Missouri State

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SPRINGFIELD – Six Missouri State players scored in double figures, including a game-high 18 points from junior Austin Ruder, to lead the Bears past visiting Alabama A&M here Friday in the season opener for both teams.
 
Newcomers Alize Johnson and Jarrid Rhodes poured in 16 points apiece in the win, while fellow Missouri State juco transfer Ronnie Rousseau III scored 15 points. Obediah Church scored 12 points, blocked four shots and added a game-high 8 rebounds, and Ryan Kreklow contributed 10 points in a starting role for Paul Lusk's Bears.
 
Alabama A&M was led by Quinterian McConico and De'Ederick Petty who scored 14 points apiece for the Bulldogs, who scored the first bucket of the game but never led again.
 
Missouri State converted 61.5 percent of its shots on the night, including 12 3-pointers – six by Ruder and four by Rhodes – while committing just six turnovers.
 
The Bears surrendered four offensive rebounds in the first five minutes of the game and never allowed AAMU another second chance the rest of the first half. Meanwhile, MSU's offense was sparked by Ruder who came off the bench in a 6-6 tie and quickly poured in four treys in a four-minute span to push the home side ahead 20-8.
 
Later in the opening half, Ruder knocked down another bomb with just over four minutes to go, and Rhodes dropped in a pair of shots from downtown on back-to-back trips to give MSU a 20-point advantage. Alabama A&M closed out the half on a 7-0 run to make it a 45-32 game at the intermission.
 
But the second half was all Missouri State. The Bears opened the second stanza on an 18-3 run with Rhodes and Kreklow pouring salt in the Bulldogs' wounds with triples in transition before the 14-minute mark.
 
MSU later put together an 11-0 outburst to lead by 34 with 6:40 to play and owned its biggest lead of the night when Rousseau scored a driving layup to make it 90-53 after the final media break of the evening.
 
MSU was 40-of-65 from the field with its three transfers combining for 47 points and 20-of-27 shooting. The Bears didn't get to the line much, making 4-of-7 charity shots, but owned a convincing 32-23 rebounding edge, including 18 second-chance points off 11 offensive caroms.
 
For its part, AAMU finished 23-of-54 (.426) from the field, 5-of-14 (.357) from bonus distance and 11-of-14 (.786) at the stripe with 12 turnovers.
 
Missouri State continues its three-game home stand to start the campaign on Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. visit from Jacksonville State (1-0). Tickets for the JSU game are available at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Old Missouri Bank Ticket Window at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678, starting at 10 a.m. Sunday.