SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State had four players score in double figures, including a double-double from Jonathan Mogbo, to score an 85-62 conference win over visiting Evansville here Wednesday, extending the Bears’ win streak to four in a row.Mogbo’s 14 points and 10 rebounds marked his first Division I double-double, while Chance Moore poured in a team-high 19 points on five 3-pointers. Missouri State (8-7, 4-1 MVC) also got 17 points and 9 boards from Donovan Clay, while Dalen Ridgnal added 14 points and 9 rebounds in a wire-to-wire MSU victory.Evansville (4-12, 0-5) got a game-high 22 points from Marvin Coleman and 18 points from Kenny Strawbridge in the third straight Valley loss for the Aces.Missouri State took a double-figure lead less than eight minutes into the game, using an 8-0 surge to push ahead 22-10 at the 11:47 mark of the first half. Chance Moore, Damien Mayo Jr., Clay and Ridgnal each score baskets in the run.Later in the half, a Clay-led 6-0 mini-run gave MoState a 39-23 lead just before the intermission, their largest of the period for the home side.The Bears, however, put things out of reach in the second half. A free throw from freshman N.J. Benson, who scored a season-high 9 points, at the 15:49 mark gave the home side a 47-27 lead for its first 20-point lead.After Evansville cut its deficit to 16, the Bears turned to Moore who scored eight points as part of a 15-5 Missouri State run over the next four-and-a-half minutes. Ridgnal also had four points during that stretch that culminated in a 66-40 lead for MoState with 9:23 to play.The Bears would match that 26-point advantage twice more before the final horn and cruised to their fifth home victory of the season.Clay led all players with 6 assists, marking the sixth straight game he has led Missouri State in that category. Mogbo was equally strong in filling the box score with a game-high and season-high 5 steals.For the ball game, MSU finished 32-of-65 (.492) from the field, 9-of-23 (.381) from distance and 12-of-18 (.667) at the line with a 41-24 rebounding margin – their largest since opening night. As a team, the Bears racked up 15 assists and 11 steals on the night.Evansville was a respectable 23-of-47 (.489) from the field and 6-of-10 (.600) from distance, while converting 10-of-18 (.556) free throws with 16 turnovers. Yacine Toumi snagged 4 of the visitors’ 11 steals on the night with Coleman racking up 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the Aces.The victory marks the second time in three seasons the Bears have started 4-1 in Valley play under Dana Ford, who earned his 80th win at Missouri State in the contest.Missouri State is now in a three-way tie for second-place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, a game behind Indiana State (5-0) and tied with Southern Illinois and Murray State at 4-1.Ford’s squad now returns to the road Saturday when the Bears battle MVC newcomer Belmont (10-6, 3-2 MVC) on at 4 p.m. in Nashville (ESPN+) before traveling to Illinois State on Jan. 11.
