CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Missouri State got four straight free throws by sophomore Ryan Kreklow in the final 14 seconds to seal a 68-64 road win over Northern Iowa here Wednesday in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.
 
The Bears (10-4, 1-0 MVC) finished 10-for-11 at the foul line and held off a late surge by the Panthers (5-7, 0-1) who got to the line 20 times themselves in the second half.
 
Dequon Miller led all Missouri State players with 17 points, including a season-high five 3-pointers, while Kreklow scored 13, Alize Johnson added 12, and Jarrid Rhodes poured in 10 points in the Bears' first win at the McLeod Center since Dec. 29, 2010 – the only other time the teams have played in an MVC opener.
 
Johnson also posted a game-high 10 rebounds in his seventh double-double of the season.
 
The Bears used a 19-0 run to build a 20-point lead less than 10 minutes into the game. Three different MSU players knocked down triples during the six-minute stretch, which the visitors were able to parlay into a 24-point advantage by the 6:46 mark of the opening stanza.
 
MSU was able to connect on nine 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of play and controlled the glass without allowing a single Panther offensive rebound to lead 39-22 at the intermission.
 
In the second half, UNI immediately cut its deficit to 16 but 90 seconds later, Miller's fourth triple of the game pushed the Bears' advantage back to 48-27 before the first media timeout. A Rhodes 3-pointer just under the 14-minute mark gave the Bears a 53-31 lead on a clutch shot.
 
"We had to earn this victory," said MSU head coach Paul Lusk. "Coming into this environment with a great crowd and a great team on the road, I'm really proud of this team and the way they were able to find a way tonight."
 
The Panthers found themselves in the bonus with 10:31 to go in the game and used that momentum to carry out a 9-0 run and make it a 55-46 game with 9:15 to go. Johnson stopped the bleeding with a close-range jumper and Miller answered the bell with a big-time triple at the 8:17 mark to push MSU's lead to 60-48.
 
UNI tallied the next seven points to make it a 60-55 at the five-minute mark before Johnson rose the occasion again, first on a pair of foul shots and then on a drawn charge on the defensive end at the four-minute mark to keep the lead in the visitors' court.
 
Rhodes knocked down a key jumper just before the two-minute mark to give the Bears a six-point cushion, and Kreklow iced the win in the deciding moments after UNI's Jeremy Morgan fouled out on the Panthers' final foul of the night.
 
Morgan finished with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-21 shots and 8-of-10 free throws.
 
MSU finished 23-for-49 (.469) overall and 12-for-22 (.545) from long range. The Bears never trailed and out-rebounded the Panthers 34-21, allowing just one UNI offensive carom.
 
UNI was 20-for-46 (.435) overall and 4-of-15 (.267) from three while converting 20-of-26 (.769) at the stripe with just seven turnovers.
 
MSU returns home this Saturday to do battle with Indiana State (6-7, 0-1 MVC) at 11 a.m. in another FOX Sports Midwest televised showdown.
 
Tickets for the Indiana State game are available anytime at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.

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