Jan. 3, 2015 Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF) | Season Stats | MVC-Only Stats | Highlights | Lusk Postgame | Players Postgame | Tickets for Illinois State Game
SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State (8-6, 2-0 MVC) held visiting Drake to 29 percent shooting and notched its second straight wire-to-wire conference victory here Saturday with a 62-37 win over the Bulldogs Missouri Valley Conference play.
Marcus Marshall led all scorers with 19 points for MSU, while the Bears also got 12 points apiece from Austin Ruder and Camyn Boone to extend their win streak to three.
Boone and Loomis Gerring also notched 8 rebounds to help Missouri State gain a 41-21 rebounding advantage in the game.
Drake (3-11, 0-2) was led by Jacob Enevold's 13 points.
After leading by 13 at the midway point, the Bears turned up the heat in the second half and held Drake to 2-of-11 from the field in the first nine minutes of the final period. Meanwhile, MSU pushed ahead by as many as 24 with a 14-3 run to start the frame as Ruder and Marshall knocked down 3-pointers, and Boone scored twice up close.
Drake climbed back within 49-30 midway through the half with five unanswered points over the next three minutes. But a dunk by Boone ended the Missouri State drought and started a 13-2 run for the home side that saw the Bears lead 62-32 with just over three minutes left in the game.
Drake scored 2 of its 5 second-half shots in the final three minutes of the game and finished 12-of-42 (.286) for the afternoon, including just 2-of-11 (.182) from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs, who had won two of four coming into the game, turned the ball over 12 times and made only 11-of-19 (.579) foul shots.
The Bears have now held each of their last three opponents under 35 percent shooting for the game.
Missouri State's trips to the line were limited, but the Bears converted 6-of-8 (.750) from there and 25-of-52 (.481) from the field with Ruder providing 4 of the club's 6 3-pointers. The Bears also blocked 5 shots and snagged 7 steals while posting 28 points in the paint.
In the first half, the Bears shot 50 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a 19-10 margin to take a 35-22 lead into the break.
MSU used a 10-0 run midway through the opening half to stretch a one-point lead into a 24-13 advantage on a transition 3-pointer by Ruder at the 6:18 mark.
Missouri State, which never trailed, built its biggest of the opening stanza, 33-18, on a Marshall jumper with 2:02 left in the period. Marshall's shot capped a 9-2 run over two-and-a-half minutes and sent the Bears into the break with back-breaking momentum.
Paul Lusk's squad now takes its 2-0 league ledger to Indiana State on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. (Central) as it continues league play in an ESPN3 production in Terre Haute.
The Bears then return to JQH Arena on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. to battle Illinois State in another ESPN3 game. Tickets for the ISU game are available at MissouriStateBears.com or during office hours at the Athletics Box Office at JQH Arena at (417) 836-7678.
