Nov. 7, 2015 Final Stats
Final Stats | Tickets | Schedule
SPRINGFIELD - Four players scored in double figures, including a game-high 19 points by Camyn Boone, as Missouri State topped visiting William Jewell, 88-62, here Saturday in the Bears' only preseason matchup of the new season.
Matt Lassen knocked down three 3-pointers for the Cardinals en route to an 18-point effort, while Austin Regier added 12 points and 9 boards for the visitors.
Boone finished 8-for-12 from the field with 7 rebounds for the Bears who also got 10 points apiece from sophomore Chris Kendrix and newcomers Jordan Martin and Dequon Miller. Martin led MSU on the glass with 8 rebounds, while Miller dished out a team-best 5 assists.
"I felt like we did some good things today, but we have a long way to go," said fifth-year head coach Paul Lusk whose Bears shot 53.8 percent from the field. "I thought we were a little soft on some 50-50 balls early, but we had some good moments and were able to get everybody some quality minutes."
The Bears extended an early advantage to double-digits for the first time at the 5:45 mark of the first half on a transition bucket by Boone. A put-back by senior Loomis Gerring at the buzzer extended MSU's lead to 39-27 at the break, its biggest to that point in the game.
WJC cut its deficit to 41-34 just over two minutes into the second half on a trey by Darius Tomlin and basket by Regier, but the Bears dug in from there. Boone and freshman Jarred Dixon led a 9-0 outburst by the home side over the next two minutes to push Missouri State ahead 50-34.
A transition layup by Kendrix with just over six minutes to play put Missouri State up by 20 for the first time, 69-49, and later a 10-0 run started by freshman Ryan Kreklow extended the MSU advantage to 28 points. Kreklow started the run with a 3-pointer and ended it with a steal and dunk with 1:41 to play.
For the game, MSU's five newcomers accounted for 41 points and 18 rebounds, while the Bears' bench outscored William Jewell's reserves by a 41-15 margin.
Missouri State finished 3-of-12 (.250) from 3-point distance and 15-of-23 (.652) from the foul line while outrebounding the Cardinals by a 36-32 margin. The Bears turned the ball over just 9 times on the afternoon and snagged 13 steals, including 4 by Kendrix. Eleven of the 12 players in uniform scored for Missouri State.
Lusk's troops open the program's 104th season on Friday, Nov. 13 at Oral Roberts, a 7 p.m. tipoff in Tulsa in a game that will air live on KOZL-TV and the MSU Television Network. MSU's home opener is Nov. 27 against William Woods at JQH Arena.
Tickets for the home opener, and all non-conference single-games, are available now at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets, or by visiting the MSU Athletics Box Office at JQH Arena and by phone at (417) 836-7678 during regular box office hours.
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