SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State collected a game-high 15 points from junior Michael Osei-Bonsu as part of his second double-double of the season to turn back visiting Lincoln University, 61-49, here Wednesday at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Joining Osei-Bonsu at the top of the MSU scoring column were Vincent Brady II, Zaxton King and Chase Martin with 10 points apiece.
The Bears (6-5) shot 72.2 percent from the field and turned up the defensive heat in the second half to gain separation and put away the Blue Tigers. MoState forced nine turnovers and outscored Lincoln, 38-25, over the final 20 minutes to erase an early deficit.
Brady scored the first bucket of the final stanza, and the Bears kept their foot on the gas, getting a three-pointer from Martin ahead of a well-timed 7-0 run to gain a nine-point advantage eight minutes into the second period.
After Lincoln recovered with a triple from Malcolm Davis, Missouri State then embarked on a 9-2 surge over the next three minutes with King’s layup before the under-eight media timeout giving the Bears a 48-35 advantage.
With just over five minutes to play, another 8-0 outburst by the maroon side put the game on ice with Osei-Bonsu starting the run before a layup from King, an elbow jumper from Dez White and a runner from Martin gave Missouri State its biggest lead of the night, 58-43. The Bears were 7-of-7 from the field during a key six-minute stretch, using good shot selection in the clutch to help account for 32 points in the paint on the night.
For the game, the Bears were 22-of-42 (.524) overall, 4-for-12 (.333) from long range and 13-of-17 (.765) at the foul line with a 27-23 rebounding advantage, 14 assists and nine steals.
Lincoln, which was led by 11 points from Xavier Ball and 10 from Tyler Chapman, was 18-of-47 (.383) overall from the field, 6-of-20 (.300) from distance and 7-for-8 (.875) at the line with 16 turnovers.
The Bears ended the first half on a 7-0 run after holding Lincoln scoreless for the final 3:37 of the stanza. Osei-Bonsu had 7 points and 9 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes for the home club, which all but erased an early 24-16 deficit to make it a 24-23 game at the intermission.
MoState collected assists on 7-of-9 first-half buckets and forced seven turnovers.
Missouri State will close out its non-conference schedule on Sunday when it entertains UC Santa Barbara at 1 p.m. at Great Southern Bank Arena. It is the squad’s annual holiday game with a visit from Santa, holiday sweater theme and Kid’s Day activities.
