Dec. 31, 2011
SPRINGFIELD -- Behind a 56-percent shooting effort and 14 points by Kyle Weems, the Missouri State Bears lead visiting Drake, 34-29, at the intermission here in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Both clubs enter the game 1-0 in league play.
Coming off a win at No. 19 Creighton on Wednesday, the Bears were slow out of the gates, falling behind 16-8 in the first six-and-a-half minutes before reserve Corey Copeland got things going for the home club.
Copeland knocked down a three-pointer to cut the Bears' deficit to five before making it a 16-13 game on a spin move to the basket on the next MSU possession.
Weems tied the game at the 5:14 mark on a short jumper to make it a 22-22 game. When the Bears fell behind 25-24, Weems then reeled off five unanswered points to build a 29-25 lead for Missouri State. The Topeka, Kan., native upped the MSU advantage to seven points on his second trey of the half at the 1:17 mark.
Drake, which was 12-for-25 (.480) in the first half, got a jumper by Kurt Alexander just before the intermission to make it a 34-29 game.
Rayvonte Rice has 14 points to lead the Bulldogs on a 6-for-10 shooting effort. Drake was 2-for-5 (.400) from bonus distance and 3-for-5 (.600) at the line.
MSU, which got 7 points from Copeland and 6 from Jarmar Gulley, was 14-for-25 (.560) from the field and 4-of-6 (.667) from beyond the arc. MSU also made both free throw attempts and out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a 14-10 margin. MSU also had just four turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
