HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Led by a career-high 31 points from senior Michael Osei-Bonsu, Missouri State upended top-seeded Liberty, 77-69, here Wednesday in the Conference USA quarterfinals.
Osei-Bonsu was 14-for-16 from the field, and racked up 8 rebounds and 4 assists in the victory while breaking a Missouri State conference tournament scoring record.
The Missouri State victory marked the first time since 2018 (Southern Miss) that a No. 9 seed has advanced to the CUSA semifinals. The Bears will have Thursday off before playing the winner of the Middle Tennessee vs. LA Tech quarterfinal game in an 11:30 a.m. semifinal Friday on CBS Sports Network.
The Bears (16-17) completed the upset with support from Kobi Williams who scored 19 and Trey Williams Jr. who tallied 10 points, including a beak-breaking three with a minute to go. Mo State shot 56 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Flames by a 34-30 margin. Keith Palek III was also pivotal down the stretch, finishing with 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
Liberty (25-7) was paced by CUSA Player of the Year Zach Cleveland who notched 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds with Kaden Metheny and Brett Decker Jr. each contributing 14 points for the regular-season champs.
Missouri State trailed by 10 with 16:36 to play as the Flames used a 7-0 surge to stretch a four-point halftime advantage to a 47-37 lead and force a Missouri State timeout. The Bears came out of the timeout with a renewed energy as Palek drained a 3-pointer and Osei-Bonsu scored a quick layup to trim their deficit to five.
Liberty sent the ball to Decker for a long three on its next possession to stretch its lead to 50-42 at the 15:15 mark before the tides turned for good.
The Bears spent the next six minutes feeding Osei-Bonsu, getting every rebound and spreading in some well-timed jumpers from Kobi Williams and Palek as part of a season-best 15-0 run. When the dust cleared, Mo State had a 57-50 lead with 9:55 to go with the Bears’ senior post accounting for 10 points on the pivotal swing.
Josh Smith broke the scoreless stretch for Liberty with a quick layup, but McHenry was whistled for a flagrant one foul with 9:28 to play. Palek was injured on the foul, requiring the Bears to sub in freshman Melachi Cunningham in a key situation. The freshman guard from Gary, Ind., then made one of two free throws to make it a 58-52 game.
The next seven minutes would create some nail-biting moments for MSU fans, but the moment proved to be a good fit for the maroon club.
McHenry splashed home his fourth three-pointer of the night on Liberty’s next possession before a Cleveland bucket drew the Flames within 58-57 with less than eight minutes to go. The Bears then went back to Osei-Bonsu for their next three points, and then a pair of Kobi Williams charity shots gave the No. 9 seed a six-point lead with five minutes left.
Liberty scored the next four points to make it a 63-61 contest, giving fellow Mo State freshman Trey Williams Jr. a chance to shine again with his second triple of the night which provided the Bears some needed breathing room. Osei-Bonsu then made it a 68-61 game with a hook shot on the next Missouri State possession to stretch the lead to seven 2:44 to play.
Cleveland provided the Flames with one last push down the stretch, making a pair of free throws inside the two-minute mark and scoring a second-chance bucket after a missed Flames three attempt to make it 70-67 with 1:19 to go.
However, the final act was all Missouri State. Trey Williams Jr. buried a clutch triple with 59.6 seconds on the clock to push the Bears up by six. He was also one of four Springfield players to make free throws in the final minute to clinch it. Palek, Zaxton King and Kobi Williams joined in the fun from the foul line, while Liberty’s only tally in crunch time was a Colin Porter layup.
For the night, the Bears were 28-of-50 (.560) overall, 8-for-16 (.500) from long range and 13-of-22 (.591) at the line with 34 rebounds, 14 assists and 38 points in the paint.
Liberty was 27-of-63 (.429) overall, but was held to just 31.4 percent (11-of-35) in the second half. The Flames finished 9-of-31 (.290) from long range and 6-of-9 (.667) at the line with 15 assists and 7 steals.
