FINAL STATS
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State (21-6, 13-3 MVC) held visiting Drake without a field goal for nearly 12 minutes in the second half and had four players score in double figures to score a 60-51 Missouri Valley Conference victory here Tuesday.
The Bears got 11 points and 11 rebounds from Kyle Weems to lead the way for his fourth double-double of the season and 10th of his career. Will Creekmore, Caleb Patterson and Nathan Scheer added 10 apiece for MSU which shot an even 50 percent from the field in the second half.
Drake (11-16, 6-10) was led by Rayvonte Rice who tallied 17 points and 9 rebounds for the Bulldogs as the only double-figure scorer for the visitors. DU, which entered the game second in the MVC in three-point shooting, was just 4-for-23 (.174) from three-point range.
After a 24-24 halftime deadlock, Weems ignited the home club with a three-pointer just over two minutes into the second period, and later helped MSU over a three-point deficit with a four-point play with 13:38 on the clock.
That play seemed to spark the JQH Arena faithful. And after a basket by Aaron Hawley at the 13:14 mark gave the visitors a brief 38-37 lead, the Bears would not allow another field goal for the next 11 minutes, 52 seconds while extending their advantage to double digits.
Nafis Ricks scored six points over a 90-second stretch during the 19-6 run by the Bears, while Adam Leonard and Weems tacked on two points apiece in the final 40 seconds to secure the win.
With the victory, Missouri State matched a school record for most conference wins in a season with 13. The Bears were 13-1 in the Mid-Continent in 1986-87 and have finished 13-5 twice in The Valley – 1991-92 and 1999-2000.
Missouri State finished 21-for-51 (.412) from the field and 6-for-19 (.316) from beyond the arc, but made up for lackluster shooting and 14 turnovers with a solid 12-for-14 (.857) effort at the free throw line. It was the Bears' ninth straight effort of 75-percent or better at the charity stripe. Cuonzo Martin's squad also out-rebounded Drake, 36-31, and MSU's reserves outscored the Bulldogs off the pine, 20-6.
Drake finished 17-for-49 (.347) from the field and 13-of-17 (.765) at the line. The Bulldogs collected 12 steals in the contest to contribute to 14 Missouri State mishaps.
The Bears step out of conference play Saturday at 4 p.m. when they travel to Valparaiso from the Horizon League for a nationally-televised game (ESPN2) in the 2011 Sears BracketBusters series. MSU returns to league play next Wednesday at Southern Illinois (7:05 p.m.), and then closes out the regular season on Feb. 26 at JQH Arena against fellow MVC frontrunner Wichita State at 12 p.m., also on ESPN2.
In the first half, Drake's Ryan Wedel tossed in a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer to bring his club even with the Bears, 24-24. Wedel's heave was the third three-pointer of the opening half for the visitors who turned the ball over nine times in the first period and matched the Bears, 17-17, on the boards.
The Bears shot a humble .333 (9-for-27) from the field in the first period and converted just 2-of-11 (.182) three-point shots, but managed to lead most of the half. A three-pointer by Adam Leonard at the 15:57 mark erased an early 5-0 lead by Drake. Leonard's shot was part of a 16-6 run by the Bears to push the home team ahead, 16-11, with 8:09 to go.
There were four lead changes and three ties from there, and Drake held MVC Player of the Year candidate Weems scoreless in the first 20 minutes.
