Dana Ford Postgame:
Raphe Ayres Postgame:
SPRINGFIELD – In a game with 16 lead changes and 9 ties, Illinois State took control over the last six minutes to top home-standing Missouri State, 69-60, here Saturday in Missouri Valley Conference play.
After Alston Mason’s 3-pointer gave Missouri State a 59-57 lead with 6:16 to go, the Bears missed their last 10 field goal attempts of the game and managed just one more point the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Redbirds ended the game on a 12-1 run to capture their second road win of the season.
Darius Burford led three Illinois State (9-10, 3-5 MVC) scorers in double figures with 22 points with Luke Kasubke adding a dozen points behind three triples, and Myles Foster tallying 11 points and 9 rebounds.
The Bears (10-9, 2-6 MVC) got 19 points from Donovan Clay and 18 from Mason. Clay eclipsed 1,500 career points and 150 career blocks on the afternoon with 5 blocked shots on the night and his 78th career double-figure scoring effort.
N.J. Benson snagged 10 rebounds, while Cesare Edwards racked up 9 more for the home side which owned a 40-34 rebounding margin.
After trailing by nine at the half, Missouri State sprang to life to start the final period. A 9-2 run in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second half drew the Bears within two. Then after Jordan Davis stopped the run with a trey for the Redbirds, the Bears embarked on another 9-0 run over the next five minutes with four different players scoring to match their biggest lead of the game, 51-47, with 11:59 to play.
ISU would respond out of the under-12 media timeout with a 8-0 mini-run to end a 1-for-10 shooting slump and retake the lead 55-51.
Moments later, Nick Kramer knocked down a three for the Bears, followed by a layup and a three by Mason to make it a 59-57 Missouri State lead at the 6:16 mark.
ISU’s game-clinching run from there included five free throws, a three from Burford and a pair of close buckets from Foster to complete the upset for the visitors.
The Bears finished 19-of-56 (.339) from the field, 6-of-26 (.231) from three-point range and 16-of-19 (.842) at the foul line with 15 turnovers and 8 blocked shots. The Bears had just three free throw attempts in the second half with Clay going 10-of-12 at the line in the first half and 1-of-1 in the final 20 minutes.
Illinois State was 22-of-51 (.431) from the field, 7-of-19 (.368) from distance and 18-for-27 (.667) at the line with 10 turnovers and 6 steals.
In the opening half, the Bears struggled from the field early, going 3-of-12 from distance to keep the Redbirds around in the first 20 minutes. Edwards’ put-back off an MSU miss with 6:01 to go in the opening period gave the Bears a 25-24 lead.
However, the Bears converted just two field goals the rest of the half, while the Redbirds chipped away and buried a pair of threes as part of a 15-8 surge before the intermission. The outburst gave Illinois State a 42-33 lead at the halfway point on an even 50-percent shooting effort from the field.
MSU returns to Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. to wrap a two-game home stand when they take on Valley co-leader Drake. The Black Out Game will also feature the recognition of Missouri State’s Athletic Director’s Honor Roll with a record 281 student-athletes being honored at halftime for their fall-semester academic achievements.
Tickets for the Drake game are available at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Great Southern Bank Box Office, (417) 836-7678, during regular business hours.