Osei-Bonsu set a Missouri State record with the most points ever by a Bear in a conference tournament game, surpassing 30 by Winston Garland in the 1987 AMCU Tournament. He also logged 14 field goals which was a career high as well as the most buckets ever by a Bear in tournament action. Meanwhile his 87.5 percent from the field was the second-best ever in CUSA Tournament history for a player with 10 or more field goals.
It marks Missouri State’s first conference tournament semifinal appearance since 2022.
In the first half, Cleveland scored 10, including a driving layup at the buzzer to put Liberty ahead 37-33 at the intermission. A 14-0 run by the Flames over a key five-minute stretch flipped a four-point Bears lead into a 29-19 deficit with 7:38 to go in the period. The Bears responded with a 7-0 outburst with Kobi Williams sparking the first five before Darrion Sutton drew the Bears back within 29-26 at the four-minute mark.
MSU would pull within two points of the lead three times before the break after a 3-pointer by King, a floater from Kobi and a close-range bucket from Osei-Bonsu who had 10 points in the first stanza.
Missouri State Head Coach Cuonzo Martin
Opening Statement…
“Great team win. Great program win, you know, even though Missouri State has been around for a long time, has had a lot of success, but coming into this league, with new guys. Our guys displayed a lot of heart and resiliency and beat an extraordinary team and a phenomenal program. We’re talking about one of the best in America, doesn’t matter what level. We had to take this game. And it’s one of those games that’s mentally taxing, because they’re good. They’re not going to give you anything. You’ve got to take the game. We were resilient, and we stayed the course. I thought we did a phenomenal job in the second half defensively. Because when you have that level of shooters and a playmaker like Zach Cleveland, they put you in so many compromising situations, but we did a phenomenal job. 31 points by Mike [Osei-Bonsu], and obviously, Keith [Palek III] didn’t score a lot, but facilitated and probed the defense, and he keeps him at bay because of his ability to pass and shoot the ball. So, great, great win for our guys. I’m happy for them.”
On adjustments after trailing 10 in second half…
“We’re used to that. I mean, we’ve been in situations. We have an intelligent group of guys, so it’s just really saying what’s going on. They can comprehend it. The biggest thing is to relax, gather yourself and hear what I’m saying. Let’s stick to the game plans, and let’s get out of here with a win. And I think that’s the biggest thing, just gather yourself, understand what’s going on and embrace it. We’ve got to execute and take care of the basketball. Shooters be ready to shoot the ball. And all those simple things, man, because they pick stuff up. At this point, you’ve been through a lot, you’ve seen a lot, and it’s just a matter of reeling them in as best you can. It’s not a lot of yelling and beating people down. I mean, they understand that, and they’re trying hard, they’re working hard, so just say, here’s what it takes to win this game, let’s stick to it. So, 10 points down, 12 points. We were down 20 at their place and gave ourselves a chance to win the game. We’re a group of fighters.”
Missouri State Forward Michael Osei-Bonsu
On the team’s mindset coming into the game…
“Honestly, it meant a lot to us, obviously, because we put in all the work throughout the whole year. Our coach puts in toughness all the time to us, telling us to go hard, telling us to stay the course, trusting your teammates, and playing for each other, so it feels great that we put in the work, and it’s finally paying off.”
Liberty Head Coach Ritchie McKay
Opening Statement…
“Yeah, congratulations, to Missouri State. Coach Martin’s a great person. Their staff is terrific. A really, really well-coached team, and my hat’s off to them. They’re a really tough out. Proud of our group, though, I thought we fought. We had a couple of times where we separated, got a double-digit lead, and just couldn’t pull away. They came back each time and got it back to a two-possession game within one or two possessions, or two or three possessions. But, again, I’ll ride with our group every day of the week. Just, I love these men, what they’re about, what they stand for, how they represent their families, and how they represent our university.”
