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SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State (6-3) tied a JQH Arena record with 25 offensive rebounds and got a double-double from junior Alize Johnson to lead the Bears past visiting Oral Roberts, 86-76, here Wednesday.
 
Johnson scored 20 points and snagged a career-high 16 rebounds in his third straight double-double effort and fifth for the young season. Jarred Dixon also contributed 15 points off the bench for MSU, helping the Bears accumulate 40 bench points.
 
ORU (2-9) was led by Kris Martin's 35 points, while Jalen Bradley added 17.
 
The Bears out-rebounded Oral Roberts by a 46-31 margin and turned their 25 offensive caroms into 22 second-chance points. Johnson accounted for 10 offensive rebounds on his own.
 
Missouri State came out firing on all cylinders to take a double-figure lead less than seven minutes into the game. An 11-0 run over a four-minute stretch early in the opening half saw five different Bears in the scoring column during the run, including a dunk by Obediah Church.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Austin Ruder and Dixon midway through the half ended a 7-2 stretch by the Golden Eagles and helped the home side secure its biggest lead of the opening stanza, 25-13.
 
Just before the intermission, the Golden Eagles used a 3-pointer by Bradley, a layup by Martin and a shot off the glass from Emmanuel Nzekwesi to get within 42-40 at the break.
 
The visitors sustained that momentum into the second half, getting a triple by Martin and put-back jumper from Bradley to take their first lead of the game, 45-42 just over a minute into the final period. The lead changed hands four more times over the next four minutes before a 3-pointer by Ronnie Rousseau III ignited another 11-0 run by Missouri State. By the time the run ended at the 11:51 mark, the Bears had a 59-49 lead and would never trail again.
 
Coach Paul Lusk's squad fought off another ORU rally late in the half when Martin accounted for 10 points of an 11-4 run by the Golden Eagles to make it a one-point game before the final media timeout. A rare four-point play by Martin with 6:23 to play made it a 70-69 contest.
 
But Ryan Kreklow and Dixon took the wheel for the home club with Kreklow getting a key score at the five-minute mark and Dixon scoring on a floater in traffic on MSU's next possession to get some breathing room. Church then put the icing on the cake, scoring a powerful dunk on a pass from Dixon before getting to the line for a 3-point play opportunity moments later to stretch MSU's lead back to 80-71.
 
The decisive 10-2 run down the stretch saw MSU's defense step up at a critical point in the game, getting nearly six straight minutes worth of stops before Martin snapped the drought with a triple with 37 seconds to go – his seventh of the game.
 
Dequon Miller and Alize Johnson finished the game at the foul line in the final seconds to give the Bears their sixth non-conference victory of the year and fifth by a double-figure margin.
 
The Bears finished 33-of-74 (.446) from the field, setting a season high for attempts, while converting 7-of-21 (.333) from bonus distance with 46 rebounds, four turnovers and four blocked shots. MSU's lone blemish on the night was its foul shooting as the Bears converted just 13-of-28 (.464) and just 8-of-21 in the second half.
 
For its part, ORU fired at a higher percentage than the Bears, making good on 28-of-61 (.459) shots overall and 9-of-24 (.375) from long range. The Golden Eagles made 11-of-13 (.846) at the stripe with 11 turnovers, 31 rebounds and 24 points in the paint.
 
Missouri State, which improved to 5-1 at JQH Arena this season, continues its four-game home stand on Saturday for a 5 p.m. tip against in-state rival Southeast Missouri State (4-6) in the opening round of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic. Tickets for the SEMO game are available at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678 during box office hours.
 
Children can enjoy Insomnia Cookies with Santa from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., on Saturday in the JQH Arena concourse.
 
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