SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State shot a season-high 60 percent from the field and buried a dozen 3-pointers to blow past visiting Murray State, 77-56, here Saturday and secure the Bears’ first MVC win of the season.
Four Bears scored in double figures, including 19 from Zaxton King, 16 from Dez White and 14 from Vincent Brady II. Chase Martin also pitched in a dozen off the bench behind a pair of triples, while Michael Osei-Bonsu contributed 8 points and a game-high 9 rebounds.
The Bears (8-15, 1-11 MVC) used a 12-2 run in the first five-and-a-half minutes to sprint out to an eight-point lead. Murray State responded with four unanswered points, including a down-hill layup from Alden Applewhite to make it 12-8 at the 13:30 mark.
MoState then dug in over the six minutes and embarked on a 14-0 run to lead 26-8, then answered an Applewhite basket with another eight straight points with treys from Brady and King to make it 34-10 with just under five minutes left in the opening half.
Martin knocked down a pair of threes before the intermission to extend the Bears’ advantage to 42-16 at the intermission as the home club made 8-of-10 from beyond the arc in the opening half and shot 63 percent overall.
In the second half, the Bears answered a 3-0 mini-run by the Racers out of the gates with eight straight points of their own. Osei-Bonsu’s dunk made it 50-19 with 17 minutes to play and marked Missouri State’s largest lead of the night.
Over the next six minutes, the Racers (11-12, 5-7 MVC) would go on an 18-3 surge and hold the Bears without a field goal to close their deficit to 16.
The Racers’ press turned the Bears over 13 times in the second half, including eight steals, but the home club was able to persevere through the challenge and turned to their freshman to deliver the outcome.
With just over five minutes to go, King caught fire and knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to give him a season-best five triples for the game and provide the Bears with some needed breathing room down the stretch. His third bomb in the sequence made it 70-48 with just over four minutes to play.
King’s 19-point effort on 7-of-8 field goals was also his second-highest point output of the campaign. His hot hand helped the Bears finished 12-of-18 (.667) from long range on the afternoon and 29-of-48 (.604) overall from the field.
MSU out-rebounded the Racers by a 35-27 margin, snagged 7 steals of its own and dished out 14 assists, including a game-high 6 dimes from White.
In addition to ending their 10-game losing streak, the Bears held the lead for nearly 38 minutes and scored 24 points in the paint.
Murray State finished 20-for-51 (.392) from the field, 4-for-19 (.211) from three, and 12-for-22 (.545) at the line with 17 turnovers.
The Bears look to continue their new-found fortune at home on Wednesday night with a rare 6 p.m. start against Northern Iowa at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The game will air regionally on the new MVC-TV Network.
