TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State knocked down two clutch 3-pointers down the stretch and iced four free throws in the final 25 seconds to steal a 72-67 win from visiting Missouri State here Wednesday at Hulman Center.
Missouri State (7-15, 0-11 MVC) broke up a 65-65 deadlock on a layup by Jalen Hampton with 58 seconds left in the game, but the Bears committed turnovers on their next three possessions while the Sycamores (10-12, 4-7 MVC) made their move.
Samage Teel’s triple with 52.1 seconds to go gave Indiana State its first lead since the 12:05 mark of the first half, 68-67.
After the teams exchanged turnovers, MSU had to foul down the stretch with Teel extending the ISU lead to 70-67 at the 25.3-second mark. The Bears would face heavy resistance on their next two trips, before Teel sealed it with 10.4 ticks to go with two more charity shots.
Teel scored all 20 of his game-high points in the second half, including 8-of-8 from the line, while Jaden Daughtry added 18 points, and Walker scored 14 for the home side.
The Bears were led by Dez White’s 16 points, while Michael Osei-Bonsu scored 14. White hit four triples, including three in the second half, while Jalen Hampton added 9 points and 8 rebounds for the visitors, and Mozae Downing-Rivers notched four assists in reserve.
The Bears used a critical 16-0 run over a seven-minute stretch in the first half to flip a six-point deficit into a 10-point advantage. Osei-Bonsu tallied nine points in that surge, including seven straight, to build a 22-12 lead and force a Sycamores timeout at the six-minute mark..
MoState, which dropped its 10th straight contest, would extend its lead to 11 before the break, 36-25, on a pair of free throws from Logan Epes.
The Bears scored 42 points in the paint and out-rebounded ISU, 33-27. For the game, Missouri State was 26-of-53 (.491) from the field, 5-for-20 (.250) from three and 10-of-16 (.625) in limited free throw opportunities.
Indiana State finished 20-of-47 (.426) overall, 8-of-25 (.320) from downtown and 24-of-32 (.750) at the stripe, including 21 free throw attempts in the second half.
The Bears return to Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1 to begin a two-game home swing against Murray State at 2:00 p.m.
