SPRINGFIELD – Led by 24 points from Kobi Williams and 20 from Keith Palek III, Missouri State rolled past visiting Northeastern (Okla.) State here Sunday, 92-71, to wrap a three-game home stand.
The Bears (4-3) also got big scoring games from Trey Williams Jr. with a career-high 15 points, Darrion Sutton with 13 off the bench, and Zaxton King with 10. Palek also snagged a game-high 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, while Trey Williams tacked on a game-high 6 assists.
Coach Cuonzo Martin’s squad never trailed and shot 53.2 percent from the field overall with 11 three-pointers, including 5 by Kobi Williams.
Northeastern State (5-2) was led by Ethan Blackmon’s 14 points, while AJ Reed Jr. scored 12. Both players contributed 3 assists with Reed pitching in 3 steals for the visitors from the MIAA conference.
In the first half, the Bears shot 62.2 percent, hit 7 threes and racked up 30 points in the paint to jump out to a 60-33 lead at the halfway point. Kobi Williams knocked down 3 triples in the opening 20 minutes, while backcourt counterpart Trey Williams Jr. scored a dozen points and dished out 5 assists.
Kobi’s trey at the 6:48 mark of the first stanza pushed the Bears’ lead to 20 for the first time, and his buzzer-beater just before the half from the left corner matched the home club’s largest lead of the game to that point at 27.
Michael Osei-Bonsu scored 8 points on 4-for-4 field goal attempts and added 4 rebounds in the opening half, but did not play in the second half.
The second stanza saw the Riverhawks settle in as they outscored MoState, 38-32, for the period and converted 16-of-29 field goal attempts in that span. However, the Bears responded to every run by their counterparts who whittled their deficit to 16 twice.
Northeastern State used a 12-2 run midway through the second half to trim a 26-point deficit to 75-59 at the 9:16 mark. Palek and Sutton then got the Bears back on track with close-range buckets to get the lead back to 20 with 7:39 remaining.
Missouri State converted just three field goals the rest of the way – all from beyond the arc – with Kobi Williams and King combining for three triples in the last five minutes. But it was enough to hold off the Riverhawks and secure a 21-point victory.
Missouri State finished 34-of-65 from the field, 11-for-24 (.458) from long range and 13-of-16 (.813) at the free throw line with a 40-26 rebounding advantage. The Bears also racked up 44 points in the paint. The team’s three-point and free throw percentages were both seasons bests.
Northeastern State was 29-of-62 (.468) overall, 6-for-17 (.353) from downtown, and 7-of-12 (.583) at the free throw line with 8 steals and 26 bench points.
After going 2-1 on the home stand, the Bears will play their next two on the road with a Dec. 6 trip to Tulsa (2 p.m.) and a voyage to Xavier on Friday, Dec. 12 for a nationally-televised game (6 p.m., truTV). MoState is back at Great Southern Bank Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 16 to square off with Oral Roberts at 7 p.m.
