CARBONDALE, Ill. – Missouri State got 22 points apiece from Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim and shot 64 percent in the second half to take a 69-54 road victory over Southern Illinois here Wednesday, giving the Bears (17-7, 8-3 MVC) the season sweep of the Salukis.
After taking a 29-24 lead into the intermission and seeing the home side get within 32-30 early in the final period, Missouri State used good shot selection, solid rebounding and the team’s usual effectiveness at the free throw line to pull away late.
The Bears made 14-of-22 (.636) field goals in the final period, outscoring the Salukis (11-12, 4-7 MVC) by ten over the final 20 minutes and out-rebounding them 38-23 for the game.
After the first media timeout of the second half, SIU turned it into a four-point game on a pair of technical free throws from Marcus Domansk. But the small Banterra Center crowd starting to make some noise, the Bears used the moment as motivation, collecting 3-pointers from Ja’Monta Black and Mosley and a layup by Donovan Clay to take their first double-figure lead of the game, 46-36, with 13 minutes to go.
A 15-1 run soon followed with Dawson Carper, Mosley and Jaylen Minnett ignited things, before Prim put the exclamation on the stretch with six straight points over the four-and-a-half minute stretch. By the time SIU’s Dalton Banks made two free throws with 7:35 to play, MSU had built a 61-39 lead.
Lance Jones led Southern Illinois with 14 points, while Domansk scored 9.
The Bears finished the game 25-of-46 (.543) from the field, including 6-of-14 (.429) from distance and made 13-for-17 (.769) at the line. Missouri State matched a season-high with 7 blocks and committed 13 turnovers.
The Bears got a career-high 10 rebounds from Lu’Cye Patterson who also dished out 5 assists with no turnovers. MSU also got big boards from Clay with 8, while Mosley and Prim snagged 6 boards each.
Southern was 21-of-58 (.362) overall from the field, 3-for-20 (.150) from distance and 9-of-12 (.750) at the stripe with 7 turnovers. The Salukis accounted for 32 of their 54 points in the paint.
In the first half, the Bears held the Salukis to 38 percent from the field and just two second-chance points to take a 29-24 lead into the break. Missouri State used a 9-0 run to overcome an early 7-2 advantage for the home club.
Six lead changes later, Prim put MoState on top for the rest of the night with an offensive rebound and layup with just under eight minutes to go in the opening period. That outburst was part of an 11-2 run by the Bears who soon led 29-21 on a baseline drive and dunk by Clay.
SIU got a corner three from Trent Brown before the intermission to make it a five-point game at the midway point.
The Bears return to JQH Arena on Sunday to take on league-leading Loyola (17-4, 8-2) at 1 p.m. on ESPNU. Tickets for the nationally-televised game are available at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.
