SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State shot 50 percent from the field and went 12-for-27 from 3-point land Saturday afternoon at Great Southern Bank Arena for a 75-51 victory over visiting Middle Tennessee.
Chance Moore scored a career-high 19 points off the bench and made his first eight shots before finishing 8-for-9, Alston Mason added 16 with four triples, and Donovan Clay scored 15 with a career-best nine assists as the Bears dished out 20 helpers on 28 made baskets.
Missouri State took the lead for good during a 14-3 run in the opening minutes, with Mason hitting a pair of 3-pointers and Kendle Moore capping it with another for a 19-8 advantage with 11:26 on the clock.
Chance Moore hit all three of his long balls in a 14-2 MSU run for a 37-20 margin with 1:32 left in the opening half, and Mason beat the halftime buzzer with a layup for a 41-22 lead at intermission after the Bears went 8-for-14 deep and 16-for-28 overall in the opening 20 minutes.
Another Kendle Moore triple put the Bears up by 20 for the first time at 44-24 early in the second half, and Middle Tennessee (2-2) would get no closer than 15 from there as the Bears’ lead grew to as many as 29 in the waning minutes.
Missouri State’s defense held the Blue Raiders to 34 percent overall and 3-for-19 from long range while grabbing nine steals and forcing 16 MT turnovers. Clay had three of those thefts while Kendle Moore, Chance Moore and Dalen Ridgnal nabbed two apiece.
Clay’s five rebounds were a team high with nine players grabbing multiple boards, and the Bears made all seven of their free throw attempts.
The Bears are off to the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship over Thanksgiving weekend, beginning with a Friday, Nov. 25 game against UNC Wilmington in the Bahamian capital.
