Ben Smith came off the bench and scored 17 points to help Wichita State hold off Evansville 80-74 on Tuesday night.
The Shockers (22-5, 13-3), who registered their school-record eighth straight conference road victory, retained a share of the Missouri Valley lead with Missouri State.
Joe Ragland scored 13 for the Shockers, Garrett Stutz 12 and Graham Hatch 10. J.T. Durley's 11 rebounds helped give Wichita State a 46-22 edge on the boards.
Colt Ryan paced the Purple Aces (14-12, 8-8) with 22 points, including three 3-pointers. Denver Holmes scored 12 and Ned Cox 10.
Wichita State led 54-45, but Evansville regained the advantage 58-57. The Purple Aces' last edge came at 64-62 with 6:53 to go before the Shockers used a 6-0 run to break a 68-68 tie and seal the victory.
Wichita State swept the season series from Evansville, which fell to 11-3 at home.
