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SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State got 27 points from
Isiaih Mosley and 20 more from
Gaige Prim to help push the Bears (14-5, 10-5 MVC) past visiting Bradley, 72-57, here Sunday.
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The win completed a two-game sweep of the weekend series by MSU, which snagged its 10
th Missouri Valley Conference win for just third time since 2007.
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Bradley (11-13, 5-10) was led by Rienk Mast who posted 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
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The Bears were impressive on the glass all afternoon, out-rebounding the Braves by a 36-26 margin and allowing BU just four offensive caroms for the game. Bradley tallied just two second-chance points with five different Bears registering four defensive boards to limit the visitors' chances.
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There were five ties and eight lead changes in the first half, but Mosley helped ignite Bears runs of 13-0 and 10-0 to give MSU a 39-29 lead at the midway point. The league's top scorer posted his best opening half of the season with 18 points behind four triples.
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Mosley and company picked up the pace in the second half, using a 12-5 run over a five-minute stretch to build their lead to 54-38. Four different MSU players scored in that key stretch, including 6 points by Prim and a great run-out layup by
Ja'Monta Black.
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Playing without four suspended players for the second day in a row, Bradley made a run midway through the final period. A 3-pointer from Kevin McAdoo and a pair of free throws by Mast made it 54-43 at the 10:55 mark.
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But Missouri State then turned to Mosley who buried a pair of jumpers and his fifth 3-pointer of the game to help build MSU's lead to 66-47 just four minutes later to match the biggest lead of the night. Mosley tied a JQH Arena record by going 5-for-5 from 3-point range, contributing to his 10-for-16 day from the field with 4 rebounds.Â
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The Bears, who were 11-of-27 (.407) from long range, also got four triples from Black who finished with 14 points and 4 boards.
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Demarcus Sharp dished out a career-high 8 assists in the win, while Prim carried the load down low, finishing 9-of-12 from the field with a team-best 8 rebounds.
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The Bears finished 28-of-58 (.483) from the field and 5-of-8 (.625) at the line with just 10 turnovers and 9 steals.
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Bradley, which also got 13 points apiece from McAdoo and Sean East, shot 21-of-52 (.404) overall, 8-for-25 (.320) from three, and 7-of-8 (.875) at the line with 10 turns.
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With just three games remaining on The Valley slate, the Bears return to league play Wednesday evening with an 8:15 p.m. start at Southern Illinois before wrapping up the regular season at Evansville, Feb. 26-27.
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