HIGHLIGHTS:
DANA FORD POSTGAME:
ALSTON MASON & CESARE EDWARDS POSTGAME:
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State got a career-high 36 points from Alston Mason, including 29 after halftime, to help lead the Bears to a thrilling, 83-80, double-overtime win over visiting Drake here Wednesday.
The Bears 11-9 (3-6 MVC) trailed by 16 points late in the first half and matched the third-largest deficit overcome for victory in program history. The Bears needed every second of the second period to close the double-digit gap as Nick Kramer’s jumper from the right baseline with 1.0 seconds to go, tied the game, 65-65, to force overtime. Kramer had 5 points and 5 rebounds on the evening, and his clutch follow-up at the end of regulation marked two of 20 second-chance points for MoState on the night.
In overtime, Drake’s Conor Enwright scored the first four points to set a blistering pace, but a Mason 3-pointer got the Bears back within one. MoState’s defense then racked up three straight stops before Cesare Edwards gave the home club a two-point lead, 71-69, on a traditional three-point play with a minute to go after a slick pass from Mason.
Drake’s Darnell Brodie then scored on a layup with 18.6 seconds left in the first overtime to knot things up. Both teams had the ball from there, but MSU’s defense locked up Enright on a potential game-winner for Drake (16-4, 7-2 MVC).
In the second overtime, Edwards and Donovan Clay pushed the Bears ahead by four in the first 90 seconds as the home club went to the rack to make it 75-71. Atin Wright drew Drake within one on a pair of free throws before Kevin Overton knocked down his only three of the night for the Bulldogs to put the guests ahead, 76-75.
Edwards responded with one of the biggest shots of the night, a 3-pointer from the left side, that restored order and gave MoState a two-point lead with exactly two minutes to go. Brodie made one-of-two free throws to keep Drake close on its next trip, but Mason’s layup at the 1:19 mark gave the Bears a three-point cushion, 80-77.
Down the stretch, Wright made it a one-point game with 66 seconds left, but Edwards scored at the 42-second mark to make it 82-79. The Bulldogs would turn the ball over on their next possession and later Overton’s potential game-tying three missed with 28 ticks showing. Damien Mayo Jr. cleaned up the miss and the Bears held on for a thrilling and needed home victory over the Valley co-leaders.
The win marked the 100th win at Missouri State for Bears’ head coach Dana Ford who improved to 100-75 in his sixth season in Springfield.
Edwards finished with 12 points and six rebounds to join Mason as the Bears’ only double-figure scorers.
Chance Moore accounted for three of MSU’s 9 blocked shots on the night, while Mason destroyed the Great Southern Bank Arena record for field goal attempts, making 13-of-28 shots on the night, including 5-of-11 from long range.
Donovan Clay, who eclipsed 800 career rebounds in the victory, tallied 8 points and team-highs 8 rebounds and 4 assists, but he also drew the game’s toughest defensive assignment. He held Valley Preseason Player of the Tear Tucker DeVries scoreless in the second half and all of overtime as the standout DU guard went 0-for-4 from the field over the game’s final 30 minutes with three turnovers.
DeVries’s 18 first-half points pushed him to a double-double on the night as he also gathered in a game-high 10 rebounds. Brodie matched DeVries for team-high honors with 18 points, while Enright and Wright scored 12 apiece with Enright adding a game-high 6 assists.
For the ball game, Missouri State was 33-of-83 (.398), shattering the arena record for field goal attempts. The Bears were also 11-of-28 (.393) from long range and 6-of-12 (.500) at the line with a 53-42 rebounding advantage and just 11 turnovers and 9 blocked shots.
Drake finished 30-of-71 (.423) overall, 8-of-23 (.348) from distance – just two threes after halftime – and 12-of-18 (.667) at the foul line.
In the first half, the Bears traded blows with the Bulldogs for the first 11 minutes, navigating through six ties and six lead changes to a 23-23 deadlock at the 9:01 mark. But the Bulldogs caught fire for the next seven minutes while MSU missed its next 15 shots.
The 16-0 Drake run included seven points from DeVries and resulted in a 39-23 Bulldogs lead with 2:14 to go in the opening period.
MoState was able to shake the woes on back-to-back treys by Moore and Matthew Lee to trim the deficit to 10. But DeVries knocked down a triple from the mid-court logo at the buzzer to push the visitors ahead 42-29 at the intermission.
MSU begins a two-game road swing Saturday at Valparaiso (3 p.m., ESPN+) before returning home on Saturday, Feb. 3 to do battle with Belmont at 1 p.m. with an appearance from Chiefs mascot KC Wolf.
