CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Missouri State got four straight free throws by sophomore Ryan Kreklow in the final 14 seconds to seal a 68-64 road win over Northern Iowa here Wednesday in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.
The Bears (10-4, 1-0 MVC) finished 10-for-11 at the foul line and held off a late surge by the Panthers (5-7, 0-1) who got to the line 20 times themselves in the second half.
Dequon Miller led all Missouri State players with 17 points, including a season-high five 3-pointers, while Kreklow scored 13, Alize Johnson added 12, and Jarrid Rhodes poured in 10 points in the Bears’ first win at the McLeod Center since Dec. 29, 2010 – the only other time the teams have played in an MVC opener.
Johnson also posted a game-high 10 rebounds in his seventh double-double of the season.
The Bears used a 19-0 run to build a 20-point lead less than 10 minutes into the game. Three different MSU players knocked down triples during the six-minute stretch, which the visitors were able to parlay into a 24-point advantage by the 6:46 mark of the opening stanza.
MSU was able to connect on nine 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of play and controlled the glass without allowing a single Panther offensive rebound to lead 39-22 at the intermission.
In the second half, UNI immediately cut its deficit to 16 but 90 seconds later, Miller’s fourth triple of the game pushed the Bears’ advantage back to 48-27 before the first media timeout. A Rhodes 3-pointer just under the 14-minute mark gave the Bears a 53-31 lead on a clutch shot.
“We had to earn this victory,” said MSU head coach Paul Lusk. “Coming into this environment with a great crowd and a great team on the road, I’m really proud of this team and the way they were able to find a way tonight.”
The Panthers found themselves in the bonus with 10:31 to go in the game and used that momentum to carry out a 9-0 run and make it a 55-46 game with 9:15 to go. Johnson stopped the bleeding with a close-range jumper and Miller answered the bell with a big-time triple at the 8:17 mark to push MSU’s lead to 60-48.
UNI tallied the next seven points to make it a 60-55 at the five-minute mark before Johnson rose the occasion again, first on a pair of foul shots and then on a drawn charge on the defensive end at the four-minute mark to keep the lead in the visitors’ court.
Rhodes knocked down a key jumper just before the two-minute mark to give the Bears a six-point cushion, and Kreklow iced the win in the deciding moments after UNI’s Jeremy Morgan fouled out on the Panthers’ final foul of the night.
Morgan finished with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-21 shots and 8-of-10 free throws.
MSU finished 23-for-49 (.469) overall and 12-for-22 (.545) from long range. The Bears never trailed and out-rebounded the Panthers 34-21, allowing just one UNI offensive carom.
UNI was 20-for-46 (.435) overall and 4-of-15 (.267) from three while converting 20-of-26 (.769) at the stripe with just seven turnovers.
MSU returns home this Saturday to do battle with Indiana State (6-7, 0-1 MVC) at 11 a.m. in another FOX Sports Midwest televised showdown.
