No. 10 Wichita State played without its All-America point guard and endured a foul-plagued opener Friday before defeating Charleston Southern 88-63 at Koch Arena in Wichita.

Guard Fred VanVleet started and played three minutes before deciding not to push a strained left hamstring. The Shockers didn’t need him and the offense operated just fine with senior guard Ron Baker, junior guard John Robert Simon and freshman guard Ty Taylor running the show.

Baker led Wichita State (1-0) with 15 points. Guard Landry Shamet and forward Eric Hamilton, both freshmen, scored 13 apiece. Hamilton also grabbed seven rebounds and made all six of his free throws.

Guard Demetrius Pollard led Charleston Southern (0-1) with 20 points.

The teams combined for 66 fouls. WSU made 31-of-41 foul shots, outscoring Charleston Southern by 12 at the line.

Wichita State, after making 2-of-12 3-pointers in the first half, made five of 13 in the second half. A 10-0 run gave Wichita State a 57-40 lead.

Charleston Southern missed 30-of-48 shots from the field. The Shockers won the rebounding battle 48-29 and scored 16 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds.

The first half unfolded as predicted with officials calling the game closely. The teams combined for 36 fouls and 40 free throws. Wichita State benefited the most, making 20-of-22 free throws to help build a 42-30 lead.

A steal and layup by Simon gave the Shockers a 26-18 advantage and started a 9-4 run. Charleston Southern missed 8-of-10 shots during that span, and the Shockers grabbed a 33-23 lead.

Baker and Shamet both scored eight points in the first half for WSU. Forward Rashard Kelly and fHamilton added seven apiece.

The Shockers made 2-of-12 3-pointers and outrebounded the Buccaneers 28-16.

Forward Aaron Wheeler and guard Patrick Wallace both scored eight points in the first half for Charleston Southern.