SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State collected a career-high 28 points with 7 assists from Matthew Lee to help dispatch visiting South Carolina State here Saturday afternoon, 92-74, in an unconventional non-conference clash.
The Bears (5-1) got help from Donovan Clay’s 15 points, while Cesare Edwards scored 13, and Alston Mason added 11. Clay and Edwards each pitched in a game-high 8 rebounds with Clay dulling out 5 assists.
Missouri State, which picked up its fifth straight win, shot its most free throws in a decade, facing a constant bombardment of physical play from the Bulldogs who resisted every attempt MSU made to get into an offensive flow. The Bears made 34-of-43 (.791) at the stripe for the game with Lee going 14-for-16, and Clay making 10-of-12, to give Missouri State its most foul shots since a home game with Tulsa (49) on Nov. 16, 2013.
South Carolina State (2-5) got 18 points from Wilson Dubinsky and 14 from Davion Everett to lead four Bulldogs in double figures. SCSU also broke a Great Southern Bank Arena free throw record of its own, making a perfect 17-for-17 from the line.
The Bears scored the game’s first 21 points out of the gates to put the visitors on notice early. Clay’s free throws less than eight minutes into the game gave MSU its biggest lead of the afternoon. The home club would match that 21-point lead twice more after a triple by Chance Moore at the 11:10 mark and then on a layup from Damien Mayo Jr. with 8:32 to go in the half.
SCSU scored its first points of the game on a three by Dubinsky at the 11:24 mark to break an 0-for-11 start by the visitors. The Bulldogs ended the half making 11 of their next 24 attempts to draw within eight at one point. But, Missouri State found its footing and got a solid stick-back from N.J. Benson in the final minute before the intermission to push ahead by a dozen at the midway point, 44-32.
The second half was touch-and-go for the first 10 minutes while the Bears navigated their way through some bumps and bruises and a short bench. Finally, with 10:28 to go in the game, Edwards started a pivotal 9-0 Bears run that put things out of reach. The Xavier transfer scored six points in less than two minutes, all from close range, and pushed MoState up by 17 with 7:58 to play.
The Bears would extend that advantage to as many as 20 down the stretch with Lee’s fourth 3-pointer of the day making it 87-67 just before the under-four media timeout.
For the third time in four games, the Bears shot better than 50 percent from the field, knocking down 24-of-41 field goals (.585) for the afternoon, including 70 percent in the second half (14-for-20). The Bears were also 10-of-22 (.455) from 3-point range with a decisive 38-20 rebounding advantage.
MoState collected a season-best 17 fast-break points with Edwards pacing a 23-point effort from Bears’ reserves. The Bears also committed a season-high 21 turnovers.
South Carolina State finished 25-of-68 (.368) overall from the field, including 7-of-22 (.318) from long distance with 35 bench points and 22 points in the paint to go with just 8 turnovers.
Coming off last week’s championship at the US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, the Bears made it through the Thanksgiving weekend trap game before opening Missouri Valley Conference play at Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday night vs. Evansville (6-0).
