SPRINGFIELD – Isiaih Mosley scored a career high 29 points, including 23 in the second half, to help push Missouri State to a 70-66 win over visiting Indiana State here Sunday and give the Bears (6-1, 3-1 MVC) a weekend sweep of the Sycamores.
It was Mosley’s fifth straight 20-point scoring game, making him the first Bear since Johnny Murdock in 1995 to achieve that milestone. MSU also got 11 points from Keaton Hervey and 10 from Gaige Prim who finished in double figures for the 20th game in a row.
Indiana State (3-6, 0-4) was led by Randy Miller, Jr., who posted 17 points, while Tyreke Key added 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the visitors.
The game featured a dozen lead changes, but Missouri State took the lead back for good with 6:10 to go on a 3-pointer from freshman Lu’Cye Patterson. Patterson was assigned to Key for most of the stretch run for MSU to keep ISU’s top player in check. He capitalized on an open look from the right side with the game in the balance and knocked down his second field goal of the game.
Indiana State managed to tie the game twice more from there, but in the clutch Missouri State’s top performers came up with big play after big play. Hervey hit a go-ahead runner at the five-minute mark, then a minute later threw down the game’s only dunk to put MSU up by four at the time.
In the final two minutes, Mosley had three huge field goals, including a traditional three-point play at the 1:49 mark that gave the Bears some breathing room, 64-60. Before the clock hit the one-minute mark, the Valley’s top scorer made it 66-62 with his patented floater.
Prim and Mosley then finished off the Sycamores from the stripe. Prim made both ends of a two-shot foul with 6.7 seconds to play, and Mosley’s free throw with a second remaining put it out of reach and gave the Bears their final margin of victory, 70-66.
With both teams turning up the defensive pressure in the encore from Saturday night’s free-for-all 84-74 game, the Bears shot just 43.8 percent from the field (21-of-48) and 6-of-21 (.289) from long range. MSU won the game at the stripe, where they converted 22-of-27 (.815) for their best game of the young season from the foul line.
Missouri State also extended its JQH Arena win streak to 9 in a row with the win, including a 5-0 mark at home this season.
Indiana State out-rebounded the Bears, 31-29, and finished 23-of-52 (.442) overall and 5-of-12 (.417) from 3-point distance. The Sycamores were also effective at the line, making 15-of-19 (.789) free throws with 7 steals.
The first half included eight lead changes, but the Bears went into the break with a 32-29 advantage behind 8 points from Ja’Monta Black. The see-saw period saw the Sycamores reel off 10 unanswered points over a three-minute stretch to take a 19-12 lead at the 11:45 mark. The Bears rallied from there and held ISU without a field goal for the next six minutes while manufacturing their own 10-0 run behind transition treys from Black and Jared Ridder to lead 24-21.
Down the stretch, Black and Mosley closed out the MSU scoring in the opening half with Black scoring in traffic and heavy contact to put the Bears up by one before Mosley made both ends of a technical free throw opportunity in the final minute to put the homes side up three at the intermission.
The Bears return to the road next weekend for two games at Valparaiso (3-5, 0-0 MVC), Saturday and Sunday. MSU returns to JQH Arena, Jan. 17-18 to take on unbeaten Drake and begin a five-game home stand. Tickets for the Drake series and all remaining home games are available at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or at the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.
