EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Chance Moore drained three 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the game to help spark Missouri State to a 66-60 victory here Sunday over home-standing Evansville.
Moore was one of three Bears in double figures with 14 points, while Alston Mason pitching in a game-high 18 and Donovan Clay adding 17, including two free throws in the deciding moments.
With the victory, the Bears (14-12, 10-6 MVC) have racked up 10 or more Valley wins in three straight seasons and lock in at least a .500 Valley finish for the fifth time in five seasons under Dana Ford.
Evansville (5-22, 1-15) survived double-figure deficits in both halves and used a 14-3 run over a six-plus minute stretch to take a 54-53 lead with 3:47 to go in the game. That’s when Chance Moore stepped up with a needed bucket for the visitors with 2:19 to go, MSU’s first field goal in nearly eight minutes to return the lead to Missouri State, 56-54.
Evansville responded with a corner three by Antoine Smith to retake the lead briefly before Moore buried another triple with 94 seconds left. Finally, after a pair of UE free throws made it 59-59 with 1:18 to go, Moore stepped up again at the 51-second mark, giving the visitorsa 62-59 advantage and a lead they would never relinquish.
Clay and Damien Mayo Jr. combined to go 4-for-4 at the line in the final 30 seconds to seal the deal. Also big down the stretch was a deflection by Jonathan Mogbo who jarred a ball loose in the back court that rolled all the way to the other end of the court off an Evansville player to help MSU’s cause.
Mogbo finished with a game-high 10 rebounds for Missouri State, while the Bears finished the contest 11-of-14 (.786) at the stripe, all in the second half.
In a first half marred with 10 turnovers, the Bears got 9 points from Clay and 8 from Mason to take a 30-27 lead at the intermission. MSU shot 43.3 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes but a 20-13 rebounding margin limited Evansville’s second-chance opportunities.
A 9-0 run capped by a three from Mason pushed the Bears ahead 21-10 at the 7:53 mark of the opening half, before UE answered with back-to-back threes to get back in the game.
For the afternoon, the Bears were 23-of-54 (.426) from the field and 9-of-21 (.429) from long range with a 38-24 rebounding advantage. Mason has 6 of MSU’s 12 assists.
Evansville was led by Smith’s 16 points, while Marvin Coleman added 14 points. The Aces were 18-of-46 (.391), 7-17 (.412) from distance and 17-for-19 (.895) at the line with seven steals and 18 forced turnovers.
The last time Missouri State recorded three straight seasons with 10 or more conference wins was 2005-07 under Barry Hinson.
The Bears, who sit alone in sixth place with four games to go, will travel to MVC co-oeader Bradley on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+). The Bears return to Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday, Feb. 18 to host UNI at 3 p.m. on Hall of Fame weekend.
