SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State reeled off 28 unanswered points after the game’s opening minute and never looked back in a 77-28 men’s basketball exhibition win here Tuesday over cross-town foe Evangel University.
Bears’ freshman Szymon Wojcik led all players with 16 points, while Jarred Dixon poured in 15, and Darian Scott added 14 points to the winning cause.
The Bears knocked down six 3-pointers in the decisive early-game stretch, including two apiece by Dixon and Wojcik. Scott’s layup with 11:23 left in the opening stanza made it a 28-2 game before the midway point in the half.
Scott later threw down dunks in back-to-back possessions to make it 34-6, and Keandre Cook’s triple just before the intermission gave Missouri State its biggest lead of the half, 44-11, at the break.
The Bears kept up the pressure in the second half, building a 40-point advantage for the first time with more than 17 minutes to play on a layup by Ross Owens. The home club finished the night with its biggest margin, 49 points, after Scott’s fourth dunk of the evening made it 77-28.
Missouri State held Evangel to just 7-of-59 (.119) shooting and 1-for-26 (.038) from 3-point range while forcing 20 turnovers. Coach Dana Ford’s club also snagged 11 steals and blocked six Crusader shots on the evening.
All 10 MSU players in uniform found their way into the scoring and rebound columns with Dixon snagging a game-high eight caroms, and newcomer Josh Webster dishing out seven assists.
Evangel was led by Jacob Smith who scored six points off the bench. The Crusaders, who were 13-of-15 (.867) at the foul line, also got a team-high six rebounds from Smith.
Ford’s Bears will now have a week to prepare for their season opener, a Nov. 6 matchup against Oral Roberts at JQH Arena at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the ORU game are available now at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.
