WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State dominated nearly every phase in a much-needed win over Tulsa, 79-63, Wednesday night in Charles Koch Arena.

Wichita State (11-16, 3-11) has won 11 straight in the series with Tulsa at home, avenging a loss at Tulsa just a few weeks ago.

Defensively, Wichita State set the tone early on and never let up. They forced a season-high 22 turnovers and held Tulsa to 2-of-20 from three-point range. The Shockers scored 29 points off those turnovers.

On a night when Wichita State didn't shoot particularly well from outside (3-for-13), they dominated the paint. Fifty of Wichita State's 79 points came inside and converted 18-of-21 attempts at the free throw line.

Colby Rogers led a balanced scoring attack with 19 points, but it was Kenny Pohto who put together his best game in over a month. The junior forward totaled 16 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting. Bijan Cortes added a season-high 11 points and dished four assists.

Wichita State's 15 steals were also a season high, four of those coming from Xavier Bell – a career high.

The first 10:00 minutes featured a back-and-forth battle that saw the game tied at 16-16. Kenny Pohto then ignited a 9-0 run with four straight points. Rogers knocked down a transition three and Cortes converted a layup to make it 25-16 with 7:42 left in the half.

Tulsa briefly cut it back to four, but the Shockers would close the half on a 14-1 run to take a commanding 43-26 lead into the half.

Wichita State forced 13 Tulsa turnovers, scoring 17 points off those miscues. The Shockers outscored the Hurricane, 17-2 in points off turnovers and 12-1 in second chance points.

To offset 2-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc, Wichita State was 11-for-12 at the free throw line.

Rogers (11) and Pohto (10) combined for 21 first half points.

The start of the second half had the familiar look of a letdown with Tulsa scoring the first four points, but that would be put to bed behind a game-sealing 14-2 run. Wichita State led 57-32 with 12:45 remaining and the lead was never in doubt.

Up Next
Wichita State hosts Temple on Sunday for a nationally-televised matchup on ESPN at 3 p.m.