Highlights:
Dana Ford Postgame:
Matthew Lee and Chance Moore Postgame:
SPRINGFIELD – Chance Moore scored a game-high 25 points and converted 10-of-14 field goals on the afternoon to help lead Missouri State to an 82-74 home win over visiting Valparaiso here Saturday.
The Bears (15-12, 7-9 MVC) trailed by 10 late in the first half and found themselves down 72-64 with 7:47 to play in the game. But with the efforts of N.J. Benson and Matthew Lee down the stretch, the Bears secured 13 straight defensive stops and used an 18-0 run to leapfrog past the Beacons and lead by 10 themselves, 82-72, after Benson’s free throw with 14 seconds left.
Valpo (6-21, 2-14) scored on its final possession of the game to end an 0-for-13 shooting stretch over the final 4:48. Meanwhile, the Bears converted their last 8 field goals as part of the 18-0 surge with Lee accounting for 9 points, Benson posting 7, and Moore securing a steal and layup with a minute to play that gave the Bears a six-point cushion at the time. Lee then buried a three at the 24-second mark to put the game out of reach before Benson’s free throw 10 seconds later.
For the game, Lee finished with 19 points and 8 assists, while Benson racked up his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds. The Bears also got 11 points from Donovan Clay, who was 4-of-6 from the field against his former club.
Isaiah Stafford led the Beacons with 24 points while Cooper Schwieger added 22, including four of his team’s nine triples. Jaxon Edwards also contributed 12 points and 9 rebounds for the visitors with Darius DeAveiro dishing out a game-high 9 assists.
Missouri State’s comeback including a 19-for-27 (.704) shooting effort in the second half, the team’s best performance in a half this season. For the game, the Bears were 31-of-55 (.564) overall, 5-of-15 (.333) from long range and 15-of-26 (.577) at the line with a narrow 42-39 rebounding advantage.
The Beacons finished 28-of-76 (.368) from the field, 9-of-26 (.346) from downtown and 9-of-11 (.818) at the line with just eight turnovers. Valpo logged 21 second-chance points off 18 offensive rebounds.
In a sloppy first half, the Bears shot 43 percent from the field, but allowed Valpo 11 second-chance points on nine offensive boards to give the Beacons a 41-38 lead at the intermission. Moore and Clay each had 11 points for the Bears, while Stafford posted 19 points for the Beacons who knocked down six 3-pointers and had just one turnover.
A 9-0 push by the Beacons late in the half transformed a one-point advantage for the visitors into a game-best 10-point lead, 35-25, with 5:23 left in the half. Missouri State’s comeback was its sixth this season when trailing by 10 or more points.
The Bears conclude their two-game Valley home stand Wednesday at 7 p.m. vs. Bradley.
