0 run that turned a six-point deficit into a tie ball game with 5:16 to go. Another 8-2 spurt to close the half gave Wichita State momentum heading into the locker room.

To open the second half, five points from Cortes and a layup from Harlond Beverly pushed the lead to double digits for the first time in the game. That margin would not come any closer over the final 18:34.

A pair of free throws and a layup on consecutive possessions from Joy Ighovodja made it 52-39. Ighovodja set season highs in points (6), rebounds (5) and steals (2). Ighovodja was one of the many bright spots from the bench on the night, combining with McGinnis, Matej Bosnjak and Xavier Bell for 31 points.

Saint Louis briefly cut the lead to 10 only to see Wichita State punch back with a 9-0 run, capped by a McGinnis transition three-pointer.

Cortes' second three of the night gave the Shockers a 70-49 lead with 7:34 to go, effectively putting the game away. Wichita State led by as many as 25 in the second half.

Up Next
Wichita State will spend Thanksgiving in the Sunshine State at the 2024 ESPN Events Invitational. The Shockers open the two-day tournament vs. Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.