HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Isiaih Mosley led four Bears in double figures with 21 points, while Gaige Prim added 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead Missouri State past Sam Houston, 77-55, here Wednesday in non-conference play.
Missouri State (2-2) also got 15 points from Ja’Monta Black and 11 from Keaton Hervey in the road win while shooting 59.1 percent in the second half.
The victory was far from easy, but the Bears used a pair of timely second-half surges to extend their 11-point halftime lead. Just four minutes into the second half, Mosley scored all nine Missouri State points over a three-minute stretch as part of a 9-3 spurt to extend the visitors’ lead to 43-26.
Midway through the second, Sam Houston capitalized on a flurry of MSU fouls and a triple by Jarren Cook as part of a 6-0 run to trim MSU’s advantage to 51-40 with 11:13 to play. But the Bears’ best run of the young season ensued with a 17-2 outburst over a five-minute stretch put the game away.
Black hit two treys, and Hervey hit another during that critical stretch, while Prim scored four up close. When the dust settled, The Bears led 68-42 with just over five minutes remaining.
Coach Dana Ford‘s Missouri State squad was 26-of-55 (.473) from the field and 8-fo-20 (.400) from long range. The Bears were near-perfect at the stripe, converting 17-for-18 (.944) free throws, while out-rebounding the Bearkats by a 39-33 margin.
Sam Houston (1-2) was led by Savion Flagg and Jarren Cook with 12 points apiece. The Bearkats made 20-of-62 (.323) field goals and matched Missouri State’s eight 3-pointers (8-for-23) while going 7-of-12 (.583) at the line.
The home side, which came into the game leading the nation in offensive rebounds, grabbed 16 on the offensive end, leading to 11 second-chance points. Sam Houston also had 21 bench points.
In the first half, Missouri State overcame a 2-for-12 start from the field and an early four-point deficit to lead 33-22 at the midway point. Black and Hervey scored 9 and 8 points, respectively in the opening 20 minutes.
Midway through the half, Mosley ignited a key 10-0 run for the visitors to push the Bears ahead 18-11 at the 8:28 mark. Five different players got into the scoring during the run. Later, a steal and layup by Demarcus Sharp gave MSU its biggest lead of the half, 28-16 with just over three minutes left in the stanza.
After Sam Houston clawed back within 28-22 on a pair of 3-pointers, Hervey scored Missouri State’s last five points of the half, including a clutch corner trey.
Missouri State will now prepare for a three-game showing next week (Nov. 22-24) at the Naples Invitational in Naples, Fla. The Bears then open league play at Illinois State on Dec. 1 before finally returning to JQH Arena on Saturday, Dec. 4 when they take on BYU in a nationally-televised game at 3 p.m.
