WICHITA, Kan.  – Xavier Bell picked up where he left off before Christmas break with a game and career-high 29 points in Wichita State's win over Friends, 87-72, Sunday evening in Charles Koch Arena.

Wichita State finishes the non-conference slate at 10-3, its best out of conference record since 2019-20 when the Shockers went 12-1 vs. non-league members.

Bell tallied his third straight 20-point game behind a career-high 29 points. He scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half. He joins Colby Rogers as the last two Shockers to score 20-plus in a half. Bell was efficient all night getting to the rim. He finished 11-of-16 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the line.

Quincy Ballard recorded his second straight double-double and third of the season behind 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.

Corey Washington came off the bench for the first time this season and logged 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals. AJ McGinnis scored eight of his 11 points in the first five minutes of the game. Nine of his 11 came from beyond the arc.

Wichita State shot better than 50 percent from the field for the third straight game, finishing at 51.7 percent. The Falcons knocked down 11 three-pointers and shot 36.6 percent overall.

The Shockers outrebounded Friends by 12, despite giving up 15 offensive rebounds.

Wichita State stormed out to an early 14-4 lead over the game's first 4:27 only to see Friends punch back with a 13-4 run to pull within a point, 18-17. Nearly two minutes later the Falcons would tie the game at 20-20.

A personal 7-0 run from Bell pushed the margin back to seven and the Shockers would get it back to 12 with 1:54 left until halftime. Back-to-back triples from Friends made it 43-36 before Bell's 21st point of the half made it 45-36 at halftime.

Wichita State immediately pushed the margin back to 11 to open the second half and it would stay in double digits for the remainder of the game. The Shockers led by as many as 21 in the second half.

While Bell stole the show in the first half, Ballard and Washington combined to score 24 of the team's 42 points after halftime. Thirteen of Ballard's 17 points came in the second half, missing his career high by one point.

Up Next
Wichita State opens the New Year with its conference opener in the City of Brotherly Love. The Shockers and Owls tip off Friday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.