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PEORIA, Ill. – After scratching their way back into the game Saturday at Bradley, Missouri State saw the final 10 minutes get away as the Bears saw a single-digit deficit turn into an 86-60 loss down the stretch.
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Connor Hickman's 25 points led the surging Braves (10-5, 2-2 MVC) who picked up their fourth straight win, while Darius Hannah added 19 points for the home side.
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Missouri State (9-6, 1-3 MVC) got 17 points and 7 rebounds from
Cesare Edwards who led the Bears in both categories for the second straight game.
Donovan Clay added 13 points for MoState with
Matthew Lee dishing out 6 assists.
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After trailing 42-28 at the half, the Bears held tough through the midway point of the final stanza, working the ball inside during a key stretch with a dunk by
N.J. Benson and a layup by
Donovan Clay with 10:24 to go, making it a single-digit deficit for the first time since late in the opening half. Clay's bucket made it a 56-47 game.
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But Bradley would embark on a key 8-1 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes to push back ahead by 16 on a short jumper by Christian Davis at the 8:00 mark.
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The Bears called timeout to calm the waters and responded with a three by
Tyler Bey to climb within 64-51, but Hickman and the Braves would slam the door moments later. Hickman's fifth trey of the game ignited an 11-3 run to push the home side ahead by 20 for the first time with just over four minutes left.
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Edwards' dunk with 90 seconds to go was Missouri State's only field goal in the final four minutes.
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Bradley finished 35-of-64 (.547) from the field overall, 8-of-22 (.364) from three and 8-of-11 (.727) at the line with a 41-22 rebounding advantage and 9 steals.
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It marked the first 50-percent shooting effort surrendered by MSU since Dec. 10, 2022 (Oral Roberts), a span of 36 games.
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The Bears finished 22-of-53 (.419) from the field, 4-of-22 (.182) from long range and 12-of-17 (.706) from the line with 15 turnovers and 8 steals.
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In the first half, Bradley shot 52 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Bears by 13 to lead 42-28 at the midway point. Hannah ignited a decisive 11-0 midway through the opening stanza to turn a four-point game into a 28-13 contest less than two minutes later.
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MoState whittled away before Clay's three-point play at the 5:34 mark drew the Bears back within 33-24, but the Braves ended the half on 9-4 outburst to lead by a dozen at the midway point.
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The Bears return home to Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday to host Murray State at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Murray State game are available at
MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Great Southern Bank Box Office, (417) 836-7678, during regular business hours.
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