MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Missouri State overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to force overtime here Tuesday, but fell, 77-73, to Middle Tennessee in extra time, despite career-highs from Alston Mason and Donovan Clay.
Mason led all players with 28 points, while Clay scored 24. Mason’s runner with 3.7 seconds left in regulation tied the game, 66-66, and forced the extra period.
Elias King’s 22 points led four Middle Tennessee players in double figures.
The Bears trailed 53-39 with 13:06 left in regulation before mounting an improbable comeback down the stretch. Mason’s two free throws with 28 seconds left in the second half made it a 66-64 game, but to that point, the Bears had not been whistled for any fouls in the stanza.
The Bears got to work and finally committed their seventh foul with 11.6 seconds left to send Justin Porter to the stripe in a two-point game. Porter missed the front end, and Clay snagged the rebound and called timeout across midcourt. The Bears set up the game-tying play to Mason whose floater found nothing but net with 3.7 seconds to play to tie it up.
King opened up overtime with his sixth 3-pointer of the game before Mason scored a layup in the opening minute for the Bears.
Jared Coleman-Cross made 3-of-4 free throws for MTSu to push the home club ahead 72-68 with 2:57 to play, and a minute later, Mason completed a traditional three-point play for MSU that made it 72-71.
MTSU, which was 6-of-11 at the line in overtime, missed two more free throws down the stretch to open the door for the Bears, and N.J. Benson’s two foul shots in the final moments got MSU within 76-73.
But Porter’s only made free throw of the night sealed it for the Blue Raiders (5-5), making one-of-two to make it a four-point game, the final margin.
The Bears (6-3) finished the night 24-of-59 (.407) from the field, including 2-of-8 in overtime, while dropping in 8-of-26 (.308) from long range and 17-of-19 (.895) at the line with a 44-40 rebounding advantage.
MTSU was 28-of-72 (.389) overall, 12-for-36 (.333) from bonus range, and 9-of-17 (.529) at the line with 7 steals and 6 blocks. The Blue Raiders’ dozen treys was a season-high.
In the first half, Middle Tennessee used an 11-0 run midway through the opening period to take a double-digit lead. Three 3-pointers and a stick-back by Coleman-Jones gave the home side a 19-9 lead with 8:49 to go before the intermission. The Bears chipped away with four treys of their own over the next four minutes – two by Clay and two by Mason – to draw within 24-21 at the under-four timeout.
Clay got the Bears within 25-23 with his layup at the 3:19 mark, but Jalen Jordan’s third triple of the opening half and a last-second tip-in by Coleman-Jones gave the Blue Raiders a 32-27 lead at the midway point.
The Bears return to Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday to square off with Sam Houston at 6 p.m. on Art Hains Day.
