NASHVILLE – Donovan Clay posted 20 points for Missouri State, but the visiting Bears committed a season-high 17 turnovers and were unable to stop a hot-shooting Belmont squad in a 74-61 setback here Saturday in Missouri Valley Conference play.
In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, the home standing Bruins (11-6, 4-2 MVC) turned MSU’s mishaps into 23 points off turnovers and buried 11 threes to snap MSU’s four-game MSU win streak.
Cade Tyson led Belmont with 20 points behind three triples, while Ben Shepherd scored 17, also with three treys.
The Bears (8-8, 4-2) shot an efficient 45 percent on the offensive end and connected on seven 3-pointers of their own. However, an eight-and-a-half minute scoring drought for the visitors midway through the second half was pivotal.
After Chance Moore’s 3-pointer with 15:10 to play pulled the Bears within 47-43, the only scoring Missouri State did during the ensuing stretch was four free throws from Moore. Meanwhile, Belmont pushed ahead 61-47 with 7:26 to play.
Moore was the only other Bear in double figures with 12 points.
Clay, who scored a season-high and was just two points shy of his career high, posted three field goals in the last four-plus minutes of the contest to help MSU finish strong. Belmont’s largest lead, 74-59, with 1:17 remaining, was answered by a basket by Clay and a pair of free throws from Raphe Ayres in the final minute to cement the final margin.
The Bruins finished 26-of-56 (.464) overall from the field and 11-of-26 (.423) from distance while converting a perfect 11-of-11 at the stripe.
The Bears out-rebounded Belmont by a 33-30 margin, led by 8 caroms from Clay. Jonathan Mogbo accounted for 3 of the visitors’ 7 blocks and led MSU in assists with 3.
In the first half, the Bears fell behind by as many as eight points twice but rallied both times and used a 14-5 run late in the period to take a 32-30 lead on a Kendle Moore layup with 2:37 before the intermission. Belmont responded with a 7-0 outburst to retake the lead, but a long trey by Ayres with 19 seconds to go pulled MSU within 37-35 at the midway point.
Missouri State shot 63.6 percent from the field in the opening stanza (14-of-22) but its 9 turnovers led directly to 14 Bruins points in that span to keep the visitors from leading by more than two at any point.
Coach Dana Ford’s squad travels to Illinois State on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff at Redbird Arena in Normal before returning home next Sunday (Jan. 15) to battle unbeaten Indiana State at 2 p.m.
