Head Coach Dana Ford:
Damien Mayo, Jr, & Chance Moore:
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State got 23 points and 13 rebounds from Chance Moore to help lead the Bears (14-9, 6-6 MVC) to a thrilling 87-80 home win over visiting Belmont here Saturday.
Moore teamed up with Alston Mason to spark a decisive 10-0 Bears’ run late in the second half and lift them to a fourth straight win. The duo scored all 10 MoState points in the two-and-a-half minute stretch to erase a one-point deficit and give the Bears an 80-71 lead with 3:15 to go.
From there, Mason and Donovan Clay answered a couple of Belmont baskets by Malik Dia with scores of their own to restore the nine-point advantage on two occasions. Finally, after two missed 3-point attempts by Belmont in the final 30 seconds, Mason’s free throws pushed the Bears ahead by 10 for the first time, 87-77, with 14 ticks remaining.
Keishawn Davidson knocked down Belmont’s 11th and final three of the game as the clock wound down to give Missouri State a final margin of victory at seven points, while lifting the maroon squad to its fourth straight win.
Davidson scored 22, and Dia posted 20 points for Belmont (12-11, 5-7).
The victory did not come easy as MSU trailed by 10 with 6:28 to go in the opening half, thanks in part to a barrage of triples from the Bruins who were 8-of-13 from long range in the opening half.
But after trimming their deficit to one at the intermission, the Bears opened the final stanza on a 7-0 run in the first 75 seconds to lead 43-37 on an elbow jumper by Clay. The Bears then pushed ahead 47-41 by the under-16 media timeout.
Belmont stayed within striking distance midway through the half and parlayed a 9-0 outburst on just three possessions to retake the lead on a steal and layup by Dia with 11:26 remaining.
Clay’s 3-pointer before the under-eight media timeout returned the lead to the home side ahead of two great plays by Moore. A steal and dunk by the MSU junior preceded his third triple of the game to make it 68-65 at the 7:14 mark.
Missouri State could manage only a pair of Mason free throws over the next 90 seconds while the Bruins mounted one last charge. A layup by Davison, a transition bucket from Isaiah Walker and a pair of free throws from Ja’Kobi Gillespie pushed Belmont back in front, 71-70, with 6:03 to play.
That’s when Moore and Mason put the Bears on their shoulders and carried them to the finish line. Mason had 11 of his 17 second-half points in the final five minutes, while Moore’s slick, close-range moves helped sustain the key 10-0 MSU run down the stretch.
It was Mason’s eighth 20-point scoring game of the season and Moore’s third, while it also marked the third straight game the Bears have featured five double-figure scorers. Clay (15), Cesare Edwards (10) and Damien Mayo Jr. (10) were also in double figures for the home side with Edwards snagging 8 rebounds, Clay grabbing 7 caroms, and Mayo going 3-for-3 from the field with a pair of blocks.
For the game, Missouri State finished 31-of-62 (.500) from the field, 7-of-21 (.333) from long range and 18-of-22 (.818) at the line with an impressive 46-27 rebounding advantage.
Belmont was 30-of-66 (.455) from the field and managed just three triples in the second half to finish 11-of-25 (.440) from distance. The Bruins were also 9-of-14 (.643) at the line with 9 steals.
The opening half saw five ties and three lead changes with Belmont knocking down eight 3-pointers to lead 37-36 at the midway point. Davidson hit three bombs for the Bruins, but it was Dia’s second triple of the half that swiped the lead away from MoState and gave the visitors a one-point advantage at the break.
Moore led the Bears with 11 first-half points, igniting a key 13-1 MSU run late in the half to erase a 10-point Belmont lead. Bears pushed ahead 34-32 behind three free throws by Damien Mayo Jr. to cap MSU’s strong finish to the half.
The Bears are back on the road Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game at Northern Iowa (ESPN+) before returning to Great Southern Bank Arena next Saturday (Feb. 10) to square off with Valley leader Indiana State at 1 p.m. on Hall of Fame Weekend.
