SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State (10-3) used solid defense and clutch rebounding to turn back visiting Wright State (7-5) here Tuesday, 66-50, in the Bears’ final non-conference matchup of the regular season.
MSU did not allow a field goal in the final 7 minutes, 45 seconds, forcing the Raiders into 20 consecutive missed shots to end the game. WSU finished just 18-of-64 (.281) from the field after cutting the Bears’ advantage to 53-48 on a 3-pointer by Jaylon Hall, his team’s final bucket.
Obediah Church started MSU’s march to the finish line from there, making 2-of-3 free throws on the home club’s next two possessions and then converting a layup with just under five minutes to go. When Jarrid Rhodes beat the shot clock with a bucket at the four-minute mark, it pushed Missouri State’s lead to double figures, 59-48.
Church, who finished with a team-high 13 points, then put the exclamation mark on the win with a dunk back with 93 seconds remaining – his third slam of the night.
Alize Johnson posted his seventh double-double of the campaign for Missouri State, scoring 12 points and collecting a game-high 14 rebounds, while Rhodes also added 12 points.
In the first half, the Bears set a blistering pace, using a 9-0 run over a four-and-a-half minute spell to build a 15 point lead. Church’s dunk with 8:41 left in the opening stanza made it a 23-8 contest.
Before the intermission, a put-back by Ross Owens, another dunk by Church and a trey by Rhodes pushed the home side ahead, 34-13, the Bears’ biggest lead of the night.
Wright State, which had won seven of eight heading into the game, opened the second half on a 10-2 run to trim MSU’s lead to 10 before the first media timeout. Rhodes and Church teamed up to build the Bears’ advantage back to 14 before another 8-2 run by the visitors sliced Missouri State’s lead to 42-33.
The final push by WSU came with a 12-4 outburst, which was capped by Hall’s trey at the 7:45 mark that made it a five-point game.
“This was a great tune-up for the Valley because it was such a physical game, and we knew they were a good team that wasn’t going to go away,” said MSU head coach Paul Lusk who picked up his 100thcareer win. “We needed to step up our defensive intensity, and I think we did that down the stretch.”
Missouri State out-rebounded Wright State by a 42-40 margin with the Raiders accounting for 11 second-chance points on 15 offensive caroms.
The Bears, the third MVC team to 10 non-conference wins, had 14 assists, including 4 by Johnson, 11 turnovers, 32 points in the paint and 6 blocked shots. MSU finished 26-of-56 (.464) from the field, 6-of-16 (.375) from bonus range and 8-of-14 (.571) at the stripe.
Wright State was 8-of-16 (.500) at the foul line, just 6-of-29 (.207) from 3-point range, and also committed 11 turnovers. The Raiders were led by Justin Mitchell’s game-high 18 points, while Hall scored 10.
The Bears will now prepare for their Missouri Valley Conference opener Friday at JQH Arena against Loyola (10-2). The national telecast on FOX Sports Net and the MVC Television Network tips off at 8 p.m. Tickets for the Loyola game are on sale now at MissouriStateBears.com or at the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena — (417) 836-7678 – during regular box office hours.
