INDIANAPOLIS – Missouri State matched BigEast foe Butler blow-for-blow in the season opener here Monday, but went scoreless during a critical stretch over the last two minutes to decide its fate in a hard-fought 72-65 loss at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Dez White led three Bears in double figures with 21 points, while Zaxton King scored 12, and Jalen Hampton added 10.
The Bears had four more field goals than the Bulldogs, matched them with nine three pointers and committed just 13 turnovers in a game that featured five ties and nine lead changes. The difference was at the free throw line where Butler finished 21-of-28, while MoState was 6-of-10 in limited opportunities from the stripe.
Down by as many as 12 points in the first half, Missouri State cut its early deficit to three by the half. MSU then erased the deficit entirely with early buckets from Michael Osei-Bonsu and Jalen Hampton to start the second half and push ahead 40-39.
Mozae Downing-Rivers knocked down a clutch three at the 15:19 mark to push Cuonzo Martin‘s Bears ahead, 45-42, but a 9-2 run by the Bulldogs seemed to shift the momentum back to the home side.
Missouri State then embarked on a thrilling 9-3 run of its own over a key three-minute stretch to retake the lead, 56-54, on a layup by Osei-Bonsu at the 9:15 mark.
With just over three minutes left, Thad Matta’s team hit a desperation three at the shot-clock buzzer to extend its lead to six. White, however, responded for the Bears with a triple of his own – his fourth of the night – to make it 68-65.
Butler pushed back ahead by five with a pair of free throws, but Osei-Bonsu’s layup in the final minute appeared to get the deficit down to three. But a video review took the goal-tended bucket away and gave the ball back to Butler, which took the momentum to the finish line in a seven-point decision.
Jahmyl Telfort led all players with 29 points for Butler, including 11-of-16 from the stripe, while Pierre Brookes scored 13 for the Bulldogs.
For the night, Missouri State finished 25-of-67 (.483) from the field, 9-of-28 (.321) from three and 6-of-10 (.600) at the line with 32 rebounds, and 27 points off 19 Butler turnovers.
Butler was 21-of-47 (.447) from the field, 9-for-20 (.450) from three and 21-of-28 (.750) at the line with 37 rebounds and six blocks.
In the first half, the Bears erased a 12-point deficit in the final six minutes of the opening period, overcoming a free throw imbalance to tie things up, 36-36, on a stick-back by Jalen Hampton with 15 seconds left. Butler was able to post a traditional three-point play with 1.1 ticks to go in the opening half to take a 39-36 lead into the intermission.
Zaxton King’s early 10 points led Missouri State’s scoring, while Jahmyl Telfort led Butler in the opening stanza with 16 points. Both players knocked down three treys in the first 20 minutes of play.
Missouri State kicks off its home slate on Monday, Nov. 11 against Missouri Southern at Great Southern Bank Arena.
