CARBONDALE, Ill. – Missouri State got a career-high 24 points from Donovan Clay, and the Bears overcame a 12-point road deficit to knock off Southern Illinois here Wednesday, 76-75, in overtime, to lift the Bears (13-9, 5-6 MVC) to a third straight Valley victory.
In the only meeting between the rival clubs this season, Clay scored 8 points in overtime, including a go-ahead jumper with 4.8 seconds left. After Cesare Edwards stole the ensuing SIU in-bound pass, he was fouled with 1.8 seconds left and made both free throws to put MSU up by four.
SIU’s Xavier Johnson then hit a 45-footer at the buzzer for the Salukis (14-8, 6-5) to make the final margin one and finish with a game-high 28 points for the home club.
Edwards wrapped the thrilling night with 12 points for Missouri State, including 4-of-4 at the line and a team-high 9 rebounds, as the Bears boasted five players in double figures in the scoring column for the second straight game. Also pitching in were Chance Moore with 13, including a huge three in overtime, Alston Mason with 13 and Damien Mayo Jr. with 12. Moore was 5-of-6 from the field with a pair of steals.
The Bears trailed 51-39 with 12:38 to play and 59-48 at the 6:03 mark before mounting the improbable comeback. Mason, Mayo and Moore started a 15-4 run to end regulation and force overtime, including a clutch bucket from Moore with 20.1 seconds remaining in regulation to tie things up, 63-63.
After Clay’s up-and-under move gave MSU an early lead in overtime, SIU’s Trent Brown buried a left-side three to give the Salukis a brief two-point advantage. But Clay and Moore teamed up over the next two minutes to push the visitors back in front, 72-67, with 1:21 left in the extra period.
SIU got another trey, this time from Troy D’Amico, which preceded a pair of Johnson free throws at the 9.7-second mark to knot the score, 72-72. But it was Clay’s key jumper with 4.8 ticks to go that did it, and ultimately forced SIU into a turnover moments later that allowed Edwards to shine.
Missouri State finished 31-of-66 (.470) from the field, 4-of-18 (.222) from three, and 10-of-13 (.769) at the line with just 7 turnovers on the night. Edwards’ 9 rebounds led the MSU efforts. The Bears also snagged a season-high 10 steals in the effort and matched a season-high with 46 points in the paint.
SIU finished 23-of-54 (.426) from the field, 13-of-27 (.481) from three and 16-of-20 (.800) at the line with a 37-32 rebounding edge and 16 turnovers.
In the first half, Southern Illinois ended the period on a 12-4 run over the last 3 minutes, 16 seconds and knocked down 8 threes on 15 attempts to lead 42-31 at the intermission.
There were five ties and three lead changes in the first 20 minutes with MSU leading by four points on three occasions, including a 9-2 Bears’ run midway through the half that included a three from Mayo, two buckets from Clay and a left-handed scoop shot from Mason.
With the win, Bears’ head coach Dana Ford picked up his 29th Valley road win of his tenure, which matches Drake’s total for most in The Valley in that span.
The Bears return home Saturday to do battle with Belmont at 1 p.m. with an appearance from Chiefs mascot KC Wolf at Great Southern Bank Arena, beginning with photo opportunities at Noon.
