Wichita State (2-2) defeated Tulsa (1-3), 69-65,  Tuesday evening in its American Athletic Conference opener.

The Shockers quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead to open the game and were able to take a 43-29 lead into the locker room. The team’s leading scorer Tyson Etienne was held scoreless in the first half after dealing with foul trouble. It was the Shockers first halftime lead since the season opener against Oral Roberts. 

Tulsa had a quick 7-0 run to open up the second half, which cut the deficit down to six. But the Shockers pulled away late with free throws from Craig Porter Jr. and Etienne to put the deficit out of reach. 

WSU shot 41% (25-61) from the floor and 38% (10-26) from downtown. The Shockers had four different players finish in double figures— Ricky Council IV, Trey Wade, Alterique Gilbert and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler. 

On the other side, Tulsa shot 42% from the field and 26% from downtown. Brandon Rachal led the Golden Hurricane with 17 points. 

The battle on the glass was even overall, but WSU managed to out-rebound Tulsa 42-37. Tulsa was able to outscore the Shockers 30-20 in the paint.

The Shockers were able to get some strong play off its bench with freshman Council IV and Poor Bear-Chandler combined for 23 points and 13 rebounds. WSU outscored Tulsa 33-14 in bench points.

The Shockers will be back in action on Friday as they will face off against Emporia State at 6 p.m. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN+.