Fun one in the Q!!!
BIG WIN for the #MSUBears to start the weekend! pic.twitter.com/CfceUE7n3A
— Missouri State Basketball (@MoStateMBB) February 14, 2021
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State got 24 points and seven 3-pointers from Ja’Monta Black, while Gaige Prim added 20 points to help lead the Bears (13-5, 9-5 MVC) to an 80-58 win over visiting Bradley here Saturday.
The Bears, who rolled to their fourth straight MVC win, knocked down a season-high 14 treys, including four from Jared Ridder and three from Demarcus Sharp, while firing at a 57.4 percent clip from the field for the game.
Bradley (11-12, 5-9 MVC), which played without four of its starters, was led by Ville Tahvanainen with 13 points, while freshman Darius Hannah posted 10 points, all in the second half.
Missouri State used a 17-0 run over a five-minute stretch in the first half to gain a double-figure lead for the first time and capitalized on 73.9 percent shooting in the opening stanza to lead 44-24 at the midway point. Black, who scored 15 points in the opening half, had 9 points on that decisive early run, while Prim had 6.
The Bears were also 7-of-10 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes with Black and Ridder combining to knock down seven triples.
In the second half, Bradley climbed back within 50-37 with just over 13 minutes to go as Hannah posted 8 points in a 13-6 outburst by the visitors. But Missouri State responded with a 7-0 run of its own with Sharp knocking down a key 3-pointer, Prim scoring on a short jumper, and Isiaih Mosley driving for a layup that pushed the MSU lead to 57-37.
With about six minutes to go, Missouri State began pulling away for good with Black and Ridder leading an 11-0 charge for the Bears. The tandem knocked combined for three more 3-pointers in that three-minute stretch to make it 73-48, Missouri State’s biggest lead of the contest.
From there, coach Dana Ford cleared the bench, getting freshmen Elijah Bridgers and Melvyn Ebonkoli into the scoring column with three and four points, respectively, in the final 90 seconds.
For the game, Missouri State was 31-of-54 (.574) to improve to 9-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field. The Bears were also 14-for-23 (.609) from long range, 4-of-5 (.800) at the line, and out-rebounded BU by a 32-22 margin.
Ridder joined Black and Prim in double figures with 12 points, while Sharp pitched in 9 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Mosley matched a career-high 7 assists and snagged 3 steals. Prim’s 20-point effort was his sixth of the season.
With senior Spencer Brown getting the starting call for the first time, Black came off the bench for the first time this season and helped MSU post a season-high 45 bench points.
Bradley was 23-of-52 (.442) overall, 3-for-14 (.214) beyond the arc and 9-of-10 (.900) at the line with 14 turnovers.
