Valparaiso hands MSU first home loss

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SPRINGFIELD – A 30-6 run late in the first half by visiting Valparaiso proved fatal for Missouri State here Saturday as the Bears dropped their first home game of the season, 82-66, in Missouri Valley Conference play.

The Bears (6-9, 0-2 MVC) were led by Jarred Dixon’s game-high 23 points, while Kabir Mohammed scored 13 points with a team-high eight rebounds in his first start.

Valparaiso was led by Ryan Fazekas’ 18 points behind six 3-pointers, while Bakari Evelyn added 13 off the bench with three triples.

The Crusaders (9-6, 2-0 MVC) led early, but Missouri State kept pace thanks to a pair of treys – one each by Dixon and Jan Wojcik – to get the Bears within two. Then a put-back by Mohammed and a pair of layups by Dixon tied the game twice, including a 16-16 deadlock at the 10:07 mark.

But the floodgates opened over the next 10 minutes with Valparaiso’s decisive run forcing two MSU timeouts and holding the Bears without a field goal for nearly six minutes. Tulio Da Silva temporarily stopped the bleeding for the Bears with a short bank shot with 4:20 left in the half to make it 32-19.

But the visitors had another run in them, reeling off 14 of the game’s next 19 points before the intermission to lead 46-24 at the midway point. Nine different Valparaiso players scored in the first half, while the Crusaders converted 17-of-32 (.531) shots and allowed the Bears just three offensive rebounds on 22 misses.

The home club came out blazing to start the second half, posting 10 points before the first media timeout on traditional 3-point plays by Mohammed and Dixon, along with short-range buckets by Josh Webster and Mohammed to trim the deficit to 50-34.

Missouri State got within 13 points of the lead twice more, thanks to long-range baskets by Ryan Kreklow and Keandre Cook, the latter of which made it a 58-45 game at the 14:44 mark.

But with seven minutes to go, Fazekas opened up the firing range, ringing up three more treys in the span of just over three minutes to put the game out of reach.

DaSilva, who battled early foul trouble, scored six of his eight points in the final 2:30, including MSU’s only dunk of the afternoon.

The Bears committed just six turnovers, but finished 23-of-63 (.365) from the field and 6-of-29 (.207) from bonus range. MSU was also mediocre from the line, converting 14-of-22 (.636) at the stripe and failing to take advantage of Valpo foul trouble early in the second half.

Valparaiso was 29-of-57 (.509) from the field, 12-of-24 (.500) from 3-point range and 12-of-18 (.667) at the line. The Crusaders out-rebounded MSU, 43-32, and dished out 19 assists.

After a pair of Valley road games next week and Indiana State (Tuesday) and Bradley (Saturday), the Bears return to JQH Arena on Jan. 16 to play Evansville at 7 p.m.

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