The Missouri State basketball Bears took the fewest shots an MSU has taken in a game six years but connected on the highest field goal percentage for a Bears’ ballclub in 16 years and went on to a key 75-66 Missouri Valley Conference road win over Illinois State Monday night in Normal, Ill., as the Bears moved back into a first-place tie in the MVC.
    The Bears needed their red-hot display from the field to offset 12 first-half turnovers and their second lowest foul line accuracy of the season. Missouri State went ahead to stay midway through the first half and found ways to get key baskets the rest of the night whenever the Redbirds mounted a charge as Missouri State won for the fifth time in seven MVC starts this season and climbed to 14-4 overall. Illinois State dropped to 9-9 and 1-6.
    The Bears’ victory, coupled with wins by Wichita State over Creighton and Southern Illinois over Drake, left Missouri State, Creighton and SIU knotted for the league lead. Northern Iowa and Indiana State are a half game back at 4-2.
    The Bears hit .632 in the first half but the 12 turnovers before intermission kept MSU from pulling away. Missouri State opened to .684 the second half to finish the game at .658 (25/38). The last time an MSU team was hotter was a .714 night against Louisiana-Monroe in 1990. That figure remains the single game Missouri State field goal percentage record. The Bears helped their cause by hitting 8-of-12 from three-point range, but were only at .607 (17/28) from the line.
   Blake Ahearn was 6-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, to lead the Bears with 17 points. Deven Mitchell was perfect from the field and had 14 points, while Tyler Chaney and Nathan Bilyeu scored 11 each and Spencer Laurie added eight. Bilyeu grabbed six rebounds to lead the Bears to a 30-22 edge on the boards.
    The Bears’ spotted ISU a 7-2 lead and then held the Redbirds scoreless for five minutes in a 10-0 MSU run that made it 12-7. An 8-0 run put the Bears ahead to stay and Missouri State’s biggest first-half advantage was 25-15 before ISU closed to within three at the half, 32-29.
    Missouri State’s second half lead was as large as nine and ISU got as close as one at 54-53 with 7:21 left. Ahearn nailed a trey and Bilyeu and Mitchell added two free throws each to push the lead back to eight at 61-53 with 6:06 left. ISU crept back to within two at 65-63 with 1:43 to play but Bilyeu canned a 15-foot jumper and Mitchell came up with a midcourt steal and layup to make it 69-63 and the Bears hit their free throws from then until the end.
    Levi Dyer scored 23 for ISU and Greg Dilligard scored 13 for the Redbirds.
    The Bears continue their second straight three-game week in Valley play when they host Northern Iowa Thursday (Jan. 18) at 7:05 p.m. in Hammons Student Center.
