R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tekele Cotton scored nine straight points to fuel a 17-3 pull-away run in the first half and No. 8 Wichita State beat Southern Illinois 56-45 in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Friday.

Fred VanVleet had 13 points, four assists and three steals for the Shockers (28-3), who beat Southern Illinois (12-21) for the third straight time.

Cotton topped 1,000 career points and finished with 12 points, three assists and a block. Ron Baker had 10 points, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

Jalen Pendleton had 12 points and Anthony Beane 10 for Southern Illinois, which shot 34 percent and committed 18 turnovers. Beane scored eight of the Salukis’ first 10 points but missed nine of his last 10 shots.