Sparked by 72 percent field goal accuracy the first half, the Missouri State Bears cooled off very little after intermission to roll to a 77-54 victory over the Delaware State Hornets Sunday in Hammons Student Center in the first round of the South Padre Island Invitational.
The Bears’ wide-open style contrasted sharply with the Hornets’ patient office as the Bears were hot from everywhere early, connecting on 7-of-10 threes and 6-of-8 twos before intermission for a .722 (13/18) accuracy figure and a 38-23 lead. Delaware State hit just .412 (7/17) the first half and didn’t hit a two-point basket until the final minute of the half.
The pace stayed the same throughout the second half but Delaware State warmed up to 50 percent from the floor after intermission while the Bears settled for .552 shooting and the margin stayed fairly consistent. The Bears’ biggest lead in the second half was 24 and the Hornets didn’t get closer than 14. The Bears finished at .617 (29/47) from the floor for the contest, their best shooting effort since a .639 night against Troy State in December of 2004.
In the first half, the Bears put together a 10-0 run to push a 12-11 lead to 22-11, and then ran off another 8-0 surge to send the margin well into double figures, where it stayed.
Junior Deven Mitchell broke loose for the most productive game of his Missouri State career as he nailed 5-of-6 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the line for a career-best 17 points. Senior Blake Ahearn drained four threes and scored 16, senior Tyler Chaney added 12 and junior Spencer Laurie was perfect from the field to score 10 points while handing out a game-high seven assists. Missouri State had a slight edge of what few rebounds there were, 22-21, as Chaney grabbed five.
Delaware State senior guard Jahsha Bluntt, the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, had 22 points and five rebounds for the Hornets.
The pace of the Delaware State offense kept other numbers down as well, with the Bears’ 10 total fouls and seven turnovers each within one of the lowest figures on those categories a Missouri State team has had in eight seasons under head coach Barry Hinson.
Missouri State swings back into action in the second round of the South Padre Island tourney Tuesday when they host Lincoln University in Hammons Student Center. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. The Bears will then journey to Texas for the semifinals and finals of the tourney Friday and Saturday where the field will include Wisconsin, Auburn and Oklahoma State.
