DES MOINES, Iowa – Missouri State overcame a 14-point deficit here Wednesday and clipped Valley preseason favorite Drake, 66-63, to sweep the season series from the Bulldogs.
Missouri State (10-9, 6-3 MVC) got 16 points apiece from Donovan Clay and Bryan Trimble Jr., while Alston Mason tacked on 13 for MSU.
The Bears trailed 32-18 with 3:03 left in the first half and were down 34-21 at the half. The Bears took their first lead of the game with 5:10 left in regulation on a 3-pointer from Clay.
Two minutes later, Clay gave MoState the lead again on his second three of the night, pushing the visitors ahead 56-54 at the time.
Drake (14-6, 5-4 MVC) eventually knotted things up on a pair of free throws by Tucker DeVries with 52 seconds left, which ultimately pushed the game into overtime.
DeVries finished with a game-high 26 for the Bulldogs.
In OT, the Bears got an early triple by Kendle Moore and later a layup by Mason to take the lead on both shots as part of six lead changes in extra time. Mason’s two free throws with 1:32 to play put the Bears up for good as they came up with three straight defensive stops, while Trimble iced it with a pair of free throws for Missouri State.
The Bears shot 46.8 percent from the field for the night (22-of-47) after making just seven field goals in the opening half. MSU was also 11-of-24 (.458) from downtown and 10-of-15 (.667) at the line with just 5 turnovers in the game’s final 25 minutes.
Drake was 21-of-54 (.389) overall, 6-for-25 (.240) from distance, and 14-of-15 (.933) at the stripe with a slight 30-29 rebounding advantage. DeVries finished 7-of-18 from the field.
DU set a blistering pace from the jump, turning an early 11-8 lead into a 21-11 advantage less than nine minutes into the contest. That double-figure advantage swelled to 14 late in the half as the Bears went over three minutes without a field goal before Trimble scored MSU’s last five points of the half.
During the opening 20 minutes, MSU committed 10 turnovers and surrendered 14 points in the paint to trail 34-21 at the intermission. Trimble led MSU with 8 points in the opening period.
MoState returns to Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday to battle Valley rival Southern Illinois at 1 p.m.
