A pair of Wichita State underclassmen rained on SIUC’s Senior Night from behind the arc.

Shocker freshman Maurice Evans and sophomore Jason Perez knocked down eight three-pointers to help Wichita State overcome a 13-point first half deficit. The Shockers took a 67-60 lead on back-to-back threes from Perez and Evans and held on for a 70-66 win Monday night in the regular season finale.

SIUC rallied to within 68-63 with 1:31 left, but Shocker senior guard Terry Hankton nailed two free throws with 40 seconds remaining to seal the win. The Salukis had one last chance after drawing within four, but three-point attempts by sophomore forward Chris Thunell and senior guard Shane Hawkins would not fall.

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Evans finished with 24 points, and his six three-pointers tied a Missouri Valley Conference record, while Perez added 18.

Wichita State wrapped up fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference with the win and improved to 15-14 overall and 11-7 in the Valley. SIUC finished its regular season at 13-15 overall and 8-10 in conference play.

The Salukis dropped to the eighth seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, which begins Friday night in St. Louis. SIUC will play ninth-seed University of Northern Iowa at 6:05 p.m.

They’re a good basketball team, and one thing they’ve got is defense and physical strength, Thunell said. We just let down and gave up the open shots. In the second half, they had about eight shots in a row that were uncontested.

After a solid first-half effort in which SIUC took a 34-23 lead at halftime, the Salukis came apart at the seams to open the second half. Three three-pointers by Evans gave Wichita State a 41-37 lead as SIUC scored just three points in the opening six minutes of the half.

Junior forward Monte Jenkins then gave the Salukis a brief spark. After being shut out in the first half, Jenkins scored 11 of SIUC’s next 13 points to give the Salukis a 53-48 lead with just under eight minutes left. Jenkins finished with a team-high 16 points.

But the Shockers, who shot just 21 percent from the field in the first half, came back strong and opened up a seven-point lead with three minutes left on consecutive threes by Perez and Evans. The Shockers then closed the game with free throws from senior forward Roosevelt Overstreet and Hankton.

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It will be important to have the next four or five days off, Saluki coach Rich Herrin said. We want to win every basketball game, but that’s something we haven’t been able to do this year.

SIUC took control early in a first half that saw as many bodies hit the floor as baskets scored. The Salukis raced out to an early 20-7 lead on the strength of two three-pointers by Hawkins and a solid SIUC defensive effort. The Shockers closed to seven points, but SIUC opened the lead to 34-23 at halftime.

The Salukis took the brunt of a physical first half in which both teams combined for 25 fouls. Junior forward James Jackson picked up his fourth foul of the half with 4:23 left, while junior center James Watts earned his third foul two minutes later.

SIUC was led in scoring in the first half by Tucker with 10, while Thunell had nine and Hawkins added eight. Evans led the Shockers with nine points.