Wichita State 80, Loyola Marymount 53

[December 23, 2014]  No. 11 Wichita State 80, Loyola Marymount 53: Darius Carter and Tekele Cotton scored 12 points apiece as the Shockers dominated the opening game at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.

Ron Baker added 11 points for Wichita State, which plays Hawaii in Tuesday’s semifinals. Carter grabbed eight rebounds and Fred VanVleet contributed seven assists for the Shockers (9-1), who have won 44 of their last 46 games dating to last season.

Evan Payne, who came in averaging 21.7 points for Loyola Marymount, finished with 15. Ayodeji Egbeyemi was the only other player in double figures for the Lions (3-7), scoring 13 points.

Loyola Marymount never led as the Shockers raced to a 19-4 lead eight minutes into the game. The Lions got back within single digits with a 10-3 run but Wichita State answered with five straight points and eventually took a 37-23 lead into the half as VanVleet hit a 3 with two seconds left.

The Lions went more than five minutes without scoring in the first half and hit another lull early in the second as Wichita State went on a 14-0 run to push the lead to 28 at the 14:48 mark. The Shockers began lifting their starters with about 12 minutes remaining and the reserves managed to keep the lead above 20.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Shockers outrebounded the Lions 32-19 despite not having a starter taller than 6-7. … The Lions, who meet Nebraska in Tuesday's consolation round, had 16 turnovers and five assists. … Loyola Marymount missed all five of its 3-point attempts while Wichita State shot 11-for-24 from beyond the arc.

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