Ricky Council IV enjoyed a breakout performance off the bench Tuesday, posting 13 points and eight rebounds as Wichita State downed Tulsa 69-65 at Tulsa, Okla., in the American Conference opener for both teams.

Playing a season-high 16 minutes, Council showed off both shooting range and toughness underneath as one of four Shockers (2-2, 1-0 American) to score in double figures.

Alterique Gilbert also netted 13 points for Wichita State, while Trey Wade added 11 and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler 10. The Shockers, who got 33 points from their bench, scored their last bucket at the 3:40 mark and then added just three free throws in closing out the victory.

Tulsa (1-3, 0-1), playing its first game in 11 days after pausing team activities Dec. 6, recovered from a 17-point deficit to make it interesting with a 9-0 run early in the second half that was part of a 6-for-6 tear.

Missed free throws proved critical, however, as the Golden Hurricane went 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from the line.

Brandon Rachal led Tulsa with a double-double, recording game highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Wichita State led by as many as 17 before grabbing a 43-29 halftime margin behind nine points each from Poor Bear-Chandler and Council. That duo contributed entirely to a 10-0 run by the Shockers late in the half after Tulsa had crawled within seven.

A 9-1 start got stretched into an 18-7 lead as Wichita State made four 3-pointers before seven minutes had elapsed. Tyson Etienne, the Shockers' leading scorer with a 19.7-point average, drew two quick fouls and went scoreless in five first-half minutes.

The Golden Hurricane came in averaging a 14.6-point advantage in paint points but settled for 16 triples among its 28 first-half attempts. Rachal scored seven first-half points, but Tulsa went just 35.7 percent from the field.

The road win was the 12th in the last 17 trips for Wichita State.

--Field Level Media