SPRINGFIELD – Dequon Miller scored a game-high 18 points to lead Missouri State (8-3) past visiting Chicago State, 66-46, here Monday in the second round of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic.
MSU outrebounded the visiting Cougars by a 42-27 margin and converted 9-of-11 free throws in the final six minutes to seal a key home victory.
Chicago State (3-9) was led by Trayvon Palmer who had 13 points and 9 rebounds, while Montana Byrd scored 11.
The Bears extended a 38-23 halftime lead to a 21-point advantage right out of the box in the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers from Miller and Jarrid Rhodes.
CSU was able to find its range from beyond the arc over the next six minutes with three long-range bombs to stay within range of the home club. Byrd finished with three triples, including two during a key 13-3 stretch early in the second half to cut Missouri State’s lead to 47-36 before the 12-minute mark.
But the Bears kept the composure and turned to Ryan Kreklow for a pivotal 3-pointer on MSU’s next possession, extending his streak to 15 straight games with a long-range shot. Miller then pushed MSU’s lead back to 16 with a jumper with under 11 minutes to play that made it 52-36.
The Cougars took advantage of two key turnovers over the next five minutes and got as close as 10 points with 8:50 remaining on a bucket by Joshua Batson, but Ronnie Rousseau III responded with his second 3-pointer of the game to get the Bears back on track before the under-eight media timeout.
Coach Paul Lusk’s Bears defense would step up from there, and MSU would surrender just four points the rest of the night. Four different MSU players stepped up to make foul shots down the stretch to push the final margin to 20 points.
Rhodes finished the night with 9 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Church added 12 points and 9 boards. MSU also posted 14 offensive caroms on the night, leading to 20 second-chance points.
In the first half, the Bears dropped in six treys and out-rebounded the Cougars by 10 to post a 38-23 lead at the break. A 3-pointer by Miller with 95 seconds left in the opening stanza made it a 36-18 game, MSU’s biggest lead of the half.
The Bears never trailed and accounted for their first nine points of the game on 3-pointers by three different players.
For the game, MSU was 21-for-50 (.420) from the field, 10-of-28 (.357) from 3-point distance and 14-of-21 (.667) at the stripe with 15 turnovers, five blocks and six steals.
Chicago State, which dropped its fifth in a row, converted 17-of-52 (.327) overall, 5-of-20 (.250) from bonus distance and 7-of-8 (.875) at the line with 13 turnovers and seven steals.
Missouri State, which improved to 7-1 at JQH Arena this season, now travels to Las Vegas for the semifinals and finals of the Las Vegas Classic, Thursday and Friday at Orleans Arena.
The Bears will square off with No. 23 Southern Cal (11-0) on Thursday at 10 p.m. (Central) on FS1, with the winner advancing to Friday’s championship game against DePaul or Wyoming. The two semifinal losers will also meet on Friday evening for third place, and both of Friday’s game will also air on FS1.
Other second-round games in the Las Vegas Classic Monday saw DePaul ward of Southeast Missouri State, 81-78. USC topped Cornell, 79-67; and Wyoming and Troy were late due to a game delay in the first half.
