DES MOINES, Iowa -- Ron Baker scored 23 points, including 13 straight down the stretch, and 16th-ranked Wichita State opened league play with a 66-58 win over Drake on Wednesday.
Tekele Cotton had 17 points for the Shockers (11-2, 1-0 MVC), who answered a Christmas Day loss to George Washington with their 22nd straight Missouri Valley conference victory.
But Wichita State struggled for much of the night against the team with the worst record in the Valley. The Shockers didn't take their first double-digit lead, 56-46, until there was 5:49 left.
Baker's layup with 1:02 remaining gave Wichita State a 64-57 lead, and Drake turned it over on the next possession.
Jacob Enevold had 12 points with 15 rebounds for Drake (3-10). The Bulldogs shot just 33 percent from the field.
Wichita State didn't have the most encouraging trip to Hawaii last week.
After blowing out Loyola Marymount in Honolulu, the Shockers needed overtime to beat the hometown Rainbow Warriors 80-79. Wichita State then shot just 34.4 percent in falling to George Washington.
The Shockers didn't look much better in their return to the mainland.
Drake kept it close in the first half, in part by dominating the boards, and trailed just 29-25 at halftime. The Bulldogs even tied it 34-all on a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer by Gary Ricks with 14:04 to go.
Baker nailed back-to-back 3s to give Wichita State a 59-49 lead with 5:17 left.
But the Bulldogs wouldn't go away, and Enevold's dunk brought Drake to 59-55. But the rebuilding Bulldogs had no answer for Baker in the final 7 minutes.
Baker had 19 of his 23 points in the second half, but teammate Fred VanVleet was held to seven points and three assists.
TIP-INS
Wichita State: The last time the Shockers lost to a current member of the Valley was on Feb. 27, when Evansville beat them 59-56. Wichita State fell to Creighton in the league title game a few weeks later, but it hasn't lost a conference game since.
Drake: Though the Bulldogs lost, they looked much better in their second game against a ranked opponent in 11 days. The Bulldogs were throttled by Iowa State 83-54 on Dec. 20. ... Drake outrebounded Wichita State 38-29.
UP NEXT
Wichita State hosts Illinois State on Sunday.
Drake plays at Missouri State on Saturday.
