Behind a dominant second-half effort, Missouri State defeated UIC, 74-57, here Thursday in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.
After leading by four at the half, the Bears (17-14) shot 55.2 percent from the field in the final stanza and got a game-high 17 points from Alston Mason, 15 from Jonathan Mogbo and 13 by Damien Mayo Jr. to secure the win.
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Missouri State outscored the No. 11-seeded Flames by a 40-27 margin in the second half. All 13 of Mayo’s points came in the final period and matched a season scoring high. The freshman also snagged 6 rebounds.
The Bears will take the No. 3 seed Southern Illinois in the State Farm MVC Tourament quarterfinals on Friday at 8:30 p.m
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